Déjà vu

DFW to SEA to ANC to SLQ

It’s time, it’s time, did you just say it’s time?

Seems I’ve been here before…oh, right, I was here two days ago! The final leg of my trip to Alaska, anticipation is killing me! I get to go see my family in Alaska. It’s been almost 17 years since I flew into Anchorage for their wedding. I had been commissioned to make their wedding cake, I was so happy and blessed that my son’s bride wanted to include me in the festivities. It was the warmer part of the summer season, August, temperatures were mild, and we didn’t need anything but a sweater. In tow we had our 6-month-old daughter, she did excellent for her first trip in the air, and we were supremely grateful. It was a wonderful wedding, and we got to meet the bride and her family, very nice, from a potato state as well-bonus!

Plan like a Pro, but be flexible, Birch trees bend, they don’t break easily

Today, though, the plan is to get to Anchorage, overnight, and catch a morning flight into Sleetmute, my home for the next 5 months or so. The flight up was great, we took the escalator up and down, thank God no stairs. I’m not afraid to fly, I figure, if it’s my time, my last breath here will be my first breath in heaven. But, I do find it disconcerting when we take the stairs either during take off or landing, I hold just a little bit tighter to the armrests. Seattle’s airport is pretty big, they have six terminals, but it was easy to find the one I needed. For the four hour layover, we played musical gates. N18, no N13, no N17, no N18 again, finally gate N20, whew, I was beginning to wonder. Tomorrow will be a less hectic day, I’ll be in Anchorage, going from Ted Stevens International airport to Merrill Field-big jets to a small prop plane, whoo hoo! I’m almost there! I overnighted at a friend of my son’s home-I slept like a rock, not to worry about the sun being up till after midnight.

Merrill Air Field

I met the team at Lake and Penn Air, nice folks, customer service great, pilots down to earth, and maybe a little younger than my son.
Baggage was all loaded and the fuel was on board, then the six of us and the pilot boarded and the pilot was going through safety checks when he announced we were going to have to off board, there was a mechanical issue that need attention. Easy come, easy go, my mother would say. We went back to the waiting area, and it wasn’t long till we were ready to board again, it was just the battery.

Take II

Up, up and away! It’s really different flying at 12,000 ft instead of 35,000. I was able to see snowcapped mountains and rivers flowing, some with ice, some with logs. At one point we were in an area where it was really cold at that altitude, all the windows frosted up. It reminded me of when we took the bus on the frozen mornings and all the windows were frosty, we would make footprints with our hands, curling them, making a print with the side, then using our fingers to put the toes. I tried to do one, it didn’t turn out so good, so I took a card from my wallet and scraped the window, I could see clouds, they must be pretty low.

Snacks and Beverages are BYO

Snack time, no stewardess, goodie bag to the rescue, mmm Tapas, I have to be mindful of my blood sugars since I’ve been on the Semiglutide shot, no fainting allowed. About 3 months ago I passed out on stage while singing at Celebrate Recovery. The EMT’s found no reason for my symptoms, but I think my sugars had dropped too low, and my brain said nope, conserve resources, lights out.
This is a puddle jumper plane, goes from village to village with people and cargo. Two ups, and two downs and we will arrive in Sleetmute. *clapping hands, inside happy dance* First stop Crooked Creek, 2 off board and some luggage and freight. Next stop, my turn 15 minutes away. This is getting really real; I’ll be in seclusion for 5 months.