Now it's time to post stupid things to pass the time!!!

Bored in the airport ...time to play with my built in web cam!!! This is me in the airport. I am very tired and I look very serious.

This is Anchorage behind me. Can you see those mountains? Its just like you are here!

Friday, June 30th, 2006 - Morning Entry

I wound up, due to airplane delays, leaving Seattle around midnight - since I got there at 8 pm - there was a substantial amount of sitting around involved. We arrived to Fairbanks at 3 am body time - 2 am local time. During the flight, I couldn't say for certain whether the sun was rising or setting outside my window, but I settled on setting.

See?! Hard to tell. Sunrise? Sunset? Sunset.
BTW - I know pictures taken from plane windows are lame, but indulge me - I am illustrating a phenomenon.

It was still fairly bright out when we touched down - a dusky sort of brightness. I asked a security guard if this was as dark as it gets, and he said "Around this time of year, yes - but right now it is even darker then usual due to smoke form nearby fires.."

Fairbanks, AK 2 am. Notice the lack of darkness. neato!!!

It was a long night in the airport, I think I managed about an hour of sleep on the floor - interrupted here and there by a baby and her mother - who cleverly chose to sit near to me, your hero, instead of the rest of the wide empty airport.

I query you this -
What airport isn't a little more complete with a little dead animal head on the wall?

I am feeling bright eyed now, at 6 am, as I fly to anchorage to catch my layover to Nome. My waked-ness may change as the long 21 hour day goes on.

June 29th, 2006
Seattle, WA - Fairbanks Airport, AK

I set off on my trip with a stroke (or three) of luck. Both Gregg and I have free flights to Alaska, courtesy of Alaskan Airlines as a kind thank you for giving up our seats last Thanksgiving on an overbooked flight.
They issued us paper tickets at the time - which I was supposed to bring with me, as my boarding pass. Since this was a paper ticket and not an e-ticket, they could not, and would not let me board without this ticket. I had however, in this fine time of e-ticketing and paperless transactions, completely forgotten to bring this ticket.

I arrived at 8, for my 9:20 flight, with no ticket. The chance of Gregg, who had just dropped me off, getting home and back with enough time to board, was slim to none. That chance diminished as his phone rang and rang, 10, 15, 25 times, with no answer. Finally, I got through to my brother, who had just picked up his girlfriend from a soccer game, and she had just potentially broken her ankle playing. The two of them rushed from South Seattle to my apartment, to try to reach Gregg as he arrived home, to have him find the ticket in our apartment. Gregg finally picked up the phone, so this said interception was not needed - but appreciated!! I hope you all have wonderful people in your life, like I have my brother, who will do things like that for you. (This is where I am lucky for the first time today)

I needed to be in Fairbanks TONIGHT, as at 5:30 am, my flight to Nome boards. While I had been trying to get ahold of gregg, with my hand compulsively on redial (or whatever the cell phone vernacular would label that function)...I had checked if there were later flights - and thankfully, (This is my second bit of luck) there was one at 10:40 - which was further delayed 40 minutes. I had plenty o' time.

Gregg, phenomenal as always, exhausted beyond belief from working 20 hours the other day, and then getting up at 5 am all week...went home, found the ticket, turned right around and drove it back to me, when all he really wanted to do was sleep. He didn't even yell at me for my huge oversight, which resulted in him being further delayed from much needed slumber.
(This is my third bit of luck, that I have the greatest boyfriend of all time - #1 - yippeee!!!!).

So as you can all see, I have wonderful people in my life, and my trip is off to a lucky start.

I feel happier and friendlier and smilier than I can remember feeling in a long long time.
Tonight, however, will be a long one - I arrive at 1:15 am, and have to get up at 4:30 to check in and board my next flight. Tomorrow, I may not be as perky, with my projected sleep deprivation from tonight.

I have recreated a version of the Alaskan Flag because I think it is super, and I love the story and symbolism behind it - though simple they may be.

It was designed in 1926 by a 13 year old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, for a contest to create a flag for the then Alaskan Territory. Bennie's design was one of 142 entries submitted by Alaskan school children, and was noted

"The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, and Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northernly in the union. The dipper is for the great bear symbolizing strength." (Bennie actually mispelled the word strength in his version)

Wuhoo!!! I leave tonight!!!!!! I can't wait!!

Here is a map I created to show you all Nome, Alaska -
510 air miles away from Anchorage - and 160 miles from Siberia.

Even as I type this, I still can't believe it.
A smile comes to my face just thinking about tomorrow, when I return to Alaska - as I have been wishing to do for three years since I left. No place has affected my life as much as the experience of getting to, and getting through Alaska. It is, im my opinion, the most pristine, natural, phenomenal place I have seen thus far. It has, compared to the lower 48, far fewer marks of industrial development, huge expanses of untouched wilderness and a far more modest, community oriented feel. It is, in many places virtually impossible to escape from 360 degrees of outdoor perfection.

I leave for Fairbanks tomorrow night, arriving at 1 am body time (12 am local time). I will spend the night somewhere in the airport and head out again on 6 am on a flight to Nome - at the edge of the Alaskan Peninsula, on the Bering Sea - 510 air miles from Anchorage. I have rented a car for a thrifty 75$ a day / for two days - which will double as my hotel room.

Nome (the name coming from a shortening of "no name") is not heavily populated, as one might imagine in all of it's remoteness - though it once was a thriving gold rush town with a population of somewhere around 20,000 around the turn of the century. Now the population hovers around 3500, nearly half being Native American. Nome is your wild west of Alaska, I suppose - with an abundance of gold hidden beneath its ills and beaches.

Another theory behind the name Nome is that it allegedly was the result of a spelling error - an officer on a British Ship in the 1850's noted that a nearby prominent point was not identified. He wrote "? Name" - which was later though tto be C Nome, or Cape Nome - and shortened to Nome. THe city name was almost later changed, but against its wishes, Nome stuck.

Though you can't drive to Nome, there are 300 miles of roads that extend out in three seperate directions - each about 80 - 90 miles long. I plan on driving all of them, time permitting.

I will be experiencing approx. 21 hours of sunlight daily.