October 13, 2012 - Today I made it to Tucson. Warmer weather, actual sunshine, and a good companion makes this trip well worth it. The actual flights were long and cramped; they don't make planes like they used to. While I have no idea what the plans are; I'm sure we will figure something out. I am in no hurry right now.
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| Welcome to Tucson! |
Flying
I have never really liked flying. Being packed like sardines in a can with somebody you don't even know is not really my idea of fun. However, the end goal was well worth it which made it somewhat bearable. Even Humberto got to play around; much to the amusement of the other passengers.
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| "Please make sure you seat belts are fastened..." |
Anchorage to Salt Lake City was a four hour trip that started off late. As usual, I had a hard time sleeping on the airplane so that time was mostly spent trying to get comfortable. I ended up not sleeping at all and trying to watch a movie. I didn't really pay attention to the movie because of the pain in my legs.
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| Yes, quite different. |
I did get to see the Great Salt Lake from the plane. It was a lot larger than I thought it would be. It is the largest salt water lake in the western hemisphere and covers roughly 1,700 square miles. The lake is the largest remnant of Lake Bonneville, a prehistoric pluvial lake that once covered much of western Utah. The Great Salt Lake has no outlet besides evaporation and has very high salinity, more than regular sea water.
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| It was a very small plane... |
From Salt Lake City to Tucson was only an hour flight, but it was a small plane with no distractions besides the magazine in the pocket in front of me. The Flight Attendant was rude, and the person next to me had a penchant for peanuts. Sine I had no access near the window, I wasn't able to see a lot. However, I did get to see part of the Grand Canyon; a place that I have plans of visiting sometime soon.
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| Actually, this is a canyon structure seen before the actual Grand Canyon. |
Getting off the plane and meeting up with Bruce was the highlight of the day. We left the airport and headed towards Home Base where we would stay for the next couple of weeks while Bruce finished up his projects and plans before the actual part of the trip back to Alaska.
Once there, I decided to enjoy the warmer weather and look around the local area. Bruce had things he needed to do which left me on my own to unpack, work on my farmer's tan, and take some pictures. I had forgotten how pretty the desert-scape could actually be, and had no problems taking some quick snapshots of the local flora and some scenery.
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| Mesquite tree and blue sky...this is Tucson. |
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| A glimpse of a mountain range near Tucson. |
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| Humberto examines a cactus...careful! |
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| Some of the cacti were larger than Humberto. |
That evening, Bruce and I just spent some time together. It was good to see him again.
