June 24, 2007
Flight to Anchorage: Final stage to home
We are up early to wash the towels and sheets that we've used. Mom too is up. We stay until after she has eaten breakfast and about 8am, we take off. She is still sitting on the back porch. What a terrific lady she is, still wearing the Yak Yak Yak T-shirt from Tibet. Rachel worries about her, Dave (brother) is not coming down today, but Nancy said she would swing by.
On the way out of town, we swing by Jim and Cheryl's. Rachel gives to Cheryl some of mom's jewelry; a bronze colored beaded necklace and a silver pin with two pearls that will match Clarissa's necklace. Then we are on the road for a 4 hour drive to Chicago.
The landscape is a lot like Holland minus the windmills.
We reach the airport about 12-12:30, Patrick drops Rachel off with the gear and bikes and he returns the rental car. The carts cost $3, it's outrageous, other airports outside the USA the carts are free.
We are directed to a security gate for oversized luggage. This works out very good for us, there is a long line at the regular check-in, no waiting at the oversized luggage counter. We are charged $85 per bike and have to shift some things from the duffel bag to the yellow canoe bag we are using as carry on so to be under the 50# limit. We line up to go through security, this time straight through, no one lookes through our bags. We find the gate, then walk back to Quizno's for a sandwich. We save half of our sandwiches for later on the plane. The flight is 6 hours and we will not be fed, though meals are available for purchase.
The flight goes well, coming in we are able to get glimpses of the mountains. At the luggage claim, Jesse, our warmshowers host comes up to us because "you were the only skinny ones so had to be cyclists". Jesse lives 20 miles from Anchorage, retired and came to pick us up. Our luggage and bikes arrive, we load up in Jesse's truck that he borrowed and ...
.... just like that...a new stage of our trip begins.
We are in Alaska!!
It's rainy, we go through Anchorage around 7pm (another 3 hour difference to adjust to), we go along an interstate lined with trees and a bike path. Jesse's house is nice and big, and we have a nice room. His garage is filled with bikes. We visit for awhile and the plan is to go to REI and Sam's club & supermarket tomorrow.
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