Nutmeg in Alaska: Updates from the Anchorage Airport

I made it to Anchorage!

When people saw my sheepskin coat, they asked me if I was going to Alaska. I had a conversation with what seemed to be about half the plane about Bethel, AK. An Iowan couple had a son who had lived and worked in Bethel, and they've kind of adopted me for the journey. They have been on my past two flights, and are currently camping out with me in front of my gate. They are very nice and have been talking to me about Bethel and my life, and we looked at each other's photographs. They're looking out for me has gone completely unspoken, but it should be noted that their gate is on the complete other side of the airport.

The flight from Chicago to Seattle was an hour late due to lightening storms in Seattle. I was worried that I wouldn't make my connecting flight, but I made it easily. The flight was gorgeous- we were constantly looking towards sunset and were leaving trails of stars behind us. We flew over Las Vegas and got to see the Space Needle from the plane. There were also thunderstorms which completed the gorgeous view, with lightening lighting up clouds and the illuminated cities below them on a backdrop of half sunset half night.

The plane from Seattle to Anchorage was interesting because we had to walk down two flights of stairs, take a 5 minute walk to the plane, and then board the plane from the back. I learned later that this was because the first half/front of the plane was filled with cargo and supplies. Evidently this is somewhat common in Alaska, and my Iowan friends say that I might be taking a similar plane to Bethel.

We walked around the Anchorage Airport, and it's unlike any airport I've ever seen. They have integrated a lot of Native arts into the design, and there's even a small museum that displays native art and some displays of stuffed animals (polar bears and a brown bear are what we have found so far).

Time to fall asleep. I have about two and a half hours until my flight to Bethel. I'll probably spend part of that time frantically calling people before my phone stops getting service.

It's only about 4:00 am here (but closing in on 8:00 am at home). For those of you wondering, yes it is dark and it has been dark since we landed at 2:00 am. Here the time "light" isn't as extreme as all day or all night.

Me climbing aboard the flight to Anchorage!

People boarding the flight to Anchorage

UPDATE (5:45 AM AK time): The sun has been coming up in Anchorage and now you can see the mountains in the distance. Here are some pictures from the Anchorage Airport: