Summary

The Allbrights drive north in a VW bus hung with a banner that says “Alaska or Bust.” They camp each night, and Leni has “never seen her parents so happy” (20). Ernt jokes and makes promises. Usually Leni reads in the car, but this time she neglects The Fellowship of the Ring to look at the mountains going by and to imagine herself as a character on a quest. Finally, they arrive in Homer, Alaska. It is nicknamed “Land’s End” because it is the last place to acquire supplies before striking out into the wilderness. It is surrounded by ocean and mountains so beautiful that Leni cannot put down her Polaroid camera. The family’s future home is even further: Kaneq, on the Kenai Peninsula, accessible only by boat or plane.

They explore the eclectic town of Homer for a day; it is...