With the bus tour done, we returned to Anchorage via the railway, arriving into the city at 8 p.m., and staying at the same hotel. Our trip was done, so we were in the "going home" mindset. The ride south went great, but the clouds stayed low and actually dumped over an inch of rain on Anchorage, a record for the date said the news.

The next day, our flight out of Anchorage was not until 2 p.m., so we had time to kill. I didn't do much except sit and read, and wander a little bit. The flight to Seattle went well. My father and I had just an hour between our connecting flight to Las Vegas, so we bid Chris and his family goodbye at the airport, then hustled to get to the gate for the Las Vegas leg of the flight.

That flight went well, too. It was not very full either. It was dark by the time we descended into Las Vegas. My dad had found some open seats and was watching the lights of the city as we descended. In all his years of living in Vegas, he'd never flown into the city at night.

The trip had been fantastic, and everything had gone well. There were no delays, no lost luggage, no breakdowns, nothing like that. I was happy to have visited Alaska, albeit for such a short period of time.

My father had mentioned repeatedly about this being his big "bucket list" journey. He had a great time. He was like a kid in the candy store. "You can take me out back and shoot me now," he'd tell us. His little way of saying he's seen it all and is a happy man.

As we descended into the Las Vegas airport, I became melancholic, realizing how special this trip had been for him and for us. He did not want to go alone, and he knew that my brother and I would jump at a chance to visit Alaska.

My father is 74 and in pretty darn good health for a man his age. I enjoyed watching him have the time of his life, and I drew a lot of positive energy from watching him. I have rarely seen him happier.

I'm no kid myself, and I realize that I need to be in the moment at times like this, to fully realize how special this trip was. When the inevitable happens, I will always have this wonderful and positive memory. I realized this sitting in the half-filled airplane, my dad's face pasted to the window, my ears popping due to the change in pressure. This may have been the big trip we'll always talk about. I hope we can talk about it in 15 years, but I will be grateful no matter what the future holds. I realize how lucky I am, proud to be my old man's son. Thanks, pop, I love you!

Me, my dad and my brother's family.

I still had one more flight, from Las Vegas to Phoenix, which I did the next day with no mishaps. My wife picked me up. I was happy to be home, and very happy overall.