-----I awoke in Homer with a horrid stomach ache a little before 6:00 in the morning, and though I got up with the intention of somehow distracting myself, before long, my gastrointestinal tract had simply had enough. My growing and legitimate concern over potential dehydration led us to the hospital in Homer.

-----The hospital was very new, very nice, and very well-staffed in their emergency room, where I was given two liters of fluid as well as some nausea medication. They ran several tests and the best diagnosis they could come up with was a 24-hour norovirus which has been going around several Alaskan communities. Nasty, yes—but over and done very soon. I already felt a bit better by the time we left the ER, but we'd checked out of our hotel and were understandably nervous about getting all the way to Seward, so we found another hotel closer to the hospital. I slept there for about four hours straight, putting a solid dent in my sleep deprivation and going a long way towards getting my guts back to normal.

-----After some discussion and debate, we decided to head on to Seward. I continued to rest and nap in the backseat as much as I was able, and our 8:30 PM departure meant that there were a lot of moose. It seemed like every couple of hundred yards, my parents would say "moose," and sure enough, one of them would be standing up on the side of the road, eating some plants without a care in the world.

-----The sun stayed up for a long, long time as we headed north and then east to Soldotna, where my parents got some fries from McDonalds for sustenance. The sun had not yet set at 10:30 when we pressed on through Soldotna through what remained of the Sterling Highway until its reconnection with the Seward Highway.

-----The southernmost portion of the Seward Highway was simply the most gorgeous drive. The sun finally set, but the illumination from the endless twilight bathed the mountains and lakes in the most wonderful light. It was so otherworldly that I was almost—but not quite—thankful for my overly eventful morning, because otherwise we'd never be able to see such sights. If there wasn't such a threat of hitting moose, driving Alaska at night would be ten times better than the long daylight hours.

-----It was past midnight when we rolled into the all-but-deserted streets of Seward and checked into our hotel for about four-and-a-half hours of solid sleep. I don't think I even rolled over, on account of the fact that I woke up with a crick in my neck.