Luke was definitely out so Tina was filling in for him while I steered. We talked about out jobs, cars, and families. It was a dark night except for the light haze in the direction of Miami. We were still pretty far off, but it was unmistakable as a sign of civilization.

When I woke up later that morning the sun was already out. Above deck we could see the Miami shore line in the distance. I felt beat but also very sad that we were almost back home.

Images

• Linda on watch. (41K)
• Miami in sight. (49K)
• Greg and Ryan on watch. (66K)
• Back in Civilization. (60K)

Laurel and I started to get our stuff packed just as was most everyone who was up by now. Definitely not Luke and John, in case you're wondering. We came into the harbor and then it finally hit me just how relaxing this trip had been. It seemed like we were gone forever. Until the night before, I had completely forgotten about things I had been paying attention to like the NBA finals. I couldn't remember the last time I felt time had gone by so slow. I still can't.

I wanted to keep in touch with the people from the trip, so we exchanged phone numbers and email addresses. I mentioned I was doing a page about the trip and those who had cameras offered to scan their prints and send them to me.

The best feeling was seeing those who had been on the trip before enjoy themselves as much as those of use who were on it for the first time. I still can't believe some of my friends didn't want to come along because they thought it would be boring. What a silly bunch. Wayne had mentioned he might not be planning any more trips after this year. I sure hope he does. If it wasn't for my desire to travel to other places, I would probably be doing this trip twice a year.