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ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Goin' Where The Climate Suits My Clothes

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Goin' Where The Climate Suits My Clothes

Old Dec 26, 2015, 2:48 am
  #16  
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DUBAI LAYOVER

As I stepped off the airplane and into the modern and spacious terminal with its huge glass windows and wide, well-lit corridors, it’s hard to imagine that only forty years ago Dubai International was little more than a gas station serving the many airlines flying between Asia and Europe that would stop by essentially to top off their tanks.

Dubai itself has undergone an incredible transformation over the past half century. Oil was discovered in the 1950s. Full independence from Great Britain was granted in 1966 and the government was set up so that the United Arab Emirates became a federation of hereditary monarchies. There are a total of seven emirates with Dubai and Abu Dhabi being the wealthiest.

Much of that wealth can be seen in downtown Dubai where massive government spending on infrastructure has transformed Dubai into one of the world’s most modern and attractive skylines. Until the global economic meltdown of 2008, Dubai was home to almost 30% of the world’s largest construction cranes! Although the pace of construction has slowed a bit since then, the UAE still retain the 7th largest oil reserves in the world so it remains a very wealthy country.

The creation of Emirates Airlines in 1985 and its subsequent growth into one of the largest and most dynamic airlines in the world has transformed Dubai into a major connecting hub for global air travel and spurred the development of the world class facility that we know today as Dubai International Airport.




Emirates Terminal A at Dubai International Airport
Courtesy of Emirates Airlines


We had parked at Terminal B and since my connecting flight was not scheduled to depart for another eight and a half hours, I had plenty of time to get some sleep.

I should note here that Emirates’ First Class revenue passengers transiting Dubai are provided with complimentary hotel accommodations. Alas, freeloaders traveling on award tickets are not offered this courtesy. Thankfully, Emirates offers two excellent First Class lounges here in Dubai – one in Terminal A and another in Terminal B. Each lounge is open 24 hours and provides a Quiet Room complete with couch, table, lamp and a bottle of water. I have utilized both Quiet Rooms and prefer the one in the older Terminal B lounge.

Unlike the Quiet Room in Terminal A which provides an open room with a couple dozen chaise type loungers spread about, the smaller Terminal B facility offers a measure of privacy with each lounger individually cordoned off by hanging curtains. The loungers do not provide a 180° flat surface, but thankfully I came equipped with my complete Airport Sleeping Assemblage that includes a Thermarest pad, full sized wool blanket, small pillow, eye shades, headlamp and alarm clock. I set up camp on the floor and slept until my alarm went off at 7:00am local time.

By the time I broke camp, changed into a new set of clothes and made my way by train over to Terminal 3, the time was approaching 7:40am. With my San Francisco bound flight scheduled to depart from gate A9 at 8:20am, there was no time to visit the beautiful First Class lounge. Instead, I made my way straight to the gate where boarding was already in progress.


April 30, 2015
Emirates Airlines Dubai to San Francisco 820a – 110p A380-800 First Class
Alaska Airlines San Francisco to Seattle 345p – 550p 737-800 First Class


Upon arrival at the gate I quickly discovered that as a First Class passenger, if you want to enjoy unfettered access through a dedicated jet bridge onto the aircraft, you’ll need to board from the First or Business Class Lounge. Otherwise you’ll have to join the glut of humanity surging onto the single jet bridge serving the lower level.

Upon seeing that I was indeed a First Class passenger – albeit a wayward one – the gate agents did an admirable job of expediting my progress toward the front of the line. I still had to endure a crowded and muggy wait in the jet bridge but that was easily offset by the knowledge that soon I’d be ensconced in the wonderful plush cocoon known as Emirates’ First Class Suite whereas these poor wretches around me would soon be stuffed into one of the four hundred and twenty-seven seats arranged ten abreast on the lower deck.

I took some solace in the fact that many of these folks were genuinely excited to simply be flying to San Francisco. On Emirates. Aboard the largest passenger plane in the world. In my younger days I would have been so excited at the prospect of a flight aboard an Emirates A380 that it never would have occurred to me to feel otherwise. First Class would have been so far beyond my means that it wouldn’t warrant even the tiniest twinge of lament at my lot in life.

It’s a different world today however, and I took a moment to mouth a silent Thank You to Alaska Airlines, for without their Mileage Plan program my presence here today would not have been possible. Indeed, mileage earned through Alaska’s Mileage Plan has fueled the vast majority of my First Class adventures over the past thirteen years. For me at least it’s been a great and generous frequent flyer program that richly deserves all the credit it’s gotten via a number of Freddie Awards won over the years.

Given the pleasures that await them in Emirates’ fabulous First Class lounges, not many First Class passengers board the A380 here at Dubai via the lower level. The flight attendants working the entry door did a good job of stifling their surprise when I presented my boarding pass and quickly directed me to the grand stairway leading to the upper deck.

Anyone who’s ever flown economy on a long international flight aboard a large jetliner knows the bedlam that accompanies the boarding process in the economy cabin – crowds of people ever so slowly working it all out, like a human rubix cube. Voices everywhere, cabin baggage too large to fit in its allotted space, impromptu discussions amongst couples or families about who wants to sit where, a screaming baby, a wrong seat and/or seat swap request, people behind you trying their best to disguise their impatience at the madness of it all... Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” comes to mind…

So as I ascended the broad stairway and entered into the rarified air of the First Class cabin, I believe I just may have issued an audible sigh of relief tinged with gratitude that I should be so fortunate as to be enjoying the next fifteen hours from the comfort of an Emirates First Class Suite. Indeed, a harp glissando and a chorus from the heavens would have been most appropriate as I stood at the top of the stairs and took it all in.

Emirates A380 First Class cabins are outfitted with fourteen suites, arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration. Mine was located to the right, three doors down at 3A. Flight Attendant Maya was only too happy to provide direction while helping me to stow my roll-a-bord and hang my jacket.

Now then, may I bring you something to drink before we depart?

Interestingly, Champagne was not available as a pre-flight offering on morning departures. That’s alright – there’ll be plenty of time to imbibe later in the flight. I’ll settle for a cup of coffee for now, please. One cream, one sugar. Might I care for any juice or a smoothie with that? A smoothie? Did you just say smoothie? Oh yes, please! My oh my, are we off to a good start now or what?

My coffee and smoothie were delivered in short order, accompanied by a small plate of biscotti. It’s the little touches like this that make flying international First Class aboard the world’s finest airlines such a treat.




A tasty welcome to this morning’s flight


I slipped off my shoes and stored them in the closet, polished off my coffee, then retrieved my camera and headed out to take a few photos of my home for the next few hours.

Standing at the rear of the cabin and looking out over the tops of the suites, I thought the cabin layout looked rather cluttered. That said, while by appearances this is cabin full of walled off suites could hardly be called elegant, the real beauty of Emirates’ suites isn’t totally realized until you’ve sat down and settled in for the flight. Like any proper First Class seat or suite there are plenty of storage areas, a large table and an impressive 30” television screen. What makes the Emirates suite so special are the little touches such as lamps in addition to overhead lights, warm faux marbled walnut table tops, carpeted suite sidewalls and stylish gold trim on most everything. Add to that the sliding doors and you’ve got a very private and elegant looking compartment in which to enjoy your flight.




Emirates A380 First Class Cabin
Looking from the front to the back



Emirates A380 First Class Cabin
Looking from the back to the front



Emirates A380 Business Class Cabin



Emirates A380 ~ Suite 3A



Looking across the aisle from my suite


Service on the A380 is no different than it is on the 777, so you all know the drill by now with regard to pre-departure hand outs and formalities. There was one significant difference however. Because this flight is almost twice as long as the comparatively brief eight hour flight up from Johannesburg yesterday, Emirates provided us with what has to be the finest amenity kit I have ever received. Produced by Bulgari and presented in a beautiful zippered leather case, this kit contained everything you’d ever need (and perhaps even a couple of things you wouldn’t) to help get you through a long flight in comfort and style.




Emirates First Class Amenity Kit



Emirates First Class Amenity Kit contents


Truth be known, I have no need for any of these items. My life is one big trip anyway and so I already travel with all the essentials I’ll ever need. As such this kit will likely make a great Christmas present, perhaps to my neighbor Steve. Then again, ol’ Steve doesn’t have any more use for fancy creams and balms than I do. He’s more interested in stuff like ammunition and car parts. Oh well – I’m sure I can come up with something. After all, I now have four of these kits sitting around my cabin…

Shortly before pushing back, our purser stopped by to introduce himself. He was a very nice guy named Erich and he left me with no doubt that I and my fellow travelers were in capable hands.


* * * _ * _ * * *


One of my favorite times in any flight comes right after we’ve pushed back and the engines slowly begin to spool up. At this point I’m full of anticipation for the actual flight. Oh sure, there will be lots of food and drink and other inflight services to look forward to but what I’m talking about is the pure enjoyment derived from actually flying - cruising serenely above that beautiful blueish-green orb we spend 99% of our lives living upon.

The pleasant anticipation continued as we taxied out to the runway, then built as the Captain powered up the engines, released the brakes and we thundered down the runway. Like most every A380 operator, Emirates provides strategically placed cameras that allow one to better appreciate the takeoff. I set mine to the tail mounted camera, then sat back and enjoyed the view…




Enroute to the runway, we passed this 777



Thundering down the runway as seen from on high


The noise from the engines was surprisingly muted during our 47 second takeoff roll. To be sure those engines are a long way below and behind those of us sat up here at the front of the upper deck, but even so the overall ambience was no louder than most cars driving along at 70 mph. I could have easily held a conversation with a seatmate using no more than my normal speaking voice.

47 seconds may not seem like very much time, but when you’re sitting aboard a fully loaded A380 weighing in at nearly 1,265,000 pounds and charging down the runway at speeds approaching 175 mph, time does seem to slow down. Finally we reached V1 and the Captain smoothly rotated the big French girl’s nose skyward. For all its size, the A380 is a surprisingly graceful airplane. Watch one take off sometime and see for yourself. Better yet, purchase a ticket on one and experience it for yourself!

As we climbed smoothly away and accelerated ever faster into the pale blue skies above Dubai, I reclined my seat a bit and settled in for the fifteen hour and four minute flight. By the time we’d climbed through 10000 feet we were speeding north over the Persian Gulf with the shores of southern Iran just visible in the distance. Next stop: San Francisco – just 8,090 miles away.

We were about ten minutes into the flight when Paul, one of four flight attendants working the First Class cabin, stopped by to present the menu and wine list for the flight. As always, the menu was encased in a stylish brown leather binder with the wine list presented separately. The menu itself was extensive with separate sections covering breakfast, the main meal and light meals. We’ll discuss the menu offerings and my selections all in good time but first I had other matters to attend to.

Paul had first stopped by shortly before pushback to present a brochure about Emirates’ famous onboard showers. There are two of them aboard each A380 and their use is reserved exclusively for First Class passengers. Referred to by Emirates as Shower Spas, they offer a generous five minutes of shower time in a modern, spacious shower stall. The actual lavatory that houses each shower is huge – far and away the largest facility of its type on any airliner I’ve ever flown upon. Indeed, it’s larger than some bathrooms I’ve seen in houses on terra firma.




The famous shower aboard Emirates’ A380


Due to potential high demand, use of the showers is by reservation only. Paul was ready to accept reservations right then and there, so I informed him of my preference to shower as soon as possible once we’d leveled off. Shortly after distributing the menus, he returned to inform me that my Shower Spa was ready. Flight attendant Noelle met me at the service area outside the lavatories and then provided a thorough tutorial on the use of the showers and what to do if we encountered turbulence. Total shower time allowed is five minutes while total time allowed in the spa is twenty-five minutes.

Although this is my fourth flight in First Class aboard Emirates’ A380, this will be the first time I have actually taken advantage of the service. Whaaaat?! Yes, it’s true. Now I realize that many people here are absolutely fascinated by the concept of showering onboard an airplane and - judging by some trip reports I’ve seen – have made it a point to use the service regardless of flight length or time of day.

I tend to take a more practical approach. I didn’t need a shower on my first A380 flight between London and Dubai. My second flight was too short (Hong Kong to Bangkok), and my third (Bangkok to Dubai) was operated at a time of day I deemed better suited to sleeping than showering.

As a resident of Alaska I always knew that eventually I’d log a Dubai to U.S. flight that would provide ample time and opportunity to take a shower and now – with fourteen and a half hours of flying ahead of me – I’m enjoying just that. The shower stall is quite spacious given the confines of its unique environment and it includes a place to sit in the event significant turbulence is encountered. A nice selection of shampoos, gels, soaps and lotions are provided and I’m happy to report that I was able to adjust the water to exactly the temperature I like while the water pressure was just fine.




A nice selection of shampoos, gels, soaps and lotions is provided



Everything one needs to properly freshen up


As I mentioned earlier the lavatory is quite spacious, very likely the largest of its type aboard any commercial jetliner. It even has a heated floor! A large fluffy towel awaited me as I stepped out of the shower and the spacious lavatory allowed plenty of room to towel off and change back into my clothes, including a fresh shirt.

Emerging from the spa clean, invigorated and ready for the next fourteen hours aloft, I returned to my seat and opened my menu to the breakfast offerings…




Now THAT’s a nice menu presentation!


A LA CARTE DINING

BREAKFAST

Dubai to San Francisco

Juice
Orange or grapefruit juice, apple and carrot detox drink, or a strawberry smoothie

Breakfast Fruit
Fresh cut seasonal fruits

Yoghurt
Natural of fruit flavored

Assorted Cereals
Choice of cornflakes or muesli


MAIN COURSES

Spinach and Feta Egg White Omelette

Served with baked beans, roasted cherry tomatoes and crushed potatoes with chives

Poached Eggs
Presented atop salmon and rösti, served with sautéed spinach and sour cream with chives

Anda Aloo Bhurji
Spiced scrambled eggs with potatoes and minced mutton with lentils, served with potato patties

Breakfast Platter
Spiced grilled chicken and bresaola, with red Leicester and gruyčre


BREAD BASKET
A variety of baked breads, butter croissants and breakfast pastries
Served with butter and preserves



Whether it’s on the ground or up in the air I do love a good breakfast! Aside from the coffee and biscotti offered prior to our departure, I hadn’t had a thing to eat since the second meal service aboard yesterday’s flight up from Johannesburg. I was ready to take full advantage of the many fine choices available amongst these breakfast offerings.

When Paul returned to take my order, I opted to start with the fruit plate followed by the Spinach and Feta Egg White Omelette. And yes, another cup of coffee would be great, thanks!

I watched with anticipation as linen was laid followed by a succession of cutlery and various other assorted breakfast accoutrements. I appreciated how Paul took care to place everything neatly and even symmetrically where possible. It’s nice to see someone who takes pride in their work, especially the little things. A bowl of freshly toasted wheat bread completed the assemblage.

My fruit plate looked almost too nice to eat. It was almost as if someone had taken care to arrange the colors in such a way that they’d provide the greatest visual impact – the warm orange and yellow of the mango and pineapple nicely contrasted by a splash of red from the berries and dark purple from the blackberry. It was every bit as delicious as it was aesthetically pleasing.




An artistic little fruit plate


The omelette plate was similarly artistic – evenly presented in a delicious circle centered on the middle of the plate. The baked beans and potatoes complemented the musty feta cheese and eggs very nicely. I could’ve gone back for seconds!




Spinach and Feta Egg White Omelette


After the last of my plates had been cleared, I sneaked a glance at my watch and noted with satisfaction that there were still another thirteen hours left in this flight. I couldn’t help but reflect briefly on the difference in perspective between those of us comfortably reclined in our spacious First Class suites as opposed to the four hundred some odd folks squeezed into ten across seating with 33” of pitch just fifteen feet beneath me. Whereas I’m perusing the lavish bounty of luncheon selections from the leather bound menu and considering whether or not I’d like to sample all of the wines over the remainder of the flight, my less fortunate brethren downstairs in Economy have only the excellent IFE or a good book to distract them and, barring that may very well be thinking “Ugh – Only. Thirteen. More. Hours. To. Go!”

As I type this up some six months after the flight, my recollection of this flight is that it was long but it didn’t seem all that long. Much of this may be because I clearly cherish the overall experience of flying in international First Class aboard an airline of Emirates’ caliber and so, rather than spend much time focusing on the time remaining in the flight, I’m simply enjoying the flight. That’s not to say I’m consciously enjoying every minute of the flight but rather – well, it’s kind of like listening to an album you really like. You put it on, it plays and off you go puttering happily about the house doing whatever it is you’re doing without necessarily soaking up every note of every song. The album provides a nice soundtrack for your existence at that moment. A long flight is very much like this for me. Just being up there above the clouds with access to all manner of human luxuries is music to my soul. Add to this the fact that I have no problem finding ways to entertain myself regardless of my circumstances at the time. Be it a laptop or with a good book or watching the IFE – whatever, I refuse to be bored.

The one thing I try not to do – unless the timing of the flight and/or the potential for jetlag demands it – is sleep. While anyone can relax in a comfortable chair at home or go out to a swank restaurant to enjoy a fabulous meal served course by course, very few of us get to do so in the rarified atmosphere of a jetliner cruising high above the planet. I know I’ve touched on this before, but seriously, sitting in First Class aboard one of the world’s finest airlines is a unique and special experience that comparatively few ever get to experience. It’s so special to me that I enjoy writing extensively about it while you, dear readers, having read sixty some odd thousand words so far, would seem to actually enjoy reading about it. Again, we’ve got a good thing going, you and I!




Inflight aboard the Emirates A380 – A good place to be
Courtesy of Emirates
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 2:55 am
  #17  
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In the days before airplanes, ocean liners were the primary means of intercontinental travel around the planet. When air travel arrived, like all new things it was offered at prices reflective of the unique and novel experience that it was. There were no awards, there were no complimentary upgrades. If you wanted to travel in First Class, you paid a lot of money for it.

Perhaps because initially only the very well to do could afford to purchase air travel, many of the early international services were all-First Class. In attempting to offer a standard of travel commensurate with the perceived lifestyles of those who could afford First Class travel, early inflight services - particularly long distance First Class services - were modelled after the standard set aboard ocean liners.

International travel was a long and arduous process back then. It took five days to sail from Southampton to New York. Flying from London to Sydney aboard Imperial Airways Empire Class flying boats took ten days back in 1939. One could hardly expect the movers and shakers of the world to simply sit in their seats during all that time. People needed a place to mingle. And so the inflight lounge was born.

As aircraft became larger and more spacious, lounges followed suit. In the early 1950s the downstairs lounges aboard Boeing’s 377 Stratocruisers were considered the height of luxury. However, when compared to the spacious upstairs lounges that graced 747s entering service just twenty years later, those Stratocruiser loungers were small and cramped.




Pan American’s Stratocruiser and downstairs lounge
Photo Courtesy of Pan American World Airways



Continental’s Oceania Lounge
Photo Courtesy of Continental Airlines


Following deregulation, the airlines recognized the value of revenue seating over non-revenue producing lounge space and so onboard lounges became a thing of the past.

Until now. The arrival of Airbus’ giant A380 has presented airlines with such an abundance of space that some – most notably Emirates and Qatar Airways – have responded with spacious onboard lounges available to both First and Business Class passengers. Let’s take a walk to the back of the plane and mingle…

My little pocket camera doesn’t have a wide enough angle lens to fully capture the size and essence of this beautiful lounge, so I’m going to use Emirates’ stock photo instead.




Emirates A380 Lounge
Photo courtesy of Emirates


Now then, about that mingling… While the scene depicted in Emirates’ photo may happen now and then, the reality is that these days most First and Business Class passengers spend the majority if not all of the flight in their comfortable seats or suites. Today I and the bartender were the only people in the lounge.

It’s a bit of a shame really because the Emirates bar is really quite nice, well-stocked with a decent selection of beers, wines and spirits as well as enticing plates of canapés, sandwiches and other assorted snacks. The design of the bar invites you to stand and chat with fellow travelers while pair of semi-circular sofas lend a sophisticated and intimate feel to the lounge as a whole.

Ah well, the flight’s young yet but even so, it was a bit strange to see such a beautiful facility going unused. I took some photos…




Emirates A380 Lounge Bar and Seating



Emirates A380 Lounge Bar Offerings
If you look a bit closer, you’ll see me in the mirror



The back wall of the Emirates A380 Lounge


When the 747 entered service in 1970, jets had only been flying in the United States for twelve years. There was genuine excitement about the big jumbo with many people driving out to the airport just to get a glimpse of it. One of the most exciting aspects of a flight on the 747 was the lounge, located upstairs to the top of a spiral stairway. First Class passengers were no longer the only ones to enjoy this benefit however. Some airlines even provided a Coach lounge. American was well known for its piano lounges. Continental’s Polynesian Pubs may have been the most spacious lounges ever installed aboard a commercial jetliner.




Continental’s 747 Coach Lounge


I remember flying First Class between Honolulu and Los Angeles aboard a United 747 back in 1976. A full six course dinner was served shortly after take-off. Following dinner, with a good three hours still left in the flight, many of us headed upstairs to the Polynesian themed upstairs lounge. Maybe I should say most of us because that lounge was packed. Most importantly, we had a great time! The conversation flowed, our Mai Tais were never left wanting and the macadamia nuts were abundantly stocked. To me it felt like a celebration of our shared experience, living it up in the First Class lounge of a 747 while speeding across the Pacific. I have never had such an enjoyable time onboard an airplane before or since.




United’s 747 First Class Lounge
Photo courtesy of United Airlines



United’s 747 First Class Lounge
Photo courtesy of United Airlines


That was 39 years ago. I remember knowing a fair number of people back then who’d never been on an airplane – either that or they’d never flown on a jet. These days, everybody flies. Airfares on the whole are waaay more affordable, sometimes even less expensive than taking the bus! More to the point, flying has become so commonplace that it’s long since lost its novelty. Even flying in First and Business Class - now easily accessible via frequent flyer program awards or benefits - is no big deal any more. For many of us it’s just another flight.

Add to this the technological advances in IFEs that allow us to choose from hundreds of movies and television programs and watch them on large screens – not to mention whatever musical or cinematic entertainment we might have loaded into our personal laptops and mp3s – and there’s a lot less incentive to leave our comfortable seats just to go hang out in a lounge.

I asked the flight attendant about it and he said it was hit or miss. From his experience the busiest flights for lounge use were between New Zealand and Australia and between London and Dubai. We chatted a bit longer about travel in general before I headed back up to my suite to check out some of the IFE selections.

I mentioned earlier that I’ve never gotten all that excited about most airlines’ inflight entertainment systems. Between magazines, newspapers, books, my laptop and MP3 player – not to mention the view out my window - I’ve got all the entertainment I normally require. That’s not to say I never watch movies or television shows on airplanes but I’m usually inclined to wait until I can enjoy them from the comfort of my recliner on a much larger screen back home.

That said, it’s not every day I find myself on a fifteen hour flight. For those of you who’ve never flown aboard a flight of this length, consider this: Fifteen hours is the same amount of time as if you woke up at 7:00am, had breakfast and left for work at 8:00am, put in a full day that had you home by 6:00pm and then had dinner and enjoyed the rest of the evening until you went to bed at 10:00pm. That’s a full fifteen hours right there. Now imagine if you woke up at 7:00am and then just sat around the house all day until 10:00pm. Whoa… definitely a long day. You might even want to watch a bit of TV to pass the time.

Thankfully, Emirates’ ICE inflight entertainment system is one of the better ones out there. Indeed, it’s been voted by Skytrax as the best inflight entertainment system in the world for eleven straight years. ICE is an acronym for Information, Communication and Entertainment. The possibilities breakdown as follows:

Information: Follow the progress of your flight, or take in the view from the aircraft’s external cameras. Keep in touch with live business, news and sport headlines from BBC News, and read up on Dubai and Emirates.

Communications: Phone, SMS or email the world below direct from your seat or call friends and family seated elsewhere on the aircraft.

Entertainment: Over 600 channels of premium entertainment to keep you busy during the flight. The latest and best movies, television, audio and games from around the world.


I’m not a big Facebook guy – I mean honestly, who’s got 300 friends?! – but I have been posting photo updates of my travels through Chile and South Africa and the ability to send essentially live photos of the service from this flight was too good to pass up. Afterwards, I passed the time watching Liam Neeson kick even more Albanian butt in Taken 3. I really liked the original Taken, but for me at least the two sequels never approached the quality of the first in either the story line or the acting. Oh well, it did eat up almost two hours and took me right into lunch time. Let’s have another look at that menu…


LUNCHEON
Dubai to San Francisco

Canapés
A selection of hot and cold savouries including prawn cake skewer, fried chicken skewer, a goat’s cheese and onion marmalade parcel, sweet chilli prawn skewer, grana padano, dill marinated feta and olives filled with sundried tomatoes


APPETIZERS

Caviar

Presented with a traditional selection of finely chopped onion, grated egg, sour cream and lemon
Served with melba toast and blinis


Traditional Arabic Mezze
A spread of local savoury dishes including baba ghanouj, houmous, herbed labneh, lentil rice, loubieh bil zeit, tabbouleh and stuffed vine leaves, warm spinach fetayer, lamb kibbeh and cheese fetayer

Center Cut Smoked Salmon
Presented on a shredded fennel and lemon salad

Bresaola
Served with artichoke hearts and shaved parmesan

Seasonal Salad
Fresh salad leaves topped with cherry tomatoes, celery, olives and baby mozzarella
Served with your choice of dressing


Cream of Spinach Soup
With ricotta-filled ravioli

Chicken and Lemongrass Consommé
With shredded chicken, rice vermicelli and finely cut vegetables


MAIN COURSES

Beef Tenderloin with Cumin

Served with beef jus, roasted potatoes and seasoned vegetables

Grilled Salmon Steak
With saffron sauce, steamed vegetables and polenta with spring onions

Tawa Murgh Masala
Pan-fried chicken masala served with aloo mutter and nawabi pulao rice

Shitake and Rocket Ravioli
In parmesan sauce, topped with pesto and shaved parmesan

Grilled Kingfish
With olive and tomato salsa, seasoned vegetables and steamed potatoes with parsley


Vegetable Selection
We also offer a variety of alternatives, including mashed potatoes with chives, seasoned broccoli and pumpkin, sautéed spinach and steamed basmati rice

Bread Basket
A variety of freshly baked rolls, Arabic and garlic breads


DESSERTS

Chocolate and Raspberry Pudding

Served with warm raspberry compote

Coffee and Almond Mousse
With cherry compote

Seasonal Fruit
An assortment of fresh cut fruits

Cheese Board
Wookey Hole Cave Aged Farmhouse Cheddar, West Country Cornish Brie, Yarra Valley Persian Feta, Stilton and Kidderton Ash served with traditional accompaniments

Chocolates
Fine luxury chocolates



Oh my! That is one impressive selection of food! And no annoying prices to consider, either. Well then, as always I’ll start with the caviar followed by a plate of that smoked salmon. Hmm… Chicken and Lemongrass Consommé… I wasn’t really planning on having any soup but gee, the name alone sounds so appetizing that I’ve just got to check it out. As for the main course, when I was looking this menu over earlier I had my eye on the Grilled Salmon Steak but since I’ve ordered the salmon appetizer, let’s go with the Beef Tenderloin with Cumin. Besides, I’d like to check out a couple of the red wines offered on this flight so the beef will pair better than any of the other mains.

Now then, to accompany the caviar and salmon…


WINE LIST

Champagne

Cuvée Dom Pérignon 2004

White Wines
Y de Yquem 2012 Bordeaux, France
Petaluma Tiers Chardonnay 2012 Adelaide Hills, Australia
Stag’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Napa Valley, USA
Grgich Chardonnay 2012 Napa Valley, USA


Red Wines
Château Palmer 1995 Margaux, France
Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir 2012 Russian River, California, USA
Au Sommet 2011 Atlas Peak, USA
Les Tourelles de Longueville 2008 Pauillac, France
Hahn SLH Pinot Noir 2012, Santa Lucia Highlands, California USA


Dessert Wine
Château Guiraud 2002 Sauternes, France

Port
Sandeman 40 Year Old Tawny Douro, Portugal


Let’s start with the Sauvignon Blanc. A new flight attendant, Monique, took my order this time and patiently wrote down all of my selections. She returned shortly with the wine, some mixed nuts and a plate of hot canapés.




Canapés and Wine – Bon Apetit


A few minutes later Paul showed up to set my table. Completing the place setting was the bread bowl, highlighted by a foil wrapped portion of freshly toasted garlic bread. Then the caviar was presented. Now check out this table! If this doesn’t leave you yearning for your next flight in international First Class, I don’t know what will!




Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’m actually on an airplane


Very few airlines still serve caviar these days, either due to economics or the drastically reduced availability of good caviar due to environmental contamination and over harvesting of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea and other regional fishing holes. That said, the only time I ever get to enjoy caviar is times like now, attractively plated with the full complement of proper accoutrements such as chopped egg whites, yolks and onions along with sour cream and blini.

The Russians like their caviar with vodka. I tried that once and found that I prefer my vodka mixed with tomato juice and spices. My favorite way to eat caviar is on toasted garlic bread. First I spread a layer of sour cream on the bread and then add a good amount of caviar topped with all the accompaniments. Mmmm…! Heavenly… Try it sometime.

The salmon was next, and with it I switched to the Chardonnay. Oh yeah! Now this was a good pairing one that tasted absolutely sublime with the salmon which was accented nicely with the addition of a zesty lemony cream dip.




Smoked Salmon appetizer


Moving on, I do love a good soup regardless of the altitude it’s served at. Coming from a town that has not one but thirteen Thai restaurants, I do appreciate the flavorful influence of lemongrass more than most.




Chicken and Lemongrass Consommé


There was about a ten minute interlude between the soup being cleared and the tenderloin being delivered. I used it to polish off my Chardonnay, study the wine list and finally request a glass of the Margaux. The description sounded too good to pass up:

”A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the balance Petit Verdot, the Palmer 1995 is full bodied yet supple, layered and packed full of black currents, dried fruit and sweet spice balanced by a minty freshness. Red meat dishes will provide a perfect marriage.”

I’m happy to report this description was spot on, so much so that I’ve been trying to find a bottle of this wine ever since. That’s easier said than done up here in Alaska, but I digress. The tenderloin was pretty good as airline meat goes. I didn’t really catch much cumin in the seasoning but overall it was still pretty good.




Beef Tenderloin with Cumin


Speaking of meat, you know what I really I really miss? Chateaubriand – especially when accompanied by a good flavorful horseradish sauce. Back in the days of trolley service, Chateaubriand was a staple of First Class on both domestic US and international flights. Great taste notwithstanding, half the fun of a good Chateaubriand service was in the presentation. The King of Roasts – it sure looked good atop those trolleys! The other meat I’d like to see more of is a New York Strip. Back in the seventies and eighties I recall some fairly passable offerings.

I closed out this repast with a selection of cheese – Cheddar, Brie and Stilton, please. Port? But of course!




The Cheese Course
Wookey Hole Cave Aged Farmhouse Cheddar, West Country Cornish Brie and Stilton


Now thoroughly sated and comfortably reclined, feet up with a glass of 40 year old port in hand, I selected the sky map, slipped on my headphones and put on the album “Sign Language” by Montreux (Darol Anger, Barbara Higbie, Mike Marshall, Michael Manring). When cruising along at seven miles above the earth, my tastes run toward acoustic jazz. I grew up listening to musicians like David Grisman and Tony Rice back in the 1970s and their sphere of influence touches all of the people on this album and even bands as diverse as the Grateful Dead. I also listen to a lot of classic rock, jam bands, newgrass, folk, classical and blues but – for me at least - none of those genres contribute so nicely to the ambience of flight as this style of music. Picture yourself flying high over the arctic regions as I am now and have a listen.




Flying high over the polar regions


Over the next five hours I finished reading my current book, took a lot of notes to be used later in this trip report (at this point I’d only just started writing about the first leg of my train journey aboard the Empire Builder), dozed off for an hour or so and then watched a couple of documentaries. I also took another stroll back to the lounge but it was only marginally busier than it was the first time I visited. What a shame. I briefly considered heading downstairs and taking a walk through the length of the economy cabin, but I was so comfortable up top that the decision to stay suited was an easy one. Besides, that’s a rough neighborhood down there .

Behind the bulkhead at the front of the First Class cabin is the First Class bar. To the uninitiated it appears to be self-service but as it’s located in an open area shared by the galley and the shower spas, there’s always a flight attendant nearby who will spring into action should you exhibit even the slightest interest in anything other than the lavs.




First Class Service Area on the A380


As it were I desired only a splash of Woodford Reserve on the rocks and could have easily handled this simple task on my own. After all, I’ve had a lot of practice back home. I mean, everything was nicely set up right there – glasses, spirits, ice, even swizzle sticks. But alas, it was not to be. A flight attendant saw me eying the liquor and immediately got up from chatting with Monique and insisted on fixing my drink and delivering it to my seat.

I live in a cabin in Alaska and for many years have been making do for myself in every regard from regularly hauling in water to cleaning to washing dishes to tending to the grounds as needed. If I don’t do it, it won’t get done. Even though I’ve logged a couple of million miles in First Class and appreciate that the crew on airlines like Emirates are trained to provide extraordinary service, the situation still felt a bit awkward what with everything right there in front of me. I was reminded of Matthew Crawley, the presumptive heir in season one of Downton Abbey. Initially resistant to the services provided by his valet and the staff, he learned to understand that everyone has a role to play and who is he to upset the delicate balance of the universe?

With that lesson in mind, I thanked the flight attendant for her assistance and returned to my suite to await my afternoon cocktail.

We were just under two hours out when I notified Paul that I was ready for dinner. Or - judging by the bright sunny day out my window – maybe I should say lunch. No, I suppose dinner would be more appropriate. I had breakfast about an hour after departing Dubai at 9:00am, lunch over the Barents Sea just south of Svalbard at about 3:00pm Dubai time and now, cruising high over British Columbia, it was time for dinner. Back in Dubai it was about 10:00pm whereas down below it was about 11:00am. I suppose one could argue that I should be addressing jetlag by adjusting to the local time. Okay – call it a hot lunch if you like. I’ll call it a light dinner.

Located on page 9 in the extensive menu booklet - after the bar service, breakfast, luncheon and cheese offerings - is a Light Bites menu that, as the title suggests, offers lighter fare. Let’s have a look…


LIGHT BITES

Sandwiches

Smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel, vegetable antipasti with feta on focaccia and roasted beef with sweet pepper mayonnaise on kraftkorn

HOT MEAL SELECTION

Veal Slider

Presented with onion marmalade and thick cut fries

Gramigna Marinara
Twisted pasta in a seafood marinara sauce, with shaved parmesan

Minestrone
Italian style vegetable soup with beans and pasta

DESSERT

Selection of Pastries

Chocolate cookies, chocolate and cinnamon ganache cups, raspberry tartlets, vanilla macarons and chocolate eclairs

HOT DRINKS

Tea

Chamomile, Ceylon, Earl Grey or Green

Coffee
Freshly brewed or Nespresso (espresso, cappuccino or decaffeinated)


Well it all looked very nice but earlier in the flight while perusing the luncheon selections, the Tawa Murgh Masala or Chicken Masala came very close to being my entrée choice, and so I asked Paul if it might be possible to order that if it were still available. So long as it’s still available, he said, I could have anything from the menu including breakfast items.

Well it’s settled then. I’ll start with a salad followed by the Chicken Masala. And you know, it’s about time I checked out something from the dessert offerings. Let’s go with… hmm… they all look so good… okay, the Coffee and Almond Mousse.

Once again my table was efficiently set and soon I was digging into a delicious collection of nicely chilled salad greens topped with cherry tomatoes, celery, olives and baby mozzarella. The small bottles of Monte Vibiano Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar blended into a delicious dressing. I asked for and later received a couple bottles of them to take home with me.




Salad Starter


The soundtrack changed to Wagon’s No Kinder Room as I awaited the Tawa Murgh Masala. Described per the menu as “Pan-fried chicken masala served with aloo mutter and nawabi pulao rice”, I’ll simply describe it as “Good!”. I definitely joined the clean plate club with this dish.




Tawa Murgh Masala


Ah… dessert. This one was simple, delicious and just the right size for the perfect ending to this meal and my culinary experience aboard Emirates.




Coffee and Almond Mousse with cherry compote


Some may scoff at my use of the term “culinary experience”, for I’ve heard more than a few here at FlyerTalk sniff that airline food is hardly worth getting excited about. While it’s hard to argue the merits of food cooked in an airliner galley relative to freshly prepared restaurant food, I’ve generally been very pleased with everything I’ve been served on Emirates over the past couple of days. That also goes for the First Class meals I’ve been served on most other airlines. Perhaps I grade on a generous curve, but that in itself is part of enjoying your inflight meal service – going into it with the proper mindset. It’s not a restaurant, it’s an airplane - but given the limitations inherent to preparing and serving food in that environment, I’m impressed with the quality that the airlines manage to attain. Occasionally I’ve even been served food that tasted just as good as any I’ve been served in restaurants. Or better. A barramundi baked in a coconut curry sauce comes to mind amongst others, but that’s a different trip report.

I have to admit that as enjoyable as this flight has been, fifteen hours is a long time even for a First Class aficionado like myself, so by the time we commenced our descent into San Francisco I was ready to disembark and continue on with the rest of this wonderful journey. I’ve still got quite a ways to go before I finally return home, starting with a short flight up the coast to Seattle this afternoon. I’ll spend the night there before continuing on to Kansas City tomorrow. But more on that later.

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in the Bay Area as our Captain took our big Airbus all the way down to about Palo Alto before making the wide sweeping turn back up to the north and lining up for landing on runway 28R. A gentle bump announced our return to terra firma, and a glance at my watch revealed a total flight time of fifteen hours and eight minutes, officially making this the longest time I’ve ever spent aloft on a single flight. At 8,090 miles this is also the longest flight I have ever been on.

Bidding farewell and a sincere thank you to Paul, Monique and the rest of the crew, I made my way up the jetway and on to customs and immigration. There I bypassed the big crowd assumedly from the British Airways flight that we parked next to and checked in using my Global Entry card. The $100.00 investment paid to acquire that card is one of the best I’ve ever made, especially since it was paid by United Airlines as a perk of being a 1K flyer with them.

Alaska flights depart from the International Terminal, so I headed over to the Emirates Lounge to see if as an inbound passenger I could still score a little lounge time with them. Sorry Sir, said the pretty lounge receptionist, we only accept departing passengers. Alas. As a card carrying Alaska Boardroom member I could have headed back up the concourse and then upstairs to the Cathay Pacific lounge but factoring in the walk there and back I would’ve had only about 20 minutes there before having to return to the gate for boarding. By now I was pretty beat so I took a seat in the gate lounge with everyone else and awaited the call to board.

After all the glamor and glitz associated with First Class travel aboard Emirates, I should imagine that there isn’t a lot of enthusiasm to read about an hour and forty minute domestic flight up the coast to Seattle. Not that it matters because I slept through most of it anyway.

I must’ve looked like a zombie as I made my way out to the hotel shuttle pick-up area. Thankfully my ride to the Days Inn wasn’t long in coming. Twenty minutes later I pulled the sheets up around me and commenced a well-earned sleep. Tomorrow was another long travel day to Kansas City. Via Dallas. On Southwest Airlines.

Last edited by Seat 2A; Dec 26, 2015 at 4:37 pm
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 2:57 am
  #18  
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May 01, 2015
Southwest Airlines Seattle to Dallas 100p – 625p 737-700 Coach Class
Southwest Airlines Dallas to Kansas City 755p – 920p Coach Class


Wow! I slept until 6:00am, which means I knocked off about 11 hours. That sure doesn’t happen too often anymore! More to the point, I felt great! Jetlag be damned!

I’m pretty sure Day’s Inn isn’t a favorite amongst the FT faithful, but for what it’s worth I got a clean, quiet room and a comfortable bed all for $64.00 and change. In the morning I enjoyed a hot shower via one of those multi-function shower heads which I interchanged between the massage and full blast functions. This was followed by a complimentary breakfast that included waffles, cereal and some half way decent coffee. Finally, as a longtime member of the Wyndham Rewards program, I added an additional 2700 points to my account which will eventually be cashed in towards additional points in Amtrak’s Guest Rewards program.

So today I’m flying to Kansas City. The impetus for this little side trip is the Kansas City BBQ Do, and I was looking forward to joining the gang for good food and drink later this evening at Jack Stack Barbecue’s Freighthouse location in downtown Kansas City.

My original plans were to fly from Seattle to Kansas City via Alaska’s single daily nonstop which would have put me in Kansas City at 3:35pm – just perfect for renting a car, checking into a hotel, showering and then heading downtown to join the festivities.

Alas, it was not to be. To start this trip off back on March 23rd, I’d booked a one way Saver Award ticket from Fairbanks to Kansas City with a stopover in Seattle. The plan was to fly the SEA-MCI portion today. The problem was that it never became available for the Saver Award rate. As originally booked I’d reserved the SEA-MCI portion for some distant date in September, fully expecting a Saver Award seat to eventually become available for today. Both Expertflyer.com and Alaska’s seat maps indicated plenty of space available so I liked my chances.

Unfortunately, it never happened. Quite the opposite happened, in fact. The required mileage redemption to travel between Seattle and Kansas City today rose from 20,000 to 30,000 miles. Now I’ve got quite a lot of mileage built up in my Mileage Plan account but as with my bank account, I didn’t get to where I am today by spending frivolously. I put a lot of hard work into earning those miles and while I would have been willing to ante up an additional 7500 to fly today, I wasn’t willing to part with an additional 17500.

During my layover in San Francisco yesterday, as it became clear I wouldn’t be flying on Alaska’s nonstop today, I looked into alternate arrangements. With only one day advance notice I wasn’t expecting any eye popping deals and was even prepared to bag the KC trip if need be. Imagine then my surprise and delight to find a one way fare of just $142.00 still available between Seattle and Kansas City on Southwest Airlines. It routed via Dallas’ Love Field where I’d have an hour and a half layover before arriving Kansas City at 9:20pm. Book it, Danno!

To offset the cost of buying a ticket to Kansas City, I cancelled my hotel reservation there and instead chose to sleep in the airport tonight. This was an easy decision to make given my late arrival and the fact that I know of a little hideaway at MCI may just be the best place I’ve ever found to sleep in any airport, anywhere.

As for Southwest, this isn’t the first time they’ve come through for me on short notice and so I always feel good about giving them a bit of business. I mean, look at this fare! They not only deserve the business, but they earn it honestly. Their fare today is 40 bucks cheaper than the closest legacy carrier and they don’t screw around like Spirit or Allegiant with a bunch of annoying ancillary fees.

Aside from that, what can I say about a couple of flights on Southwest that most of us don’t already know or suspect? The boarding process was civil and organized, the planes were clean and reasonably comfortable, the service on par with what most airlines offer in coach these days and the arrivals on time. During my layover in Dallas I purchased a pretty good burrito and upon arrival in Kansas City set up camp without issue and slept well throughout the night.


May 02, 2015
Kansas City Barbecue Tour
Southwest Airlines Kansas City to Las Vegas 710p – 825p 737-800 Coach Class


Following information posted on the BBQ Do’s thread, I knew that everybody (about 10 people as I recall) would be starting the day by meeting at a place called Oklahoma Joe’s. With the exception of violist who I met briefly during a train ride in Alaska a couple of years ago, I wasn’t acquainted with any of the people involved in this get together but I wasn’t overly concerned. I figured I’d just show up and hope somebody might even be wearing a FlyerTalk hat or T-shirt.

After picking up a rental car, I headed out to the restaurant located on West 47th Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The plan was for everyone to meet there at about 10:45am. I got there a few minutes early and noted a sign that indicated the place didn’t open until 11. No biggie – I’ll just hang out.

As things turned out, a fair number of people (Don’t know which ones were FTers) started showing up early and so the doors opened at 10:45. Hmm… I waited a couple of minutes and then went in myself. Wow! It wasn’t yet the official opening time and yet there were already about 30 people in the restaurant and more on the way! The barbecue must be pretty good, here! I took my place in line, ordered a pulled pork sandwich, picked up a copy of the KC Star and took a seat at an empty table. Mind you, I’m not one to make a big scene and holler “Any Flyertalkers in here?!” so I had a seat and kept a watchful eye and an open ear. I didn’t see any sign of violist and, after about 30 minutes I gave up my table and headed out.

With no set itinerary posted on the MCI BBQ thread, I had no idea where the group had headed off to and so was effectively on my own. No problem! While it would have been nice to have met everybody, I’ve always been able to adapt to changing circumstances while traveling and so made plans to pick up a Kansas City Chiefs T-Shirt for a friend back home before proceeding with my own tour of Kansas City barbecue joints.

My first stop was the Jack Stack restaurant at Country Club Plaza. Jack Stack is one of the big names in Kansas City barbecue and while I’m sure the city has numerous independent barbecue restaurants, as a newcomer to the KC scene I figured I’d stick with the big names today.

Needless to say I was full by the time I left Jack Stack’s. The barbecued chicken lunch was superb, by the way. With four hours until I had to board my flight to Las Vegas I had plenty of time to head across town to another Kansas City institution, Arthur Bryant’s over on Brooklyn Avenue. There was a fair sized line extending out the door and up the block but I parked, joined it and within an hour was on my way to the airport with a nicely wrapped burnt ends sandwich to enjoy later on the flight.

Upon arrival in Sin City, I picked up a rental car and sped off to visit friends in Springdale, Utah, just outside Zion National Park.




My Home in Zion National Park
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 2:58 am
  #19  
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Over the next few days I drove from southwest Utah along my favorite circuit across to Death Valley National Park, down to Mojave National Preserve and back up to Las Vegas. Since I’ve covered this route in many previous trip reports, I’m going to fast forward a few days to Juneau, Alaska where I spent a fantastic day flying up to Skagway, Alaska and taking a ride aboard one of the most scenic narrow gauge railroads in North America – the White Pass & Yukon Railroad.

By May the long days leading up to the summer solstice provided a beautiful descent and arrival into Juneau. As we flew past downtown Juneau and then circled around to land to the east, I had my camera ready…




Alpenglow highlights coastal mountains



Evening arrival in Juneau


A BEAUTIFUL DAY ABOARD THE WHITE PASS & YUKON RAILROAD

May 12, 2015
SeaPort Airlines Juneau to Skagway 1000a – 1050a Cessna 208 Coach Class
WP&YR Skagway to White Pass r/t 1245p – 430p
SeaPort Airlines Skagway to Juneau 800p – 845p Cessna 208 Coach Class





The White Pass & Yukon Route
Photo courtesy of Yukon & White Pass Railroad


Ever since I stood and admired this train at the Whitehorse Station on a blustery morning back in the summer of 1979, I knew I’d have to take a ride upon it someday. I didn’t think thirty-six years would pass before I finally got around to doing so, but there you have it.

I spent last night in the Juneau airport, in the process saving over $100.00 that could better be used towards the purchase of my flights up to Skagway and back. Though historically the Juneau to Skagway route was served by – amongst others -Alaska Airlines with DeHavilland DHC-6 Twin Otters back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, today it is served by Portland, Oregon based SeaPort Airlines, an interesting operation that offers scheduled flights to a limited but geographically diverse collection of cities all around the country. Check out their route map and schedules HERE.

In researching this link now some months later, I see they no longer serve Southeast Alaska. In any event, I was happy to add SeaPort Airlines to my collection of airlines flown, which now numbers 178. Of those, only two flights have come aboard airlines (Aerovias DAP and SeaPort) that operate nothing larger than a Cessna 208.

Unfortunately the full service restaurant at Juneau International has ceased operations, so breakfast this morning was a cup of coffee and a pre-packaged sweet roll. The airport gift shop provided a copy of this morning’s Juneau Empire to help pass the time until my 10:00am departure.




My plane awaits


Skagway lies 90 miles north of Juneau at the far end of the Lynn Canal. I’ve taken the ferry through here many times and it is truly an area of spectacular natural beauty. I was really looking forward to this morning’s flight, especially since we’d been blessed with a gorgeous sunny day.

Boarding was called about ten minutes before departure. There were only about six of us on this morning’s flight and given the size of the aircraft, a Cessna 208, all of us got window seats. The small narrow seats were not particularly comfortable but with a flight time of just 40 minutes and the wonderful scenery to distract us enroute, I figured I’d make do just fine.

Our pilot was a young fellow who didn’t look a day over 25 but he clearly knew his way around the cockpit and after pushing a few buttons, turning a few dials and pulling a few levers he soon had us climbing smoothly away Juneau and headed north right over the middle of the Lynn Canal. As ever, I had my trusty Canon SX-160 out and ready…




Climbing away from Juneau



The first of many glaciers



Yet another good looking glacier



Lining up for descent into Skagway Airport
Note the two cruise ships off to the right side


As you can see from the above photo, it’s a short walk from the airport to most anywhere in Downtown Skagway. I had a couple hours before my train was scheduled to depart, so I grabbed my daypack and headed on over to the Red Onion Saloon for a bite to eat.

The summer cruise season starts in early May and as we made our approach into the airport I could see three big ships in port. All of my previous visits to Skagway had come in the fall or winter when the town’s off-season population is a mere fraction of what I experienced today. During the summer season, Skagway’s hotels, restaurants and shops import at least two or three hundred seasonal employees, while each cruise ship was capable of disgorging 2000 or more. The streets and businesses were all quite busy.




Looking north up State Street



Looking south down State Street



Bellying up to the bar at the Red Onion


It was a two block walk from the Red Onion over to the train depot. Along the way I stopped to admire the old
rotary snowplow on display outside the depot. A sign indicated that this unit had been built in 1898 and had last seen regular use in 1965. Typically it would be pushed along by one or two helper engines while its10 spinning blades sent snow flying out to the side of the tracks by centrifugal force. Snow accumulations could occasionally get as deep as 12 feet.




WP&YR Rotary Snowplow


Clearly the train is the number one visitor attraction in Skagway. As such, the railroad operates a variety of excursions, some of them scheduled while others are private charters affiliated with specific cruises. The longest trip goes from Skagway up to Lake Bennett in the Yukon Territory. It’s a one way trip with a bus ride back – or vice versa. It takes 8 hours but unfortunately the service wouldn’t start until later in May.

The most popular excursion is the White Pass Summit Excursion, a three and a half hour roundtrip from Skagway up to the top of White Pass that operates daily from early May through late September. This early in the season, this was the only trip available so I plunked down $119.00 for a seat on the 12:45pm departure.

One other offering is the Fraser Meadows Steam Excursion travels six miles beyond the White Pass Summit to Fraser Meadows. Steam locomotives rather than diesel engines are used and the trip is offered from late May through early September.

It was about ten minutes prior to departure when a uniformed railroad employee gathered up all of the passengers waiting for the 12:45pm departure and led us on a 200 yard walk to a remote platform away from the main depot. Apparently our train was coming directly from loading cruise ship passengers dockside and rather than have it back into the main depot, it was easier to just walk us out to the mainline.

Soon the whistle of the engine could be heard down the valley and the rise in excitement amidst the waiting crowd became almost tangible. In a world where travel has become so routine and generally unexceptional, it was fun to be amidst a group of people who were so outwardly enthusiastic about the upcoming journey.




Here comes the train!


When I’d arrived at the depot to collect my ticket, I was handed a boarding pass indicating that I’d been assigned to a specific car. Seating was otherwise open. As the engines powered by us on the platform, I could see that our train included about fifteen cars. The cars are all named after lakes and rivers in Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia. I read that they average 49 years old but unless the cars on this train were replicas, I thought they looked a lot older than that.

Despite the fairly sizeable crowd on the platform, there was plenty of room inside my car. The seating was padded straight backed bench style seats similar to what you’d see on a school bus.

From sea level at Skagway the train climbs 2,865 feet over a distance of about 20 miles to the Summit of the White Pass. Departing Skagway we rolled along the valley floor for two or three miles, running intermittently through lush forest or out in the open along the Skagway River. Spring came early to Alaska this year with the result that the leaves were already a beautiful vibrant green. Soon we began to climb…




Climbing up over bridge 7B



An impressive wooden trestle bridge



Mountain scenery enroute



A flower strewn siding upon which was parked



This steam locomotive out for a pre-season test run


The route features steep grades of up to 3.9%, cliff-hanging turns of 16 degrees, two tunnels and numerous bridges and trestles.




Crossing the upper Skagway River on bridge 14A
The bridges are all numbered relative to where they are on the milepost



Looking back on bridge 14A



The vestibules between cars were quite popular today



Another train climbs up below us


The trip is fully narrated. The guide drew our attention to Inspiration Point at mile 16.9. It offers a nice view looking back toward Skagway and Taiya Inlet. The elevation here is 2,475 feet.




Inspiration Point
I was a little late getting my camera ready


This 215-foot-long cantilever bridge at mile 18 was the tallest of its kind when it opened in 1901. It served the railroad until 1969 when heavier ore trains required a new, stronger bridge to be built.




Old Bridge Number 18


Only two miles farther up the tracks is the 2,865’ high summit of White Pass. The summit is on the border between Alaska and British Columbia. The five flags are from United States, Alaska, British Columbia, the Yukon Territory and Canada.




Approaching the summit of White Pass



It looks like a Bev Doolittle painting out the windows



The summit of White Pass


We spent about 15 minutes on the summit, during which time the crew disconnected the engines from the front of the train and reattached them to the rear of the train. Due to the lack of a platform, the snow and the possibility of someone wandering illegally into Canada, nobody was allowed off the train at White Pass. Instead, we took photos and flipped our seats so that they’d be facing forward for the return trip.




Leaving White Pass



The long descent down to Skagway



Whoa!



Return view of bridge 18


The tight curves of the White Pass required a narrow gauge railroad. That means the rails were three feet apart on a 10 foot wide road bed, though in some areas there were ledges that seemed a bit narrower…




Steep drop offs and narrow ledges



Back to the lowlands ~ An interesting exposure of the car interior


Arriving back in Skagway at 4:30pm and faced with a three and a half layover until my return flight to Juneau, I joined a couple of fellow train riders from Germany for beers over at the Red Onion. They had purchased a car in Seattle and were on their way up to Alaska for a month. They had detoured off the Alaska Highway at Haines Junction and driven 160 miles down to Haines where they’d caught the Alaska Marine Highway ferry for the short but scenic ride up Skagway. After a couple of Alaskan Pale Ales, they were off – this time to drive over White Pass and on into Whitehorse for the night.

I had a brief flashback to the last time I drove over White Pass. It was in November of 2005 and I was one of only a half dozen or so drivers that made it over that day. As you can see from the pictures below, the conditions were less than ideal…




Slick conditions and limited visibility on White Pass



Driving White Pass in the winter


Getting back to the present however, here it was a beautiful spring afternoon in one of Alaska’s most picturesque towns. The old Victorian buildings, the wooden sidewalks, the mountains rising right from the edge of town, the warm blue skies – it was all so very nice and I could easily envision coming back here for a longer visit next time.

In the meantime, I still had plenty of time to enjoy dinner at the attractive restaurant/bar affiliated with the local Westmark Hotel. I passed the time with a club sandwich while watching playoff basketball on the television. By 7:30pm I was back at the Skagway Airport, ready for my return flight back down to Juneau.
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 3:01 am
  #20  
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I had envisioned a pleasant flight back down the Lynn Canal, made all the more photogenic by the sun sitting low in the sky. Four of us boarded the Cessna 208 and I made a point to take a seat on the side I remembered as having the most dramatic scenery.

Shortly after take-off it became evident that our pilot was not going to fly down the Lynn Canal as his coworker had done this morning. Instead, he took a more easterly route, directly over the rugged peaks of the Coast Mountains.




Climbing away from Skagway



Glaciers have shaped Southcentral Alaska for thousands of years



And Alaska has shaped glaciers



What an awesome view!


The many glaciers of Alaska’s Coast Mountains are the result of storms that blow in off the North Pacific and Gulf of Alaska. These are cyclonic storms that can spin in either direction. The Anchorage to Seattle air route is one of the few in the world where one can experience either headwinds or tailwinds. The Coast Range gets hit by more of these storms than anywhere else on earth except the Straits of Magellan off Patagonia at the tip of South America.




Wow!



These peaks average 5-7000 feet in elevation



Amazing!



Glaciers move a lot of rock debris, accounting for the streaks


Down on the coast it is essentially a rainforest, with precipitation exceeding 200 inches per year in some places. Up in the high peaks and valleys snow accumulation can exceed 600-700” per year.




Imagine sitting on top of this peak



That’s a lot of snow!



Awesome!


Eventually we came to the top of the 13 mile long Mendenhall Glacier, which has its terminus just outside Juneau. I didn’t recognize it at the time but it soon became evident as we flew straight down the glacier to the Mendenhall Valley outside Juneau.




The top of the Mendenhall Glacier



Rough Terraine



Crevasse Country



Banking down into the Mendenhall Valley


As the airport came into view, we did a scenic flyover, continued a couple of miles down the Gastineau Channel and, following an Alaska 737, made our final approach to the west.




That’s the Juneau Airport tower just right of center



Pretty view of the airport and the Gastineau Channel beyond



On final into Juneau


This was one of the most amazing flights I’ve ever been on, and as I disembarked I thanked the pilot for his choice of routing and discreetly offered him a sizeable tip which he very politely refused. Although this flight was marketed and sold as simple air transport between Skagway and Juneau, the pilot’s choice of routing and elevation turned it into an experience every bit as exciting and memorable as a much more expensive glacial air tour. Thanks again to that pilot for a First Class experience!

With a 7:30am departure back to Fairbanks tomorrow morning, it made sense to once again sleep in the airport as I’ll get a little more sleep than I would have if I’d stayed in a hotel. I’ll also save over $100.00 as airport area hotel prices are fairly high here in Juneau, especially now that the summer tourism season is upon us.

I knew I’d be doing this last night and so informed the airport police officer on duty so he wouldn’t think I was a homeless Juneau resident scamming two nights in a row in the warmth of the airport terminal. To the contrary, I’m well prepared for these airport stays with a Thermarest Pad, a full wool blanket, a small pillow, headlamp and new First Class eye shades courtesy of my recent flights on Emirates. It’s unlikely I’ll be mistaken for a homeless person.


HOMEWARD BOUND

May 13, 2015
Alaska Airlines Juneau to Anchorage 725a – 903a 737-400 Coach Class
Horizon Airlines Anchorage to Fairbanks 1035a – 1138a DHC-8-400 Coach Class



Am I a lucky guy or what? Two beautiful days in a row along Alaska’s Southeast coast are rarer than you might think, so I was thankful to once again wake up to sunshine and blue skies. Here’s the early morning view out a window not far from where I spent the night…




Another fine day in Juneau


And here’s the view I woke up to as I slept at the foot of the Grizzly Bear mounted just around the corner from the security checkpoint upstairs.




Good Morning, Grizzly Bear!


On longer flights I normally take an aisle seat but with the 570 mile flight between Juneau and Anchorage typically clocking in at only an hour and a half combined with flying above some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the world, for this flight I usually book a window – in this case 6F on the bulkhead.

While entering the data into my log for the flight between Juneau and Anchorage, a check of my Alaska Airlines statistics indicated that this was the 428th flight I’d logged aboard an Alaska Airlines 737-400. Who’d have guessed on that winter day back in 1994 that as I boarded my first flight aboard an Alaska 737-400 between Seattle and Ketchikan, I’d go on to log another 328,880 miles and 773 hours aboard Alaska’s version of this aircraft?

Hot coffee and a bag of Breakfast Snack Mix accompanied the spectacular views as we flew up the coast to Alaska’s largest city. Unfortunately the windows beside my seat were showing their age with a number of scratches and other blemishes, but thankfully I’ve flown and photographed this route enough that I can offer you a couple photos from a previous trip that well reflect the panoramas I enjoyed today.




Spectacular Glacial Scenery



Six glaciers feed this fjord


In Anchorage I stopped by the McDonalds conveniently located directly across from my arrival gate. Breakfast was still being served and I’d been holding out for a couple of Egg McMuffins all morning long! From there it was all the way down to the end of the concourse where my Horizon Airlines propjet awaited for the final leg of this wonderful adventure.

It’s amazing how fast a month and a half can go by, especially when one spends it the way I just have - spanning the globe from Alaska to Hawaii to South America to South Africa to Dubai and back to Alaska with all manner of interesting diversions along the way.

During the short 51 minute flight up to Fairbanks, I took a moment to reflect upon what a great trip this had been and how fortunate I’ve been to be able to take trips like this. Many people would be thrilled to have experienced only a portion of this grand expedition, be it the rail adventure around America to a few days in Chile or the road trip around South Africa. I am indeed blessed to have been able to combine all of these and more into one great seven week adventure.

All told, this trip covered over 61000 miles. In the months since I’ve logged another 82000 miles of air travel and a further 11000 miles aboard trains. I’ve already spent 18 nights on the rails so far this year. Given the many trip reports I’ve already submitted covering my varied excursions around America, none of these recent travels seemed distinctive or unique enough to warrant another trip report. Add to that the fact that for the past two months I’ve been working on getting this report completed and you can hopefully forgive the paucity of my literary output of late.

And now, dear readers, we have finally arrived at the end of this adventure. To those of you who have actually read the entire trip report, Thank You for riding along! At 75000+ words, it may well have taken you a night or two and a full bottle of your favorite libation to get through, but whether you’ve read it all or just a few select parts, here’s hoping it’s been worth your time.

Thanks again for reading, everyone. Happy holidays and to all a good night!
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 6:26 am
  #21  
 
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WOW !!!!!:-::-::-:

What an awesome, convoluted, wayward trip.

Lazing around at home this TR really kept me busy - along with a glass (or many) of South African white wine of course.

Thank you so much. ^^
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 8:27 am
  #22  
 
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Seat 2A!

I check in regularly to the trip reports part of this forum, always hoping you've submitted a new report and today is one of those days.

Merry Christmas mate, you've made my day
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 10:12 am
  #23  
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Well, I've been sitting here savoring your latest tour de force trip report accompanied by several cups of freshly ground Costa Rican coffee with Baileys....of course!

Wow!!! You've done it again, sir, and your reports are, quite frankly, nothing short of remarkable. You've also caused me to seriously look at some possible international first class reward travel for us using my AAdvantage miles before the looming devaluation takes place this spring. And I've got a bunch of BA Avios hanging around as well. I'm thinking First Class on Cathay Pacific.......

Meantime, Lady K, our little pup Miss Bella and I are looking forward to your next visit to down here to Cajun country....and hopefully we'll be able to visit with you longer than the "Sunset Limited" takes to make its brief stop here! Perhaps you'd care to join us for dinner featuring marinated tomahawk rib eye steaks barbecued by yours truly and accompanied by a fine Margaux you may be familiar with.....
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 3:13 pm
  #24  
 
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Thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas present, Seat 2A. As I thought the main destination would be South Africa, I've been reading it sipping some Amarula liqueur, a bottle of which can be seen in your picture of the bar in the South African lounge, and combining it with a couple of Apricot in Brandy chocolates by Anthon Berg. Quite a lot of this sweet liquid, considering the length of the report, but Christmas comes just once a year... And now time to go to bed dreaming of future experiences of premium class air travel.
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 4:16 pm
  #25  
 
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How was Chiloe in Chile?

Is it worth it? Or Puerto Varas is enough?
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 4:20 pm
  #26  
 
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HOLY COW!

Bravo, fine Sir!

Thank you for making this the best Boxing Day ever! I started this TR early this morning with a mug of Colombian coffee (with a nip or two of Kahlua added), continued on with a Goose Island IPA over lunch and have just now finished with a glass of Woodford Reserve (rocks), all consumed in your honor.

What an amazing read, a fantastic journey and heartfelt thanks for the time, energy and creativity you've put into this report. Kudos!
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 4:35 pm
  #27  
 
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I spent a wonderful, lazy Saturday reading your trip report - thank you Seat2A. I am a person caught up in the day to day mundane rat race. This year I am going to lose 300 hours of vacation time because I have not had a minute to myself. Having said that, my dream is to just get away on one of these First Class flying jaunts visiting the world. I live vicariously through your trips
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 9:30 pm
  #28  
 
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Hell of a report as usual. I always know I'm in for a treat when your reports show up. Also loving the historical flight context...that UA 747 must have been a hell of an experience.

Originally Posted by Seat 2A
Oh well – I’m sure I can come up with something. After all, I now have four of these kits sitting around my cabin…
Not to worry, I will happily take these dastardly creations off your hands. I'm sure you'd want to compensate me for the good deed, but I wouldn't hear of it!
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Old Dec 26, 2015, 10:07 pm
  #29  
 
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WOW!! Thanks for sharing this adventure with us. Your passion comes through in buckets.
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Old Dec 27, 2015, 9:03 am
  #30  
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Thanks so much to those of you who've taken the time to read and then comment on this report. My primary concern is that it was too long, so it's gratifying to hear that this hasn't been an issue for those of you who have commented.

Originally Posted by roadwarrier
Wow! What an awesome, convoluted, wayward trip.

Lazing around at home this TR really kept me busy - along with a glass (or many) of South African white wine of course.
How fitting that my first response should come from South Africa. Thanks, roadwarrier!

Originally Posted by matted
I check in regularly to the trip reports part of this forum, always hoping you've submitted a new report and today is one of those days.
Merry Christmas mate, you've made my day.
Thank you, matted! I hope you'll find it's been worth the wait!

Originally Posted by jlemon
Well, I've been sitting here savoring your latest tour de force trip report accompanied by several cups of freshly ground Costa Rican coffee with Baileys....of course!

Wow!!! You've done it again, sir, and your reports are, quite frankly, nothing short of remarkable. You've also caused me to seriously look at some possible international first class reward travel for us using my AAdvantage miles before the looming devaluation takes place this spring. And I've got a bunch of BA Avios hanging around as well. I'm thinking First Class on Cathay Pacific.......

Meantime, Lady K, our little pup Miss Bella and I are looking forward to your next visit to down here to Cajun country....and hopefully we'll be able to visit with you longer than the "Sunset Limited" takes to make its brief stop here! Perhaps you'd care to join us for dinner featuring marinated tomahawk rib eye steaks barbecued by yours truly and accompanied by a fine Margaux you may be familiar with.....
Good luck with that award redemption, JL. Hopefully you'll be able to score a couple of seats in Cathay's First Class which I think you'll both agree is amongst the best out there.

As for a visit to the Bayou, I'd love to join you all for dinner someday, even if the wine were Night Train !

Originally Posted by tsastor
Thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas present, Seat 2A. As I thought the main destination would be South Africa, I've been reading it sipping some Amarula liqueur, a bottle of which can be seen in your picture of the bar in the South African lounge, and combining it with a couple of Apricot in Brandy chocolates by Anthon Berg. Quite a lot of this sweet liquid, considering the length of the report, but Christmas comes just once a year... And now time to go to bed dreaming of future experiences of premium class air travel.
Ah... Amarula! I was first introduced to that delicious elixir in South Africa back in 2004. What a fine choice to accompany this read! In fact, I think I just may look into a purchase of some when I head into town tomorrow. In the meantime, here's hoping that your dreams come true...^

Originally Posted by Bretteee
How was Chiloe in Chile? Is it worth it? Or Puerto Varas is enough?
Everywhere in Chile is worth it, from the arid plains of the Atacama to the rugged peaks of Patagonia - the entire country is stunningly beautiful. Go and explore!

Originally Posted by NoLaGent
Thank you for making this the best Boxing Day ever! I started this TR early this morning with a mug of Colombian coffee (with a nip or two of Kahlua added), continued on with a Goose Island IPA over lunch and have just now finished with a glass of Woodford Reserve (rocks), all consumed in your honor.

What an amazing read, a fantastic journey and heartfelt thanks for the time, energy and creativity you've put into this report. Kudos!
Thank you, NoLaGent! That's quite a day you put together reading this, and I am indeed honored. Thanks also for acknowledging the time and creativity that naturally go into a report of this length. It makes it all worth it to hear that it's been appreciated. ^^

Originally Posted by canuckshark
I spent a wonderful, lazy Saturday reading your trip report - thank you Seat2A. I am a person caught up in the day to day mundane rat race. This year I am going to lose 300 hours of vacation time because I have not had a minute to myself. Having said that, my dream is to just get away on one of these First Class flying jaunts visiting the world. I live vicariously through your trips
Thank you, canuckshark. My dream is to either

1.) hear that you've finally rewarded all your hard work with a nice trip
and/or
2.) read about it all in a trip report.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Sky303
Hell of a report as usual. I always know I'm in for a treat when your reports show up. Also loving the historical flight context...that UA 747 must have been a hell of an experience.
Thank you, Sky303! I had the good fortune to fly quite a few lounge equipped aircraft back in the 70s, the most common of which was Continental's DC-10. United also had magnificent coach lounges aboard it's DC-10s and 747s.

As to those amenity kits, I managed to clear them out this Christmas. I needed the space and it'll be good to see them get some use.

Originally Posted by theshaun
WOW!! Thanks for sharing this adventure with us. Your passion comes through in buckets.
Thank you, Shaun! After 5100 flights and 4.95 million miles flown, I'm thankful the passion still burns hot!
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