Hi, I’m a 48 year old born and raised Alaskan, wife, mom of two, and nurse navigating one of life’s most bittersweet seasons — the one where your kids are stepping into their own lives and you find yourself asking “now what?”
My daughter has just moved out on her own and my son graduates from high school this month. The house is getting quieter, the schedule is getting lighter, and I’m realizing something I wasn’t expecting — I don’t really know what my hobbies are anymore.
So I’m figuring it out. One trip at a time.
Last year I took a trip to Tucson, Arizona to visit family and the moment I stepped into that warm sunshine and looked out at a landscape so completely different from anything I’d ever known — saguaros standing tall against a blue desert sky, red rocky trails winding through silence — something woke up in me.
I came home to Alaska and couldn’t stop thinking about it. So I went back; now I have two more trips planned.
And closer to home, I’m giving Alaska a second look too — open to rediscovering what this wild and beautiful state has to offer when you finally slow down enough to look.
From Tundra to Tucson is my journal of this adventure — a middle aged Alaskan woman rediscovering herself one trip at a time, whether that trip takes me through the Sonoran Desert or in my own backyard.
I’m here to explore the parks, trails and hidden gems of the greater Tucson area and some of Alaska’s best features, figure out what lights me up, and share every honest moment of this journey with you.
If you’re a snowbird, a winter escapee, someone planning a Tucson trip, an Alaskan seeing home with new eyes, or just a person figuring out who they are in this next beautiful chapter of life — you’re in exactly the right place.
Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.
~ Jamie
