Anchorage Excursion

Cargo heading to the airplane.

On left - a harpoon. On right a "filter" from a whale's mouth. Wish I had more info on the filter, but don't.

Cargo being loaded onto airplane. Note passengers sit in the back.

Mountains as seen from Anchorage airport.

Anchorage as seen from plane.

View from plane of the sun peeking up through the clouds.

View from plane - Mountain peeking up through the clouds.

Sunset as viewed from plane.

Typical view of Alaska from the air...lots and lots of water and pine trees/green.

A few details on our Anchorage excursion. We flew ERA airlines which was an experience more like pre-911 than 2008. I'm not sure why, but with ERA there is no going through TSA/security and carry-on baggage does not need to comply with TSA regulations...read no limitations to small sized containers of liquids (shampoo, water, etc.). In a moment of mother-daughter bonding I told Camilla 'this is the way flying used to be'.

Our flight back from Anchorage was equally unfamiliar. Camilla and I were the first two on the plane and were quite surprised to see single seats on each side of the plane, with a total of 15 seats. There weren't any overhead bins for carry-ons, and when we walked down the aisle there was a rise in the floor over some gear - similar to what one might expect to find in the seating area over the rear wheels of a bus.

Camilla and I settled in the back two seats and enjoyed seeing the sunset. We received the safety talk from the co-pilot who then turned aboutface, sat down, strapped in, and we took off. There wasn't any door between the cockpit and no restroom. In between snapping photos we could observe the pilot and co-pilot sharing a snack of some sort in a clear, plastic bag. Most of us complain about the TSA regulations, yet it felt unfamiliar for everything we've become accustomed to absent. (I realize that was pretty strange grammar...forgive me I have a tension headache that I can't seem to shake this morning.)