Travel Day...East to West

Ok...Here goes. Now let me start by explaining that I am having some technical difficulties. The pictures I have chosen to post are actually in the wrong order. But at least they are all from the same day.

I hope I can keep the whole day straight in my mind long enough to get this post finished. Yesterday already seems like a blur...lack of sleep will do that to a person. Anyway, our day started at 0530, I have to get up that early anyway to get Sara off to school, so the hour was nothing new. I had already packed everything, so all we were really doing was waiting for our ride to Charlotte...aka the Parent Taxi. I love my folks, they were more than willing to help us out and provide transportation.

The drive to Charlotte was nice, good conversation and great that I didn't have to know where we were going. We arrived with plenty of time to spare and sat at the gate for a couple of hours. The ticket agent for our first flight was sick with a nasty cough, so I reminded Patrick to keep a safe distance. That is the last thing I need, for one of us to get sick while we are here. I'm pretty sure that Alaksa is out of network for my insurance.

I didn't think we had any window seats for our travels, but luckily I was mistaken. So the first leg of the trip, and Patrick's first flight ever, he had a window seat. I am so thankful he got to have that experience. He took a few pics out the window and I am pretty sure they city picture is of Charlotte. In any case, it was cool.

The arrival in Cincinnati was smooth, flight had gone very well. We again had plenty of time between flights. Enough to get a bite to eat. Just in case anyone was wondering, the McDonalds in the airport way over charges for a double cheese burger and large sweet tea. I should have stuck to the apple and crackers in my backpack. But I was pretty hungry and had been feeling slightly dizzy all morning. It must have been the benadryl I had taken the night before.

Leg 2 of our flight was a packed solid flight to Seattle. We didn't have a window seat this time. Patrick was on the aisle, which would normally have been good, except we were near the back, so the line for the restroom was pretty much in his face. I think he saw just about every crotch on the plane. Not a pleasant image is it? The man who was at the window pretty much left us alone during the trip. He was either reading or sleeping, so that was good. At least he wasn't one of those annoying people who tries to talk to you the whole time. The only converstion we had was toward the end of the flight as we were coming in over the city. He was from Seattle and was showing me some of the more interesting parts. Like the longest floating bridge...which lead to the island he lives on. I can't remember the name of it. He was also trying to show me Bill Gates house, which is 90% under water, but unless I was going to sit in this dudes lap...I couldn't really see it.

The coolest part about this flight was the TV screens in the backs of all the seats. You could watch TV, listen to music, play games, or keep track of the flight. We both did a little of each. But only the free activities. You could pay for HBO or movies and most of the games cost money, but we stuck to the budget and kept it cheap. Now to many of you who are world travelers...this may not seem like a big deal, but keep in mind, the last time I was on a plane for longer than 2 hours...it was in the 1980's and the technology just wasn't there. So I was pretty psyched and so was Patrick. If I had only known that there was the possibility of such entertainment, I wouldn't have brought the small travel DVD player we have, and my backpack would have been so much lighter. But we live and learn, don't we.

Aside from a little rough winds, we had a good flight. We had a couple of hours to kill in Seattle's Airport so we walked around a bit and had a bite to eat. I did not get my Starbucks coffee however, strictly because I didn't want to have to get up to the bathroom too many times on our way to Alaksa, you know how it goes. The flight to Fairbanks was extra special, not only did I have the window seat this time, which I gave up to Patrick, but the plane wasn't full and the woman who was supposed to sit next to us decided to go and sit somewhere else that was less crowded, which gave us all three seats to ourselves. So we had some room to spread out and actually got to sleep a little. We didn't get any pics during this flight because of the time of night and the lack of sleep.

We landed in Fairbanks at about midnight and met up with Steven at the baggage claim area. It was great getting to finally give him a big hug. He looks so good and happy. We collected our bag and headed off to the hotel to check in, unload our luggage and then to get something to eat. We went to the Northern Most Denny's in the world. Nothing like a Grand Slam Breakfast after traveling all day. We finally got to bed about 2 am and I slept very well. OOHHHH!!!! I almost forgot one of the best parts...the Northern Lights were out last night...TOTALLY AMAZING! I didn't get to take a picture because I had left my camera in the room, but hopefully I will get another chance tonight. This is going to be quite an experience and I plan on enjoying every minute of it. Stay tuned for more adventures from Alaska.

(The TV screen showing our current location.)

(A view of Charlotte, I think, from the sky, taken by Patrick.)

(This was obviously taken before takeoff. you can tell because I'm still smiling.)

(Patrick is so cool in his shades, he hardly ever takes them off.)

(Patrick in the Charlotte airport, waiting to board the plane. I warned you that the

pics were in the wrong order.)