Post #186272 by Sabina on Tue, Sep 13, 2005 1:16 AM

HOME! Finally!

I'm kind of at a loss for how to put up this 'end of the Trek' note. Obviously, it's been a very important time for Oaktiki and I, and clearly folks we've met along the way- some months back now- have waited to hear us 'check in' and let them know we made it, but for everyone else- particularly people whose towns we blew into at 2am only to check out of the hotel the next morning, it's probably a bit odd.

So the micro version-

The tail end of our Trek didn't quite go as planned, we're actually home 'earlier' than we otherwise intended. Despite our best intentions to get to the Chins get together in Detroit and really wanting to do an Ohio get together as we passed through rapidly, the tail end of our trip got compressed down to 'time to get back home'.

Which in its own way is still alright by us. We've sorely missed the MD/DC/VA Ohana and the Lounge of the Seven Pleasures, to say nothing of our very own bed in all this crawling and treking. We've very inspired and ready to tackle our basement!

We got back into the States just before Katrina hit (listening to it via news on the sat-elite radio in the middle of MN is just a bit surreal.) We've spent time in N'awlins with friends repeatedly, and EVENTUALLY we were able to say with certainty that our friends made it out "ok". It was a very weird end of the trip- and now and for the foreseeable future it's an extremely difficult for so many people.

We sort of had the feeling this might be our last overland major trip for a while, so we extended the initial crawl beyond CA. Now we're very glad we did what we did when we did.

These Tiki travels (and non-tiki travels) have been incredible! We've met so many 'total tiki strangers' and within hours left as Tiki Ohana. We have many new friends in both the US and Canada as a result of an evening here, an event there.

Many many many more pictures to get up!

And everywhere we went we were shown unbelievable kindness! Good people, people to whom giving you the aloha shirt off their backs is just second nature. It's enough to restore my faith in some of humanity. I've always known Tiki people are special- but the last four months have just taken my breath away.

Mahalo to you all!

And next time you're headed out this way, drop us a PM! We miss you all, already!