EIPremier
Sep 28, 07, 4:00 pm
I felt the need for a trip somewhat off the beaten path. Ever since reading an Airways article about flights into Dutch Harbor 10 years ago, I've been interested in visiting. Of course, getting there is hardly economical. But, for 20,000 miles, it seemed reasonable, especially since I could make a stopover. I had been to Ketchikan once before, so I decided instead to stop in Juneau, Alaska’s scenic state capital.
Unfortunately, flights from San Diego tend to run very full all summer, resulting in minimal award availability. So, I booked via LAX both ways. Getting to LAX from the north end of San Diego is perfectly feasible via mass transit, if slightly time consuming. I took the bus from the stop in front of my apartment to the Solana Beach station. I caught the 6:50 Amtrak Surfliner train, which arrived at Los Angeles Union Station about two hours later. The train is smooth and comfortable, with power outlets at every row, and large, if often grimy, windows. I sat in a sleeper seat in the Superliner car (still sold as coach), and enjoyed some of the scenery along the beach before heading inland (at which point I fell asleep). Even the regular coach seats are comparable to domestic F. I then caught the half-hourly Flyaway bus (actually a nice motorcoach) at 9:00, which whisked me to LAX in under 30 minutes, using a dedicated high occupancy vehicle/carpool lane on the 110. Train was $23 and the bus just $4…no doubt, heavily subsidized.
30 August 2007
AS 391 LAX-SEA W 7F 737-400 N776AS
Unlike my June flight to MSP, which featured a one hour wait at T2 security, there was no line at T3 today. However, the screeners were barking out orders in an effort to keep passenger stress levels elevated. Lest we forget the threat level is orange. I had two hours to kill prior to my 11:35 departure, so I used my remaining lounge pass and headed upstairs to the AS Boardroom, which was formerly TWA’s Ambassadors Club. I enjoyed a couple of scones, some tea, and great views of TBIT and the 24 runways. Spotting included Stan the Ram and the Tran (F9 to DEN and FL to ATL). The AS morning bank of flights to Mexico were also boarding, including Loreto. The gate area featured the new lcd screens, but the ancient, inaudible PA system has yet to be updated. I also noticed some tarmac work going on between T3 and TBIT, further constricting the already narrow alleyway.
Shortly prior to boarding, the gate agent announced that F had checked-in full. I didn’t expect F anyway, since I was on an award ticket, which is supposedly ineligible for upgrades. The flight went out completely full, although my seatmate was a non-rev. After takeoff, we made a right turn over Santa Monica Bay, and then headed north, passing west of Van Nuys. Unlike most other airlines, AS still does two drink services on these 2 hour flights. We also received AS 75th anniversary pretzels. The new BOB snackbox wasn't available yet, but they are now available on all flights with a beverage service, and it certainly looks to be healthier and tastier than the BOB on most airlines. There wasn’t much sightseeing until we neared PDX, at which point the cloud cover disappeared, revealing Mt. Hood. Shortly thereafter, I was treated to the trio of Mt. Adams, Mt. St Helens and Mt. Rainier. The mountains were conspicuously bare—even for late summer, this was the least snow/glacier cover I have seen. We began our descent a few minutes after passing over the Battle Ground VOR for the Olympia Arrival, making a right turn at 17,000 feet over the state capital to follow the eastern edge of Puget Sound for our approach. The captain announced our landing weight would be 58 tons, and the final approach ground speed would be 157 mph. We passed Fort Lewis and McChord AFB off the right-hand side, followed by a rather murky looking Tacoma harbor. Puget Sound sparkled, apart from numerous brown and green streaks in the water. We landed on 16 R at 2:10 and parked at N11 right on-time at 2:15, passing the Asiana 772 heading out for ICN. The N concourse used to be United’s exclusive domain, but as they have scaled back slightly at SEA, AS now uses about half the gates.
Lights, camera and action at gate N7! It appeared AS was filming some kind of gate agent training video. They had someone playing a very polite customer, although I could have volunteered to play a less cooperative customer. I had a 90 minute layover, so I headed to the Pacific Marketplace for a snack, where I saw the Horizon 25th anniversary plane. I then proceeded to the S Concourse, where the NW A332 was boarding for NRT, Air France A332 was boarding for CDG, and the China Airlines A343 was preparing to leave for Houston (yes they just deplane in SEA, no cabotage). It felt odd to see so many Airbuses in Boeing-town. Parked outside the AS maintenance hangar were a 737-400 and an MD-83, while the “Make A Wish” 737-400 was in the hangar. Not much exciting on the AS ramp, although they were changing a tire on a MD (Maintenance Delay)-83.
AS 67 SEA-KTN-SIT-JNU W 10F 737-400 N769AS
One of the milk run flights, SEA-ANC via ktn, sit and jnu, although I would be getting off in JNU. I headed to gate D11, at the very tail end of the concourse, noting the numerous posters depicting various moments in Alaska Airlines’ 75 year history. The inbound arrived from Ketchikan, and I watched Menzies unload numerous crates of fish and fishing poles, noting that some of the rampers looked all of 13 or 14 years old. Boarding began on-time with Golds and F, followed by MVP and partner elites, even though there was a twenty minute delay posted on the monitor for some reason. I thought I was going to have an entire row to myself, but shortly after our scheduled departure time, a few more passengers leisurely strolled aboard, one of them taking 10C. Not too common to see an airline wait these days, but maybe they do for the more remote destinations.
We pushed back a few minutes late (without scraping the wingtip on the fence like that MD-80 to lgb), and headed out to 16L. Captain announced flying time to Ketchikan would be 1 hr 35 minutes, and we should arrive on-time. I had a nice view of Bainbridge Island and Bremerton shortly after takeoff, and later Victoria and Vancouver in the distance. Across the aisle were a bunch of Seattleites going fishing, while the lady a couple rows back was a bit of a laugh factory (I think I saw her in the bar that prohibits firearms prior to boarding). Remainder of the flight was cloudy, and uneventful. The approach to Ketchikan was very scenic, and we landed to the south. Ketchikan, the self-proclaimed “salmon capital of the world,” is located at the southern end of Alexander Archipelago in the middle of a temperate rain forest, receiving 152” of rain annually. The town is also the gateway to the Misty Fjords National Monument. By most accounts, Ketchikan used to a be a bit of a rough and tumble town populated by lumberjacks, fisherman and harlots. However, since the logging industry declined in the early 90s, cruise ship-related tourism has been the mainstay. The airport is located on Gravina Island, which is connected to the town by a ferry, since Young and Stevens “bridge to nowhere” never materialized.
The ladies who boarded and sat behind me in Ketchikan were kvetching and commiserating on subjects ranging from politics to their husbands. My new seatmate was a doctor who specializes in mold allergies. I kid you not. The lady across the aisle was boasting about how her son just got his “license.” Only later in the conversation did I realize it was his steamboat license. We departed on-time and completely full for the 40 minute hop to Sitka. Inflight service featured orange juice, water and spinzels. It was pretty cloudy, although I had a partial view of Mt. Edgecumbe on approach to Sitka. Since we were early, I was able to step off for a bit in soggy Sitka. I took in the view of the suspension bridge, and the picturesque town, with its Russian Orthodox cathedral. Sitka was occupied by the Russians between 1799 and 1867, and was the Alaska territorial capital until 1906. We left about 10 minutes early for Juneau, and flying time was a short 23 minutes, with arrival time in Juneau around 7:30 PM local. We were in the clouds by 1,000 ft agl and the plane was enshrouded in clouds the whole way to JNU.
Juneau is the state capital with a population of 31,000. The setting is quite beautiful, with steep, forested mountains lining the Gastineau Channel. A few dollops of snow remain on the peaks even in late summer. Didjuneau (apologies for the bad pun), the borough of Juneau actually has a land area exceeding that of Delaware and more than twice that of Rhode Island? Actually, the only city/borough in the US with a larger land area than Juneau is…Sitka. Of course, much of it is either uninhabited or sparsely inhabited, by humans at least. Juneau has its roads to nowhere…several in fact. The Glacier highway extends 40 miles north of downtown through assorted small communities, and about 7 miles south past Thane. Neighboring Douglas Island is connected by bridge from downtown and features a bedroom community for Juneau, with the highway extending halfway around the island. There has been talk of extending the highway further north, and then linking Skagway with an auto ferry, but it would involve traversing protected lands.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1225/1434833503_6d4b337acb.jpg
One doesn't locate a state capital in such terrain for no reason. The territorial capital was moved to Juneau in 1906, where the gold rush was still in full swing. Much of downtown is built on tailings from the old gold mines. There is still a small silver/zinc/gold mine on nearby Admiralty Island (better known for its large bear population), but the mining activity in Juneau was largely shut down due to environmental concerns. These days, 47% of Juneau residents work for the government. The other mainstays, of course, are fishing and tourism. The cruise ships have to both arrive and depart to the south, due to the bridge between Juneau and its cross-Channel bedroom community of Douglas, and the shallowness of the north end of the channel. The tides are also quite large, although not quite as large as those in Anchorage, and at low tide, much of the northern end of the channel is a muddy flat.
Downtown is some 9 miles from the airport, so there was really no choice but to take a cab. Cab driver offered a few good tips, and handed me a bright red business card listing their address as “106 People’s Wharf.” I was half-expecting to find a statue of Lenin when I got out. Anyway, perhaps I'm too easily amused. Juneau has a number of well-regarded restaurants, and I had an enjoyable fish dinner at the Hangar. I stayed two nights at the Juneau Hostel, which apart from a borderline hostile check-in clerk, was very nice. There was a very nicely furnished living room, spotless kitchen stocked with quite a few supplies, and a computer with internet access. Just like staying in someone’s home. The second night, we had a few unexpected guests who were refugees from a Marine Highway Vessel which had unexpectedly docked overnight in JNU en route to Bellingham.
Friday morning, I had a very nice breakfast of smoked salmon eggs benedict, and then went to see Mendenhall Glacier, which is receding but still impressive.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1130/1434879335_85a0f36f55_b.jpg
Visitor's Center
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1025/1435740120_1a14ed13ba_b.jpg
There was also some nice fireweed in the valley. I walked along one of the nearby nature trails, and caught a glimpse of a black bear dining on spawning salmon. The rest of the trails were closed due to bear activity (guess they aren’t kidding). The black bear did not cooperate for my photo, but here are the salmon.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1048/1435773674_db55f3bf76_o.jpg
I then headed over to the University of Alaska SE, which is located along the very scenic Auke Lake. I stopped at the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery on the way back into town, and then visited the very good Alaska State Museum, which had some nice totem poles and a lot of old Russian artifacts. Next up was the Alaska State Capital. The building was built in the 1930s, when Alaska was still a territory. It lacks the obligatory dome and some of the grandiose architectural details, but I still enjoyed visiting the building, especially since almost all of the chambers were open, and there were some very nice original wood carvings. I walked by the nearby governor’s mansion, which features totem poles in the front yard, and walked around the neighborhood. In general, the government buildings were ugly, while the old homes perched along the hillside were picturesque.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1387/1435726336_717c644dd8_b.jpg
I took a very scenic hike down the tree-lined valley to the Mining Museum, next to the Perseverance trailhead. This included crossing one or two rather shaky looking wooden bridges, and passing streams and waterfalls.
I hiked up to Mt. Roberts, passing through the forest dominated by hemlock, Sitka Spruce, ferns and lichen, as well as the thorny devil’s club (its broad leaves are used by the native Tlingit as a herbal remedy). The name apparently coming from the diabolically red clusters of berries. The plant grows so easily here, it is apparently a foe to many gardeners. I eventually reached the Mt. Roberts tram terminus and visitor’s center, and ate at the Timberline restaurant (which is actually at the timberline). I had salmon burger with baked beans (very Alaskan). If you make a purchase at the gift shop or restaurant, that serves as your tram ticket down. Otherwise, its $25 round-trip. I continued my hike toward Mt. Gastineau, climbing up to about 2500 ft. The weather had been good all day, but suddenly began to deteriorate rapidly, and the trail quickly became very muddy. After a slight mishap, I reached the tram, and made the 1850 foot descent to the Juneau cruise ship terminal.
Looking toward Mt. Robert's tramhead and downtown Juneau
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/1434763353_126cbce38a_b.jpg
1 September 2007
AS 73 JNU-ANC U 2DF 737-400 N797AS
I asked about an upgrade at check-in, which was granted, even though it was an award ticket. The JNU airport had some really interesting display cases complete with memorabilia on now defunct airlines, such as Wien Air Alaska, Pacific Northern (later Western) and Alaska Star Airlines (now Alaska Airlines). I searched for timetables, but only found a few leaflets from Wings of Alaska. There was a large group of high school boys in the back, returning to Anchorage from some sports competition. They were surprisingly well behaved. Load was only 9/12 in F. and seat next to mine was open. Nice view of glacier and Mendenhall valley on takeoff. Flying time 1 hour 25 minutes. Breakfast was served with the full setup, consisting of a warm breakfast burrito filled with egg, grilled chicken and bell peppers, topped with cheese and salsa. Pretty good. Fruit was pear, orange and grapes. Both cabins received a cinnamon apple muffin. Later some glimpses of Wrangell St. Elias, but otherwise cloudy.
in flight jnu-anc
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1002/1435665492_df27e2f50b_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1430/1435681632_e20f2e80e4_b.jpg
I had a three hour layover at ANC. Fortunately, the new terminal is very nice, and ANC has great spotting. On taxi-in, I saw a TransNorthern DC-3 heading out. From the observation level, I had great views of aircraft landing on 6L and 6R and taking off on 32. The top spot was Curtiss C-46 Commando (Everts Air Fuel) which I saw landing (aircraft was called “salmon ella”). Great to see 60+ year old aircraft still in service. There were a bunch of Cathay cargo 744s, plus a Cathay A343, making a scheduled stop en route to Toronto. Also saw DC-6 take off belonging to Everts, and subsequently Northern Air Cargo. Another rare spot was Yangtze River Express Airlines 744 frieghter.
Other spots:
Nippon Cargo Airlines 742
JAL cargo 742, 744
Asiana 744
Korean 744
ANA 763
China Cargo Airlines 742
Eva 744
NWA 742
China Airlines 744
Fedex MD11
Atlas 742
Singapore Cargo 744
Air China 744
Transmile md11
UPS md11
NAC 732
I also saw an old AS 737-200 Combi by the maintenance hangar, apparently no longer in service. I wondered why it was still sitting there.
ANC-DUT AS3296 V 2A SF340B N676PA “Spirit of Dutch Harbor”
The Pen Air gate area is on the lower level, outside security. There was complimentary coffee in the waiting area. The agents announced that all connecting passengers from Alaska Airlines need to check-in. Boarding was announced at 12:30, our departure time, but everyone got on quickly, and we took off about 12:40! The F/A announced we would make a fuel stop at Cold Bay. In-flight service featured drinks and a very nice snack basket. I hadn't had lunch, so I took two bags of Costco dry-roasted almonds, a bag of cashews (each bag was 2 oz), and a chocolate chip cookie. My seat (2A) was missing a window, although there wasn't much sightseeing. I did see a black plume of smoke off in the distance at one point, which I can only assume was Mt. Pavlof. Fortunately, I was on the one-seat side and didn't have a neighbor, as seating was extremely cramped. It was a very long flight in a turboprop...probably the longest turboprop flight anywhere in the US. 2 1/2 hours into the flight, the F/A announced we were on descent for Cold Bay. She then conferred with the pilots, and found out we were actually descending into Dutch Harbor, and they had decided to skip the fuel stop, but the pilots had neglected to let the F/A know. The approach to DUT was very scenic, passing high cliffs and verdant hills dotted with wildflowers.
The only other aircraft on the ramp was the venerable, amphibious Grumman Goose, one of two PenAir uses ex-Dutch Harbor for flights to neighboring islands. Shortly after I left the airport, I saw it zoom down the runway.
Pics from DUT tarmac:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/1434697719_71259fe3ab_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1313/1435648862_6c7b54619d.jpg
Saab 340b with Grumman Goose in background
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1353/1435581978_b49ccff6cd_b.jpg
Da Goose. Great to see this 60+ year old aircraft still flying. Apologies for the blurry photo...I shot this while entering the terminal.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/1435592106_72f7eec913.jpg
Dutch Harbor. Where real men drive pickup trucks and never ever wash them. That is if they have a vehicle at all. Perhaps due to the transient nature of the work force here (seasonal crab and fish seasons), there is a booming taxi business on the island, as well as rent-a-cars at the airport. The town has lately gained some fame through the television series "Deadliest Catch," which chronicles the perilous Aleutian crab season. Dutch Harbor is the industrial side of town, dominated by freight yards and seafood processing, although there are some number of residences. Unalaska, the across-bridge community, has a seperate post office, and is mostly residential. The overall setting, with the steep green hills and cliffs, and many anchored ships in harbor, is quite spectacular.
The island is also interesting from a historical perspective, since it was bombed by the Japanese during World War II. The biggest drawback to tourism here is the capriciousness of the weather. Even in summer, it can be sunny one hour and rainy and windy the next. Our hotel, the Grand Aleutian, was dubbed the Grand Illusion when it opened in 1994. Perhaps they were going by the “build it and they will come” principle. “They” seem to mostly be Japanese tourists, at least judging by the sampling of visitors I saw while there. The only other guests at the hotel who I could ID were from Fish and Wildlife.
The next morning dawned dreary, so we headed to Amelia’s for breakfast. A surprisingly nice place, it turned out. Good food and good service. We set out, crossing the "Bridge to the Other Side" leading to Unalaska. The buildings in Unalaska mostly appeared to be fairly new, with a nice city hall, community center, senior center, library, small hospital, local school and aquatics center.
Unalaska with church in background
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/1434609569_d626a11f02_o.jpg
We first visited the Russian Orthodox cathedral. The cathedral is mostly remarkable in that it is still standing in mostly original condition, having withstood countless Aleutian winters. The islands had been inhabited by Aleuts for thousands of years, but the Russians didn't arrive until around 1800. They called in Dutch Harbor because they somehow thought the Dutch had been here earlier (they most likely had not). Dutch Harbor quickly became a trading post for fur seal pelts. In the late 1800s, after Alaska became a US territory, the US attempted to convert the Aleut population to the Methodist faith. Interestingly, the Aleuts held on to the Russian Orthodox religion and writing system which had been imposed on them two or three generations earlier. Many of the church icons were removed during WW2, when the Aleuts were forcibly resettled to internment camps in Ketchikan and other places in southeastern Alaska. After the war, about 75% returned to the Aleutians (others had either died or decided to remain in southeast Alaska). Some icons made their way back to the church, and new ones were imported from Russia. Many icons were lacquered-over in a misguided preservation attempt, resulting in the dark, dull finish seen today.
As the weather was not terribly conducive to hiking, we returned to Dutch Harbor, across the narrow bridge (they are building a second span), and then visited two very good museums...one relating to the archealogical history of the island and the other the WW2 Museum, which is located by the airport in the old control tower. Both were quite well presented and interesting. We then hiked up Mt. Ballyhoo behind the airport, looking at the old abandonned millitary sites and picking wild red salmonberries, many of which were perfectly ripe and quite sweet.
Labor Day meant everything was closed. Weather was rainy and windy. We took a hike around the southern tip of Amaknak Island. Then the cemetery and World War 2 memorial in Unalaska. We then visited Sitka Spruce Park. The Russians had the bright idea of trying to plant spruce trees here in the early 1800s, not realizing they were so poorly suited to the windy climate. They weren't the only ones with bright ideas--in WW2 a US millitary official insisted on putting sand on the beaches, resulting in frequent sandstorms. Anyhow, three scraggly trees remain today, while a bunch of smaller, Christmas-tree size spruces and bushes round out the scenic park. Apart from the park, there are very, very few trees on the island. A couple wildlife sightings: a bald eagle perched on a fencepost, and a wild red fox running alongside the road. We still had time to kill, and the weather wasn't improving, so we sought refuge in the local Eagle Value Center (and then the Costco clone). Although food prices were fairly high, they were not outrageous. Most non-perishable items were only a hair more expensive than in the lower 48. Dutch Harbor has a huge amount of container ship activity, so we watched numerous trucks loading and hauling containers. Eventually, it was time to head back to the airport. Although there was wind-driven rain, I figured the weather wasn't that bad by Aleutian standards, and the plane made it in fine with acceptable visibility and minimal crosswind component.
September 3, 2007
DUT-ANC AS3281 V 8F SF340B N685PA “Spirit of the Aleutians”
The airport is pretty small, although there is a full-service bar and restaurant. Interestingly, the ticket counter still features the Alaska Airlines logo, even though Alaska stopped flying here around 2000. Anyway, PenAir has been operating the flights as a wet-lease, apparently. On board the plane, the in flight magazine is "Alaska Airlines." How they ever managed to get a 737-200 Combi to takeoff from a 3900 foot runway with major terrain obstacles on climbout is beyond me. The Boeing takeoff charts for a 737-200 don't even extend below 4000 ft, so I imagine it must have been severely weight-restricted. The airport also closes down the roadway by the threshold of the runway when an aircraft is landing or taking off. Flashing lights signal an aircraft is on approach, rather like a railroad crossing. Evidently, security is not a real big priority at DUT, judging by the wide-open fence leading to the tarmac. When boarding time came, they just checked the passenger names off of a computer printout as we boarded...no ID checks or boarding pass scanners here! Turnaround was completed in about 20 minutes, and taxiout was fast.
We did a great full-brake engine run-up, and then roared down the runway. Saw the shipwreck on departure (I hadn’t seen on arrival since we came in the other way). In-flight service was the snack basket and a single beverage. The lav on the Saab doesn't have running water, and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in ages. Very little sightseeing, but it was cool to look to the north and see sunset and look to the south and see darkness. We landed on runway 25R at Anchorage and quickly taxied to the gate. Only about 30 minutes late, which wasn't bad under the circumstances.
AS 106 ANC-LAX W 15A 737-800 N569AS "Starliner 75"
I was lucky to score the Alaska Airlines retrojet (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1179295/M/) aircraft for the return to LAX. I wasn’t really expecting an upgrade, but thought I might as well ask. Unfortunately, two people in line ahead of me beat me to the punch. Anyway, I had a nice exit row aisle, so I didn’t care too much. Only thing I would miss is the F cabin snack.
Flight was maybe ¾ full, we pushed back a minute early and headed out to 6L for takeoff. The overhead bins on the Starliner feature a timeline of Alaska Airlines 75 year history, spanning the length of the Y cabin. One odd note…the safety announcements and landing announcements were done in both Spanish and English. I thought I had boarded American Airlines by mistake. The cabin was very clean, and the leather, winged headrest seats were comfortable. There were sufficient pillows and blankets. Inflight service was really pretty good for a red-eye, and the f/a's were very good, as is customary on Alaska. F got a plate with cheese, grapes and crackers after takeoff, and a warm muffin and fruit (full tray set up) prior to landing. In Y, we received two packs of spinzels after takeoff. I had a can of ginger ale. Prior to arrival, there was another beverage service along with a bananas and oats cookie. After the first beverage service, I asked the nice FA if there were snack boxes for sale on this flight. She said no, but then, to my surprise, said “awww, can’t you sleep?” I don’t know if I looked overly thin from the hiking or what, but she unexpectedly came back from the galley with a bunch of snacks, including several more bags of spinzels, three more cookies, a box of raisins and a banana (the latter two apparently from the crew meal). I would have been more embarrassed had other passengers not been asleep. Arrival into LAX was uneventful and 15 minutes early.
Unfortunately, flights from San Diego tend to run very full all summer, resulting in minimal award availability. So, I booked via LAX both ways. Getting to LAX from the north end of San Diego is perfectly feasible via mass transit, if slightly time consuming. I took the bus from the stop in front of my apartment to the Solana Beach station. I caught the 6:50 Amtrak Surfliner train, which arrived at Los Angeles Union Station about two hours later. The train is smooth and comfortable, with power outlets at every row, and large, if often grimy, windows. I sat in a sleeper seat in the Superliner car (still sold as coach), and enjoyed some of the scenery along the beach before heading inland (at which point I fell asleep). Even the regular coach seats are comparable to domestic F. I then caught the half-hourly Flyaway bus (actually a nice motorcoach) at 9:00, which whisked me to LAX in under 30 minutes, using a dedicated high occupancy vehicle/carpool lane on the 110. Train was $23 and the bus just $4…no doubt, heavily subsidized.
30 August 2007
AS 391 LAX-SEA W 7F 737-400 N776AS
Unlike my June flight to MSP, which featured a one hour wait at T2 security, there was no line at T3 today. However, the screeners were barking out orders in an effort to keep passenger stress levels elevated. Lest we forget the threat level is orange. I had two hours to kill prior to my 11:35 departure, so I used my remaining lounge pass and headed upstairs to the AS Boardroom, which was formerly TWA’s Ambassadors Club. I enjoyed a couple of scones, some tea, and great views of TBIT and the 24 runways. Spotting included Stan the Ram and the Tran (F9 to DEN and FL to ATL). The AS morning bank of flights to Mexico were also boarding, including Loreto. The gate area featured the new lcd screens, but the ancient, inaudible PA system has yet to be updated. I also noticed some tarmac work going on between T3 and TBIT, further constricting the already narrow alleyway.
Shortly prior to boarding, the gate agent announced that F had checked-in full. I didn’t expect F anyway, since I was on an award ticket, which is supposedly ineligible for upgrades. The flight went out completely full, although my seatmate was a non-rev. After takeoff, we made a right turn over Santa Monica Bay, and then headed north, passing west of Van Nuys. Unlike most other airlines, AS still does two drink services on these 2 hour flights. We also received AS 75th anniversary pretzels. The new BOB snackbox wasn't available yet, but they are now available on all flights with a beverage service, and it certainly looks to be healthier and tastier than the BOB on most airlines. There wasn’t much sightseeing until we neared PDX, at which point the cloud cover disappeared, revealing Mt. Hood. Shortly thereafter, I was treated to the trio of Mt. Adams, Mt. St Helens and Mt. Rainier. The mountains were conspicuously bare—even for late summer, this was the least snow/glacier cover I have seen. We began our descent a few minutes after passing over the Battle Ground VOR for the Olympia Arrival, making a right turn at 17,000 feet over the state capital to follow the eastern edge of Puget Sound for our approach. The captain announced our landing weight would be 58 tons, and the final approach ground speed would be 157 mph. We passed Fort Lewis and McChord AFB off the right-hand side, followed by a rather murky looking Tacoma harbor. Puget Sound sparkled, apart from numerous brown and green streaks in the water. We landed on 16 R at 2:10 and parked at N11 right on-time at 2:15, passing the Asiana 772 heading out for ICN. The N concourse used to be United’s exclusive domain, but as they have scaled back slightly at SEA, AS now uses about half the gates.
Lights, camera and action at gate N7! It appeared AS was filming some kind of gate agent training video. They had someone playing a very polite customer, although I could have volunteered to play a less cooperative customer. I had a 90 minute layover, so I headed to the Pacific Marketplace for a snack, where I saw the Horizon 25th anniversary plane. I then proceeded to the S Concourse, where the NW A332 was boarding for NRT, Air France A332 was boarding for CDG, and the China Airlines A343 was preparing to leave for Houston (yes they just deplane in SEA, no cabotage). It felt odd to see so many Airbuses in Boeing-town. Parked outside the AS maintenance hangar were a 737-400 and an MD-83, while the “Make A Wish” 737-400 was in the hangar. Not much exciting on the AS ramp, although they were changing a tire on a MD (Maintenance Delay)-83.
AS 67 SEA-KTN-SIT-JNU W 10F 737-400 N769AS
One of the milk run flights, SEA-ANC via ktn, sit and jnu, although I would be getting off in JNU. I headed to gate D11, at the very tail end of the concourse, noting the numerous posters depicting various moments in Alaska Airlines’ 75 year history. The inbound arrived from Ketchikan, and I watched Menzies unload numerous crates of fish and fishing poles, noting that some of the rampers looked all of 13 or 14 years old. Boarding began on-time with Golds and F, followed by MVP and partner elites, even though there was a twenty minute delay posted on the monitor for some reason. I thought I was going to have an entire row to myself, but shortly after our scheduled departure time, a few more passengers leisurely strolled aboard, one of them taking 10C. Not too common to see an airline wait these days, but maybe they do for the more remote destinations.
We pushed back a few minutes late (without scraping the wingtip on the fence like that MD-80 to lgb), and headed out to 16L. Captain announced flying time to Ketchikan would be 1 hr 35 minutes, and we should arrive on-time. I had a nice view of Bainbridge Island and Bremerton shortly after takeoff, and later Victoria and Vancouver in the distance. Across the aisle were a bunch of Seattleites going fishing, while the lady a couple rows back was a bit of a laugh factory (I think I saw her in the bar that prohibits firearms prior to boarding). Remainder of the flight was cloudy, and uneventful. The approach to Ketchikan was very scenic, and we landed to the south. Ketchikan, the self-proclaimed “salmon capital of the world,” is located at the southern end of Alexander Archipelago in the middle of a temperate rain forest, receiving 152” of rain annually. The town is also the gateway to the Misty Fjords National Monument. By most accounts, Ketchikan used to a be a bit of a rough and tumble town populated by lumberjacks, fisherman and harlots. However, since the logging industry declined in the early 90s, cruise ship-related tourism has been the mainstay. The airport is located on Gravina Island, which is connected to the town by a ferry, since Young and Stevens “bridge to nowhere” never materialized.
The ladies who boarded and sat behind me in Ketchikan were kvetching and commiserating on subjects ranging from politics to their husbands. My new seatmate was a doctor who specializes in mold allergies. I kid you not. The lady across the aisle was boasting about how her son just got his “license.” Only later in the conversation did I realize it was his steamboat license. We departed on-time and completely full for the 40 minute hop to Sitka. Inflight service featured orange juice, water and spinzels. It was pretty cloudy, although I had a partial view of Mt. Edgecumbe on approach to Sitka. Since we were early, I was able to step off for a bit in soggy Sitka. I took in the view of the suspension bridge, and the picturesque town, with its Russian Orthodox cathedral. Sitka was occupied by the Russians between 1799 and 1867, and was the Alaska territorial capital until 1906. We left about 10 minutes early for Juneau, and flying time was a short 23 minutes, with arrival time in Juneau around 7:30 PM local. We were in the clouds by 1,000 ft agl and the plane was enshrouded in clouds the whole way to JNU.
Juneau is the state capital with a population of 31,000. The setting is quite beautiful, with steep, forested mountains lining the Gastineau Channel. A few dollops of snow remain on the peaks even in late summer. Didjuneau (apologies for the bad pun), the borough of Juneau actually has a land area exceeding that of Delaware and more than twice that of Rhode Island? Actually, the only city/borough in the US with a larger land area than Juneau is…Sitka. Of course, much of it is either uninhabited or sparsely inhabited, by humans at least. Juneau has its roads to nowhere…several in fact. The Glacier highway extends 40 miles north of downtown through assorted small communities, and about 7 miles south past Thane. Neighboring Douglas Island is connected by bridge from downtown and features a bedroom community for Juneau, with the highway extending halfway around the island. There has been talk of extending the highway further north, and then linking Skagway with an auto ferry, but it would involve traversing protected lands.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1225/1434833503_6d4b337acb.jpg
One doesn't locate a state capital in such terrain for no reason. The territorial capital was moved to Juneau in 1906, where the gold rush was still in full swing. Much of downtown is built on tailings from the old gold mines. There is still a small silver/zinc/gold mine on nearby Admiralty Island (better known for its large bear population), but the mining activity in Juneau was largely shut down due to environmental concerns. These days, 47% of Juneau residents work for the government. The other mainstays, of course, are fishing and tourism. The cruise ships have to both arrive and depart to the south, due to the bridge between Juneau and its cross-Channel bedroom community of Douglas, and the shallowness of the north end of the channel. The tides are also quite large, although not quite as large as those in Anchorage, and at low tide, much of the northern end of the channel is a muddy flat.
Downtown is some 9 miles from the airport, so there was really no choice but to take a cab. Cab driver offered a few good tips, and handed me a bright red business card listing their address as “106 People’s Wharf.” I was half-expecting to find a statue of Lenin when I got out. Anyway, perhaps I'm too easily amused. Juneau has a number of well-regarded restaurants, and I had an enjoyable fish dinner at the Hangar. I stayed two nights at the Juneau Hostel, which apart from a borderline hostile check-in clerk, was very nice. There was a very nicely furnished living room, spotless kitchen stocked with quite a few supplies, and a computer with internet access. Just like staying in someone’s home. The second night, we had a few unexpected guests who were refugees from a Marine Highway Vessel which had unexpectedly docked overnight in JNU en route to Bellingham.
Friday morning, I had a very nice breakfast of smoked salmon eggs benedict, and then went to see Mendenhall Glacier, which is receding but still impressive.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1130/1434879335_85a0f36f55_b.jpg
Visitor's Center
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1025/1435740120_1a14ed13ba_b.jpg
There was also some nice fireweed in the valley. I walked along one of the nearby nature trails, and caught a glimpse of a black bear dining on spawning salmon. The rest of the trails were closed due to bear activity (guess they aren’t kidding). The black bear did not cooperate for my photo, but here are the salmon.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1048/1435773674_db55f3bf76_o.jpg
I then headed over to the University of Alaska SE, which is located along the very scenic Auke Lake. I stopped at the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery on the way back into town, and then visited the very good Alaska State Museum, which had some nice totem poles and a lot of old Russian artifacts. Next up was the Alaska State Capital. The building was built in the 1930s, when Alaska was still a territory. It lacks the obligatory dome and some of the grandiose architectural details, but I still enjoyed visiting the building, especially since almost all of the chambers were open, and there were some very nice original wood carvings. I walked by the nearby governor’s mansion, which features totem poles in the front yard, and walked around the neighborhood. In general, the government buildings were ugly, while the old homes perched along the hillside were picturesque.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1387/1435726336_717c644dd8_b.jpg
I took a very scenic hike down the tree-lined valley to the Mining Museum, next to the Perseverance trailhead. This included crossing one or two rather shaky looking wooden bridges, and passing streams and waterfalls.
I hiked up to Mt. Roberts, passing through the forest dominated by hemlock, Sitka Spruce, ferns and lichen, as well as the thorny devil’s club (its broad leaves are used by the native Tlingit as a herbal remedy). The name apparently coming from the diabolically red clusters of berries. The plant grows so easily here, it is apparently a foe to many gardeners. I eventually reached the Mt. Roberts tram terminus and visitor’s center, and ate at the Timberline restaurant (which is actually at the timberline). I had salmon burger with baked beans (very Alaskan). If you make a purchase at the gift shop or restaurant, that serves as your tram ticket down. Otherwise, its $25 round-trip. I continued my hike toward Mt. Gastineau, climbing up to about 2500 ft. The weather had been good all day, but suddenly began to deteriorate rapidly, and the trail quickly became very muddy. After a slight mishap, I reached the tram, and made the 1850 foot descent to the Juneau cruise ship terminal.
Looking toward Mt. Robert's tramhead and downtown Juneau
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1427/1434763353_126cbce38a_b.jpg
1 September 2007
AS 73 JNU-ANC U 2DF 737-400 N797AS
I asked about an upgrade at check-in, which was granted, even though it was an award ticket. The JNU airport had some really interesting display cases complete with memorabilia on now defunct airlines, such as Wien Air Alaska, Pacific Northern (later Western) and Alaska Star Airlines (now Alaska Airlines). I searched for timetables, but only found a few leaflets from Wings of Alaska. There was a large group of high school boys in the back, returning to Anchorage from some sports competition. They were surprisingly well behaved. Load was only 9/12 in F. and seat next to mine was open. Nice view of glacier and Mendenhall valley on takeoff. Flying time 1 hour 25 minutes. Breakfast was served with the full setup, consisting of a warm breakfast burrito filled with egg, grilled chicken and bell peppers, topped with cheese and salsa. Pretty good. Fruit was pear, orange and grapes. Both cabins received a cinnamon apple muffin. Later some glimpses of Wrangell St. Elias, but otherwise cloudy.
in flight jnu-anc
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1002/1435665492_df27e2f50b_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1430/1435681632_e20f2e80e4_b.jpg
I had a three hour layover at ANC. Fortunately, the new terminal is very nice, and ANC has great spotting. On taxi-in, I saw a TransNorthern DC-3 heading out. From the observation level, I had great views of aircraft landing on 6L and 6R and taking off on 32. The top spot was Curtiss C-46 Commando (Everts Air Fuel) which I saw landing (aircraft was called “salmon ella”). Great to see 60+ year old aircraft still in service. There were a bunch of Cathay cargo 744s, plus a Cathay A343, making a scheduled stop en route to Toronto. Also saw DC-6 take off belonging to Everts, and subsequently Northern Air Cargo. Another rare spot was Yangtze River Express Airlines 744 frieghter.
Other spots:
Nippon Cargo Airlines 742
JAL cargo 742, 744
Asiana 744
Korean 744
ANA 763
China Cargo Airlines 742
Eva 744
NWA 742
China Airlines 744
Fedex MD11
Atlas 742
Singapore Cargo 744
Air China 744
Transmile md11
UPS md11
NAC 732
I also saw an old AS 737-200 Combi by the maintenance hangar, apparently no longer in service. I wondered why it was still sitting there.
ANC-DUT AS3296 V 2A SF340B N676PA “Spirit of Dutch Harbor”
The Pen Air gate area is on the lower level, outside security. There was complimentary coffee in the waiting area. The agents announced that all connecting passengers from Alaska Airlines need to check-in. Boarding was announced at 12:30, our departure time, but everyone got on quickly, and we took off about 12:40! The F/A announced we would make a fuel stop at Cold Bay. In-flight service featured drinks and a very nice snack basket. I hadn't had lunch, so I took two bags of Costco dry-roasted almonds, a bag of cashews (each bag was 2 oz), and a chocolate chip cookie. My seat (2A) was missing a window, although there wasn't much sightseeing. I did see a black plume of smoke off in the distance at one point, which I can only assume was Mt. Pavlof. Fortunately, I was on the one-seat side and didn't have a neighbor, as seating was extremely cramped. It was a very long flight in a turboprop...probably the longest turboprop flight anywhere in the US. 2 1/2 hours into the flight, the F/A announced we were on descent for Cold Bay. She then conferred with the pilots, and found out we were actually descending into Dutch Harbor, and they had decided to skip the fuel stop, but the pilots had neglected to let the F/A know. The approach to DUT was very scenic, passing high cliffs and verdant hills dotted with wildflowers.
The only other aircraft on the ramp was the venerable, amphibious Grumman Goose, one of two PenAir uses ex-Dutch Harbor for flights to neighboring islands. Shortly after I left the airport, I saw it zoom down the runway.
Pics from DUT tarmac:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/1434697719_71259fe3ab_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1313/1435648862_6c7b54619d.jpg
Saab 340b with Grumman Goose in background
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1353/1435581978_b49ccff6cd_b.jpg
Da Goose. Great to see this 60+ year old aircraft still flying. Apologies for the blurry photo...I shot this while entering the terminal.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1072/1435592106_72f7eec913.jpg
Dutch Harbor. Where real men drive pickup trucks and never ever wash them. That is if they have a vehicle at all. Perhaps due to the transient nature of the work force here (seasonal crab and fish seasons), there is a booming taxi business on the island, as well as rent-a-cars at the airport. The town has lately gained some fame through the television series "Deadliest Catch," which chronicles the perilous Aleutian crab season. Dutch Harbor is the industrial side of town, dominated by freight yards and seafood processing, although there are some number of residences. Unalaska, the across-bridge community, has a seperate post office, and is mostly residential. The overall setting, with the steep green hills and cliffs, and many anchored ships in harbor, is quite spectacular.
The island is also interesting from a historical perspective, since it was bombed by the Japanese during World War II. The biggest drawback to tourism here is the capriciousness of the weather. Even in summer, it can be sunny one hour and rainy and windy the next. Our hotel, the Grand Aleutian, was dubbed the Grand Illusion when it opened in 1994. Perhaps they were going by the “build it and they will come” principle. “They” seem to mostly be Japanese tourists, at least judging by the sampling of visitors I saw while there. The only other guests at the hotel who I could ID were from Fish and Wildlife.
The next morning dawned dreary, so we headed to Amelia’s for breakfast. A surprisingly nice place, it turned out. Good food and good service. We set out, crossing the "Bridge to the Other Side" leading to Unalaska. The buildings in Unalaska mostly appeared to be fairly new, with a nice city hall, community center, senior center, library, small hospital, local school and aquatics center.
Unalaska with church in background
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1135/1434609569_d626a11f02_o.jpg
We first visited the Russian Orthodox cathedral. The cathedral is mostly remarkable in that it is still standing in mostly original condition, having withstood countless Aleutian winters. The islands had been inhabited by Aleuts for thousands of years, but the Russians didn't arrive until around 1800. They called in Dutch Harbor because they somehow thought the Dutch had been here earlier (they most likely had not). Dutch Harbor quickly became a trading post for fur seal pelts. In the late 1800s, after Alaska became a US territory, the US attempted to convert the Aleut population to the Methodist faith. Interestingly, the Aleuts held on to the Russian Orthodox religion and writing system which had been imposed on them two or three generations earlier. Many of the church icons were removed during WW2, when the Aleuts were forcibly resettled to internment camps in Ketchikan and other places in southeastern Alaska. After the war, about 75% returned to the Aleutians (others had either died or decided to remain in southeast Alaska). Some icons made their way back to the church, and new ones were imported from Russia. Many icons were lacquered-over in a misguided preservation attempt, resulting in the dark, dull finish seen today.
As the weather was not terribly conducive to hiking, we returned to Dutch Harbor, across the narrow bridge (they are building a second span), and then visited two very good museums...one relating to the archealogical history of the island and the other the WW2 Museum, which is located by the airport in the old control tower. Both were quite well presented and interesting. We then hiked up Mt. Ballyhoo behind the airport, looking at the old abandonned millitary sites and picking wild red salmonberries, many of which were perfectly ripe and quite sweet.
Labor Day meant everything was closed. Weather was rainy and windy. We took a hike around the southern tip of Amaknak Island. Then the cemetery and World War 2 memorial in Unalaska. We then visited Sitka Spruce Park. The Russians had the bright idea of trying to plant spruce trees here in the early 1800s, not realizing they were so poorly suited to the windy climate. They weren't the only ones with bright ideas--in WW2 a US millitary official insisted on putting sand on the beaches, resulting in frequent sandstorms. Anyhow, three scraggly trees remain today, while a bunch of smaller, Christmas-tree size spruces and bushes round out the scenic park. Apart from the park, there are very, very few trees on the island. A couple wildlife sightings: a bald eagle perched on a fencepost, and a wild red fox running alongside the road. We still had time to kill, and the weather wasn't improving, so we sought refuge in the local Eagle Value Center (and then the Costco clone). Although food prices were fairly high, they were not outrageous. Most non-perishable items were only a hair more expensive than in the lower 48. Dutch Harbor has a huge amount of container ship activity, so we watched numerous trucks loading and hauling containers. Eventually, it was time to head back to the airport. Although there was wind-driven rain, I figured the weather wasn't that bad by Aleutian standards, and the plane made it in fine with acceptable visibility and minimal crosswind component.
September 3, 2007
DUT-ANC AS3281 V 8F SF340B N685PA “Spirit of the Aleutians”
The airport is pretty small, although there is a full-service bar and restaurant. Interestingly, the ticket counter still features the Alaska Airlines logo, even though Alaska stopped flying here around 2000. Anyway, PenAir has been operating the flights as a wet-lease, apparently. On board the plane, the in flight magazine is "Alaska Airlines." How they ever managed to get a 737-200 Combi to takeoff from a 3900 foot runway with major terrain obstacles on climbout is beyond me. The Boeing takeoff charts for a 737-200 don't even extend below 4000 ft, so I imagine it must have been severely weight-restricted. The airport also closes down the roadway by the threshold of the runway when an aircraft is landing or taking off. Flashing lights signal an aircraft is on approach, rather like a railroad crossing. Evidently, security is not a real big priority at DUT, judging by the wide-open fence leading to the tarmac. When boarding time came, they just checked the passenger names off of a computer printout as we boarded...no ID checks or boarding pass scanners here! Turnaround was completed in about 20 minutes, and taxiout was fast.
We did a great full-brake engine run-up, and then roared down the runway. Saw the shipwreck on departure (I hadn’t seen on arrival since we came in the other way). In-flight service was the snack basket and a single beverage. The lav on the Saab doesn't have running water, and looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in ages. Very little sightseeing, but it was cool to look to the north and see sunset and look to the south and see darkness. We landed on runway 25R at Anchorage and quickly taxied to the gate. Only about 30 minutes late, which wasn't bad under the circumstances.
AS 106 ANC-LAX W 15A 737-800 N569AS "Starliner 75"
I was lucky to score the Alaska Airlines retrojet (http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1179295/M/) aircraft for the return to LAX. I wasn’t really expecting an upgrade, but thought I might as well ask. Unfortunately, two people in line ahead of me beat me to the punch. Anyway, I had a nice exit row aisle, so I didn’t care too much. Only thing I would miss is the F cabin snack.
Flight was maybe ¾ full, we pushed back a minute early and headed out to 6L for takeoff. The overhead bins on the Starliner feature a timeline of Alaska Airlines 75 year history, spanning the length of the Y cabin. One odd note…the safety announcements and landing announcements were done in both Spanish and English. I thought I had boarded American Airlines by mistake. The cabin was very clean, and the leather, winged headrest seats were comfortable. There were sufficient pillows and blankets. Inflight service was really pretty good for a red-eye, and the f/a's were very good, as is customary on Alaska. F got a plate with cheese, grapes and crackers after takeoff, and a warm muffin and fruit (full tray set up) prior to landing. In Y, we received two packs of spinzels after takeoff. I had a can of ginger ale. Prior to arrival, there was another beverage service along with a bananas and oats cookie. After the first beverage service, I asked the nice FA if there were snack boxes for sale on this flight. She said no, but then, to my surprise, said “awww, can’t you sleep?” I don’t know if I looked overly thin from the hiking or what, but she unexpectedly came back from the galley with a bunch of snacks, including several more bags of spinzels, three more cookies, a box of raisins and a banana (the latter two apparently from the crew meal). I would have been more embarrassed had other passengers not been asleep. Arrival into LAX was uneventful and 15 minutes early.