May 24

Today was a long day in the airport. I started off at 4:45 AM to get ready and be at the airport by 5:30 AM. After saying goodbye to my grandparents and going through security, I waited for my plane that would take me to Chicago. The ride was short, and upon arriving I went to wait for my next flight. By this point I was a little more awake and feeling excited to see Alaska for the first time. However, I ran into some difficulties finding my gate, so what should have taken 15 minutes turned into 45 minutes. Luckily, I had a 2-hour delay in Chicago which left me plenty of time to find my gate. My flight from Chicago was 5.5 hours, and we also had an hour-long delay because of heavy traffic at the airport. Again, luckily I had a delay in Anchorage which gave me time to do some basic things like a bathroom break and refilling my water. The flight from Anchorage was ALSO delayed, which left me with little time before my arranged meeting with Ginger. However, with the delay I landed at the exact time I said I’d meet her (4:30 PM), so it all worked out. 

View from the airplane flying into Anchorage, AK.

Ginger and Stan were accommodating from the moment I met them. I knew right then that my time in Alaska was going to be fantastic. After loading up my bags we all jumped into the truck and headed to a man named Danny’s boat for some drinks. 

Me standing in front of the boat where we had drinks.

What better way to celebrate getting to Alaska? I met Vic, Stan’s brother, Danny, and his partner Michelle. We had a fun time chatting while I got to see what a fishing boat looked like. Just before we boarded the boat I also saw sea lions on a raft and countless bald eagles in the pine trees. It was incredible to see so many of these majestic birds which apparently is as common as seeing a pigeon for those living in Kodiak. After leaving the boat myself, Stan, and Ginger went to Ginger’s father’s house. We had a delicious dinner and then went to bed pretty early, around 9:00 PM which in my time zone was midnight.