When I Open Up the Finder, Does It Default To a Certain Directory?

Hi
I do a lot of repetitive tasks on a daily basis such as uploading using the Finder…. I keep on uploading from the same directory (Downloads)
Can I expect to return to the last directory opened when I open the Finder?
If so, why does it sometimes default to “Documents-icloud”? What makes it do it? There is no pattern that I can see, to cause it to open “Documents-icloud” instead of the usual “Downloads” directory.
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Ron P