It ended up taking nine flights to get to Oregon. Why? Well, due to weather and some missed connections, I got to see nearly the whole of western Alaska before leaving. I left Marshall at 10 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and eventually landed in Portland at 7:30 am Thanksgiving Day. So, here's the story...
10:00: Leave Marshall on a Cessna 6-seater. Pit stop in Russian Mission before heading to Bethel, our main hub city.
11:00: Nearly immediately upon entering Bethel's airport, they called for my next flight, which was to visit three villages before landing in Anchorage at about 2:00. I bumped into a fellow new teacher from another village, Sean, who flew standby and weasled his way into a seat on the direct flight from Bethel to Anchorage. We planned to meet in Anchorage for a bit, and I went off on my flight.
We left for Pilot Station. No problems. We left for Mountain Village to pick up one passenger, Lisa, a nurse who was returning to Anchorage on my same flight schedule. At this point, we were only slightly behind schedule, but not for long. By the time we reached St. Mary's, another hub city, we had missed our connecting flight to Anchorage by about 15 minutes.
I was neither surprised nor too upset by this turn of events. My feet, however, were extremely bitter and tingling at this juncture due to the temperature of the little bush planes. I left my warm boots at the village thinking that I'd be in a toasty plane by noon. Lisa was kind enough to lend me a pair of warm socks at St. Mary's for the remainder of our journey. At this point it was about 2:00.
The airline did right by us and got us to the hub city of Aniak [Ann-ee-ack] by 3:00 which eventually left for Unalakleet [You-nuh-la-kleet], which is on the coast. It was at Aniak that I saw the first green plant I'd seen since the freeze in October. I was pumped!
Yay for green plants! I also thought the pot to the right was just cheeky, especially for its location.
6:30: We left from Unalakleet for Anchorage, and by this point Lisa and I were old pals. We chit-chatted, finally able to relax and enjoy our hard-earned glass of Sutter Home wine on what would be our final flight of the day together. As we deplaned in our destination city at about 8:30, I tried to return the socks, and Lisa refused. She then offered me a place to stay should I encounter any other travel issues. Such sweet people here, I tell you.
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| Classy, I know, taking a picture of my wine. But when this little beverage is as rare for me as it is these days, I feel the need to capture and treasure it! |
If that wasn't a big enough day, I went to the baggage claim only to discover that my bag never arrived. I couldn't truly blame them given the rigamarole of the flights I'd taken. Hey, at least I got my money's worth! I got to take a few extra flights, see a few villages, AND they lost my bag for me - a first! If that's not a total package travel experience, I don't know what is! Good thing I have a Type B personality. I believe my dear father's blood would have boiled. Love you, Dad!
8:30 pm: I called Sean, who had arrived hours earlier. He was waiting for his dad to get to the airport (they are Minnesota boys), and when he arrived at about 9:00, we all went for food and few drinks (only the second real meal of my day) at their hotel bar. Sean had taken his extra time in Anchorage to get to know the bartender, so we were well taken care of when we arrived. They took me back to the airport for my 12:45 am flight to Portland. Woo-hoo!! Just two more flights to the mainland!
12:10 am: I got there just as boarding began. Settling in for the four-hour flight, the guy next to me turns and says, "Just so you know, I snore really loud and I just had a giant bean burrito. I'm Jeremy." Cracking up, I responded, "That's just what I wanted to hear!" Jeremy, who works on the Aleutian islands as a firefighter, was headed home to his family for his 5-week break from work. We chatted and eventually tried to sleep. I got the middle seat, so I spent that flight just trying not to fall on either of my neighbors.
The plane lights came on again 30 minutes before we were to land in Seattle just as a notification of descent, then turned them off again. I turned to Jeremy and said, "That was just plain mean; I don't think I slept at all!" Again, Jeremy said exactly the perfect thing. "No, you were snoring like crazy and drooling everywhere!" Just to clarify, that is so not true, even though I'm know I'm capable of it. He, however, got lots of sleep slumped against the window.
6:00ish am, TURKEY DAY: I had a very slight layover in Seattle before getting to Portland at 7:30 am. My aunt picked me up and we went shopping for a few things, unknowing that my bag would never arrive in Anchorage. She fed me real eggs and bacon and I luxuriated in a few hours of rest before getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner with her fabulous friends. They prepared a delicious meal, supplied copious amounts of amazing wine, and sparked some hilarious conversation. They even let me drive their Miata the next day-score!
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| Sue's friend Vince told me that "one must squeeze the marrow out of each and every day." Well said! |
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| After Sue's fabulous friends hosted a lovely Thanksgiving meal, we all went out on a wine tour the next day. Look at me - my hair is down and I'm NOT wearing a coat or hat! I felt like I was in the tropics. |
As you see, the logistics of getting into and out of the village are messy. Flying itself on those little bush planes is a fun experience - they pretty much ask you your name (sometimes not even that) and seat you on the plane. The pilots also handle the luggage. Just before takeoff, they holler out your name and say "How much do you weigh?" All passengers respond and the flight begins. As for the actual flying and landing portion of the flight experience, it is much smoother than the bigger planes, which makes sense if ya think about it.
I made it back to the village Sunday evening to find that my things had been moved to the new teacher housing! (I'd packed up before I'd left in case moving was a possibility.) It's modern and very nice. The queen bed is fantastic, which makes getting up in the morning darkness quite the struggle. It's not without its quirks. For example, the shower rods don't quite fit. Never fear, my new roommate Mary McGyvered a solution with an empty can. See below:
Sorry this post is so long-winded! My trip was full of random events and therefore quite therapeutic. Again, I met some fantastic people, both in Oregon and along the way. I hope to return in the spring for another break.
In under two weeks I will be home! I can't wait to see friends and family and gear up for the spring semester. Happy Holidays to all!
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