Next Up for Sarah Palin? 'Maybe Moose Hunting,' Says Husband

July 27, 2009 — -- Alaskans start the work week with a new governor, Sean Parnell, and an old puzzle: Why exactly did the old governor, Sarah Palin, step down, and what are her plans for the future?

So far, only a possible family vacation is on tap, her husband Todd Palin told ABC News.

"Maybe a little moose hunting, what do you think?" he said, adding that he was "very proud" of his wife.

Palin officially stepped down as Alaska's governor late Sunday, saying her reasons for doing so should "be obvious." But for those still in the dark, she repeated her belief that she thought she could more effectively serve the people of the state by leaving office.

She went out with a bang, delivering a fiery and candid 15-minute farewell speech to a crowd of supporters in Fairbanks, Alaska, in which she lambasted the media and touted Alaska's history of energy independence.

At times, it sounded as if the former vice presidential candidate was back on the campaign trail, stumping for fiscal conservatism, the development of natural energy resources and moral conservatism.

Yet she gave no hint as to her future in politics, saying only she stepped down in order to spare Alaskans "politics as usual" from her governorship turning into a "lame duck session," with a year-and-a-half to go.

When it was over, Palin was whisked into a car under heavy security, speaking briefly to ABC News with her baby Trigg in her arms.

"I feel great," she said. "It was a smooth transition of power as it should be, and a good advancement for the state."

Palin leaves office with a pile of cash in her political action committee -- more than a million dollars strong and growing rapidly since her decision to resign.

Following a farewellseries of picnics across the state over the weekend, Palin leaves behind legions of confused supporters.

"It breaks my heart because we voted for her, we believe in her," one supporter said. "She was honest, she was like a breath of fresh air."

Analysts say she is now in uncharted political territory.

"She runs second in most of the public polls for 2012, so she'll still very much be a factor as we go forward," said Republican analyst Frank Donatelli.

She is scheduled to appear at the Reagan Library for an event in August. But, what else? Will she seek higher office or cash in on speaking engagements and a TV deal?

If anyone truly knows, they're not saying -- including the so-called "first dude."

"It's been an awesome experience and she's very happy to serve the residents of Alaska and onto the next chapter of life," Todd Palin told ABC News. "I guess well just have to wait and see."

Not even her father, Chuck Heath, seemed to know to know her plans.

"I'm sure she has something else in mind," Heath said. "[But] I don't know. I spent two days with her over the Pale River, and she'd be a good poker player -- she didn't lead on to what she wants to do."