My Last Eagle Tour of Summer 2007

(Note: These pictures are going to be a little disjointed.) Today I came back from my last highway tour. I knew when I came up here that leaving would be hard. I knew that it would be really hard. Now that it's here, I don't know how I'm going to do it. I've been so happy here. The thought of leaving has brought back the migraines I'd been having before I came up here. I have so many dear friends here. I love what I do. I love Alaska. My dearest wish is to fly back to Virginia, pack up my car, and come back here. I have great friends helping me look for jobs here for the next school year. I was going to have one more Eagle tour, but I'm going home for four days for family stuff then it's back to Virginia on the 26th. I leave here on the 21st. It's heartbreaking. I got to the boat landing in Eagle and broke down crying. Fortunately, I'd pulled it together before my guests got off the boat. Leaving was so hard. When we got to Tok, Robin told me goodbye and I teared up in front of my guests. The funny thing was, we had passed an RV within inches right before we got to Chicken and people were telling me how well I'd done on the road, so it looked like I was tearing up over their comments. :-) After saying goodbye to Shannon, the bartender, I went to bed and cried myself to sleep. I can't believe I won't be going back to see Chris waiting to help with the luggage or hang out with Shannon and Ditty and the other drivers and tour directors in the lounge. I can't believe I won't stand on the banks of the Yukon and watch it flow by. I can't believe I won't see Kate and Andy at the boat and give them hugs as they come in from Dawson. I can't believe I won't be "mad" at Matt or Jake for not hiking the bluff with me. I can't believe how much I'll miss everyone here. How am I going to leave?

I was on my way to the campground when I came across this area. It looks like Eagle's recreation site. It looked like people had been out playing on their four wheelers. Too bad it wasn't me out playing on the four wheeler! :-)
We saw the Alaska Range this morning. You never see the Alaska Range. It's always clouded over. We had to stop and get pictures. I just wish I had a better camera so you could really see how beautiful it was.









Another shot of the Alaska Range.













We stop at Gold Dredge #8 in Fox in the morning on our way to Tok and in the afternoon on our way back from Tok.











My baby (883) took good care of me. Wow, the road was muddy!!












One of the homes in Eagle.













The front entrance to the school in Eagle.













Eagle's post office. The postmaster was (and I think still is) a very important person in Eagle.












Tyler made a phone call from this phone when we were in Eagle. I had no idea it actually worked!











The Eagle Cemetary. I have been wondering where it was because I've been reading a book called "Jewel on the Yukon" which is all about the history of Eagle. The cemetary is mentioned, but I didn't know where it was. Now I know. :)









The high school parking lot. :-)













Okay, so we're out in the bush but this light post looks like it could be in front of any school in the Lower 48. You would probably have had to be in Eagle to understand the great irony of this light post.















I like this sign much better than the signs you see in the Lower 48 as you're driving away from public schools.

















This is the hotel I stay in when I'm in Eagle. I'm homesick for Eagle already.












A basketball hoop.


















This is the sign you see as you enter the school zone. All schools should have signs like this. It has personality. It's not just boring yellow and black or white and black.
















This is the stop sign as you're leaving the school. Try getting away with this in Northern Virginia!

















Here's the school in Eagle. It's very modern and very nice looking from the outside. I was talking with a lady who said it's even nicer on the inside.











This is Kitty. She's so funny!













A dredge bucket. These things weigh 1500 pounds so once you have one in place, you don't move it. You just find a use for it.











Jessica and Emma, two of Eagle's Historical Society tour guides. They're so cute! I love them and I'll miss them. The Eagle Mall is in the background.










Downtown Eagle looking toward the bluff. That's the restaurant where I ate dinner and breakfast and the store behind that where we stopped on our way out of Eagle. Wow, what I wouldn't give to be there talking to Robin and waiting to drive the Taylor.