Some trips are vacations.
Some trips are adventures.
And some trips carry a little more with them.
This trip to Alaska was one of those.
I was headed back to Whaler’s Cove Lodge, about a 45-minute float plane ride from Juneau, Alaska—a place that holds so many memories of Russ and me. For about 20 years in a row, we went fishing there. That’s a LOT of memories. 😊
This time, though, I was going back with a very special purpose.
I was bringing a little urn with his ashes with me.
And because this is Russ we’re talking about, we also brought his cut-out head along for the adventure.😂 At one point, we had him peeking through the windshield of the boat. It felt exactly right.
I wore the yellow bracelet Russ used to wear, and I also wore his mom Peggy’s ring.
Little pieces of people I love, coming along with me. 💛
Getting Back to Alaska
Getting somewhere as remote as the lodge takes a little doing.
Planes. Boats. Luggage.
And an urn.
I wasn’t quite sure how traveling with that last one was going to go, but thankfully, the urn I brought was small enough that TSA didn’t have to test it.
Blessing! 😊
Even the travel itself brought some unexpected connections. Eventually, though, Alaska came into view.
The mountains. The water. The trees.
And with them came so many memories of all those years spent there with Russ.
Back at the Lodge
One of the things I loved about this trip was that it wasn’t only about why we’d come.
There was life happening all around us.
Russ’ cousin Mark, who now owns the lodge, went above and beyond hosting us.
Isla was there, impressing lodge guests with everything she knew about fishing and the different kinds of fish.
I also got to show Isla the many whale sculptures and other pieces her great-grandpa had made.
And at bedtime, we sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
There was laughter.
There was reminiscing about Russ and the roughly 20 years we had spent coming there together.
And then there was one of those little moments that makes you wonder how things line up the way they do.
Some guests were sitting on their cabin porch singing “Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine,” by Tom T. Hall.
That was a song my dad used to sing.
Of all the songs.
Of all the places.
Sometimes a little piece of the past just seems to find you. 💛
Kelp Bay
Then came one of the biggest reasons we were there.
Mark took us to Kelp Bay, one of Russ’ favorite fishing spots near Whaler’s Cove.
And we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day.
The weather was unexpectedly gorgeous, and the water was smooth as glass.
There, surrounded by the Alaska scenery Russ loved so much, we scattered some of his ashes in a place that meant so much to him.
I thought about all the years we’d spent coming here.
All those fishing trips.
All those memories.
And now, a little piece of Russ would forever be part of this place he loved.
Being able to honor his wishes that way was a priceless gift.
💛💛💛
A Moment From Kelp Bay
Some moments are easier to share by simply letting you see them.
Here’s a short video of Spencer and me scattering a little piece of Russ at Kelp Bay. 💛
And Then… Bears!
And apparently Alaska wasn’t done with us yet. 😊
Right after we scattered some of Russ’ ashes, Mark took us to the fish hatchery.
And there were bears.
Not one bear.
At least half a dozen of them, catching and eating fish!
Then we went to see the harbor seals.
SO cute!
Within a short time, we’d gone from one of the most meaningful moments of the trip to watching bears catch their lunch and seals lounging around.
And somehow, that felt right.
Because that’s how life can be.
A deeply emotional moment can sit right next to laughter, wonder, and something completely unexpected.
More Little Blessings
The trip kept giving me these little moments I couldn’t have planned.
One lodge guest, Lisa, came up and hugged me.
Her first visit to the lodge had been about 20 years ago—and that was when she met me.
This was only her second trip back!
We’d kept in touch somewhat through Facebook over the years, but neither of us knew the other was going to be there.
Twenty years later, there we were.
There were other little blessings, too.
The beautiful weather.
The quietude of the lodge when everyone was out fishing.
The laughs with Isla.
The memories of Russ.
Even being able to Zoom with my team members and clients despite how remote we were.
Some blessings were big.
Some were tiny.
But they kept showing up.
Leaving a Little Piece of Russ in a Place He Loved
I’ve thought a lot about this trip since coming home.
We left a little piece of Russ in Alaska, in a place he loved.
But in a funny way, I came home carrying even more of him with me.
Russ was everywhere.
He was in the fishing stories.
He was in Kelp Bay.
He was in the yellow bracelet on my wrist.
He was in the memories of all those years at the lodge.
And yes… he was definitely in that ridiculous cut-out head peeking through the boat windshield. 😂
Then, toward the end of my trip, came a few more unexpected blessings.
On my flight home, I had some really nice seatmates—a family traveling to Zambia, with their connection in Seattle.
And as I was boarding my plane, my friend Ann posted on Facebook that she was giving blood in memory of Russ.
I mean… wow.
Here I was leaving Alaska after scattering a little piece of Russ in one of his favorite places, and someone hundreds of miles away was honoring him by doing something that could help save someone else’s life.
Those are the moments that get me. 💛
This trip reminded me that the people we love don’t stop being part of our lives just because they aren’t physically beside us anymore.
They show up in stories.
In songs.
In places.
In people.
In little reminders we carry with us.
And sometimes, they even show up as a goofy cut-out head peeking through a boat windshield. 😊
Maybe that’s what made this trip such a blessing.
I went to Alaska carrying a little piece of Russ with me.
I left a little piece of him there.
And somehow, I came home carrying even more. 💛💛💛
And this isn’t the end of the journey.
In just a few days, I’ll be heading back to Alaska again—this time staying closer to Juneau.
Spencer, Erin, Isla, Russ’ best friend Eric, and I will take Spencer’s boat out to another one of Russ’ favorite fishing spots.
We hadn’t been able to make it back to the lodge these last couple of years, so fishing on Spencer’s boat had become Russ’ “happy place.”
We’ll bring another little piece of him with us. Another place he loved. Another piece of his story. 💛
Another place he loved. Another piece of his story. And another chance to honor him in a place that had become so special to him.
I have a feeling there will be a few blessings waiting for us there, too. 😊💛
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