Exploring Alaska by RV: Returning to Tranquility Base

Having returned the RV in good order, no real evidence of its true travels, we squeezed into a Motel Room. This made us appreciate just how big the RV was.

Josh and I checked out a local car dealer that had the type of car that featured in the Movie Transformers - Bumble Bee. A five mile walk back to the Motel via the Police Museum and a lock-smith shop, afforded us some time together.

Luckily the Motel had a set of scales so we turned our focus to packing less than 50lb bags, not an easy task, sacraficed a few things.

4.30am saw us up and getting ready to catch the bus out to the airport for our 7.30am flight. You need to sacrafice so much of your life to getting through the security checkpoints when you are travelling these days. It's a reflection of the State of Fear that is being instilled by governments. This fear is driving expenditure, many people would not have jobs if it wasn't for all this fear. As a tourist, it seems a joke, as it lacks true integrity of process and considering not one person has ever been caught at one of these checkpoints, but the deterent factor is difficult to measure. Undressing in public becomes 'the norm' at international airports. removing jackets, shoes and belts, separating your carryon baggage, is just so time consuming, you feel like your in a processed meat factory. Being organised is the key, having no metal on you, having wallet and mobiles in your backpack, laptop set to be removed from its bag, and shoes that slip on help. Having the quarantined items at the ready got us through Customs OK.

The kids travelled extremely well for the 41 hours it took us to get from the motel to our home. With 3 hours in Seattle, 6 hours at LAX, and 3 hours at Auckland aiports, certainly added to the flight times. Travelling cattle classs didn't help, but we had an incident free trip home.

We had dinner at "Encounters" restaurant at LAX, it is the old Flight Control Tower, photo below. We also got to photo our aircraft - The Rotorua - Air NZ.

It was great to get back to our home - "Tranquility Base". The house had been set to "holiday mode". We took some time to put it back on-line to habitate. Unpacking and putting out those special collectables we gathered through our travels made the evening a joy before finding the comfort of our own beds. Sleep came fast.

Views from Inlet Tower Motel - Anchorage