Heading Back To Work

The summer is over and its time for me to head back to work.  Unfortunately, it is not a simple matter of just hopping in the car and driving a few minutes to the school building.  It takes quite a lot more.

I am actually sitting in the airport in Fairbanks waiting for my 8:00 am flight to Anchorage where I'll connect to the ten something out to Bethel.

Once in Bethel, I usually end up on the evening flight out to the village because I'm not always sure I can get a lift from one terminal to the other.  Out in Bethel, each airline has its own small terminal of which only one actually has security screening.  That one has flights that run outside the state while all the other ones are either local or never actually leave the state. 

The airline with security is the one I usually travel because I need the airline miles.  In addition, I use that one to travel outside of Alaska.  Their security is so small they cannot begin screening until the twice or three times a day flight is on the ground.  Some days they have two flights while other days, they have three.  Today is a two flight day. 

If I take the evening flight, I won't be able to connect to the local airline because they run three flights a day and their last flight of the day leaves around 5 PM while the evening flight for the larger airline arrives around 8 pm.  It doesn't work out.

So once I've landed in Bethel, I grab my luggage before heading outside to find the van that runs between the arrival terminal and the departure terminal.  Its not bad but they do not have enough plugs at either terminals to charge all the mobile devices people use now a days.

I should land at the gravel airstrip around 6 tonight where someone will come out to pick me up.  If they don't, I can get a lift from one of the folks out there.  They'll just throw my luggage on their four wheeler aka ATV and drive me home. 

I do not usually travel with this much crud but I have two suitcases and two carry-ons.  Most everything in the two suitcases and one carry-on is food.  I brought enough food to get me through until I head off to San Jose in a couple of weeks.  Actually, some of the stuff will last longer than two weeks because I bought a ton things but the perishables, I will eat completely.

It is not unusual for people heading back to have coolers full of frozen meats, fish, or boxes and suitcases filled with fruits and veggies. The prices out in the village are so high, its worth using most of the luggage allotment for fresh stuff.

So basically, it takes a good 8 hours of travel for me to get out there although the flights are only 1 hour each, its the time between that can take time.  I leave at eight in the morning today and will get there around six in the evening unless I'm able to get there early enough to catch the morning flight.

I hope to have something tomorrow on the first Chinese woman brought to the America in 1834.  Have a great day.  Let me know what you think.