Alaska, Day One

The trip started on a promising note. I brought two handguns with me (of course I did!). I declared them, demonstrated that they were unloaded to a (very nervous) American Airlines service rep, and then proceeded to take them to the TSA checkpoint for “special” people. The service rep was so flustered that she didn’t even notice my bag was eight pounds over the fifty pound limit, so I escaped paying the extra baggage fee. The gentlemen manning the TSA checkpoint admired one of my handguns. When I told him where I was going he was slightly wistful. It almost makes me think he was human, after all.

The flight from DFW Airport to Anchorage was a whopping seven hours. I spent the time on the plane like I usually do–watching movies, reading books, and playing the Nintendo DS. I sat next to a lovely older couple from Abilene, TX on their “third” honeymoon. They were in their early 70′s and on a return trip to Alaska because they loved it so much on their second honeymoon. 

When I landed, I rode with my wife’s uncle to Ninilchik, Alaska for our morning fishing charter. The rumor is that we’ll be fishing for halibut and salmon out on Cook Inlet. There will be pictures tomorrow, as well as a report on how the fishing trip progressed.

Miles traveled – 4,058

Wildlife bingo (animals sighted):
Yearling grizzly bear
Bald eagle
Moose (three)
Beluga whale
Wolf