October 15, 2019
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ 737-900 ~ Boston, MA to Portland, OR ~ 425p – 750p
One thing I wanted to avoid was toll charges along the way down to Logan Airport. My vehicle was equipped with an EZ Pass which would handle the non-cash tolls, but in so doing the rental car company would charge me an additional $11.00 for each day I used the EZ Pass.
Driving down to Boston Logan on the most direct route via the interstate, there are a couple of tolls right before you reach the airport. It seemed silly to pay an additional $15 or so when it was possible to avoid the tolls altogether. Google maps has a handy feature that allows you to specify non-toll routes, so a couple of days earlier I did just that for the Londonderry to Logan route and then printed out the step by step directions.
One thing I quickly learned is that while Google Maps do indeed provide accurate directions, not all of the roads have proper road signs. As such, it’s important to be take note of the distance to be traveled on each step of the directions. This was especially true in rural New England as well as the Boston suburbs where a couple of times I literally turned onto unsigned roads based solely on the partial mileage traveled on the previous road. In one case I nervously turned down what was essentially an alley after first checking with a gas station attendant who was “pretty sure” it was the “road” I was looking for. Thankfully everything worked out, but again, if you use Google Maps, reset your trip odometer after each turn.
Alaska Airlines departs out of Logan’s Terminal C. I remember when they used to depart out of the much newer and nicer Terminal A. Comparatively speaking, Terminal C is a definite downgrade, at least out of the gates Alaska uses. Thankfully, today would be the very last day that Alaska would operate out of C as tomorrow they would henceforth be operating out of Terminal B.
I gave additional thanks to the Upgrade Gods that saw fit to upgrade me to seat 2C for the nearly six hour flight to Portland. Here are some photos of the menu and the meal.
Alaska Airlines BOS-PDX Menu
Carrot Ginger Bisque with Side Salad
The soup was delicious
Braised Beef Top Blade
Served with mashed potatoes and celeriac with roasted rainbow carrots. Topped with a rosemary cider demi-sauce and garnished with micro-greens
I spent the night in Portland at the Howard Johnson’s. With this stay I retained Diamond status in the Wyndham Rewards program. Supposedly this means I’ll be eligible for suite upgrades during future visits to any of the various hotel chains operating under the Wyndham umbrella. Past experience has shown that a significant number of front desk employees are not even aware of this perk, thus relegating it to “imaginary perk” status.
October 16, 2019
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ 737-800 ~ Portland, OR to Anchorage, AK ~ 1135a – 235p
Alaska Airlines Economy Class ~ 737-800 ~ Anchorage, AK to Fairbanks, AK ~ 310p – 405p
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ 737-900 ~ Fairbanks, AK to Seattle, WA ~ 540p – 1015p
Horizon Airlines Economy Class ~ ERJ-175 ~ Seattle, WA to Portland, OR ~ 1030p – 1120p
October 17, 2019
Alaska Airlines First Class ~ 737-900 ~ Boston, MA to Portland, OR ~ 825a – 435p
Some of you may recall that the original impetus for this trip was an Alaska Airlines Club 49 deal offering travel between Fairbanks and Boston for $199.00 each way. That was back in early June. While this trip started out as a mileage run with the purchase of two round trips between Fairbanks and Boston, by late June it had morphed into the full blown rail extravaganza that you’ve been reading about over the past 10000 words.
In any event, we’re on the return portion of the first roundtrip ticket. In true mileage run fashion (at least for me) I booked myself back to Fairbanks with an immediate turn around back to Portland and on to Boston the next day. As such, I was left with an hour and thirty minute layover in Fairbanks, during which some friends of mine came out to the airport to bring me some new books and a sports jacket which I thought might be a good idea to have along for the two cruises coming up.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d have arranged for a couple of days layover in Fairbanks, if only because it’s always good to be home. I mean, if you lived in a place this idyllic, wouldn’t you want to spend a bit of time here whenever you could?
Home Sweet Home
What was I thinking? Oh well – the tickets had been purchased and at this point in the trip it was too late to effect any changes. I had places to be and more trains to ride!
As such, I started the day in Portland by using my Priority Pass privileges to have an excellent omelet at Caper’s Café – the attractive eatery located just past the A/B/C gate security checkpoint at PDX. I’d been upgraded for the three and a half hour flight up to Anchorage but not the much shorter flight to Fairbanks. From Fairbanks back to Portland, I’d been upgraded for the longer flight down to Seattle but because I was standing by for the 10:30pm departure to PDX, I had to settle for a seat behind the curtain. Actually, there was no curtain as the little Embraer 175 as operated by Horizon had no curtain dividing the forward and main cabins. For my part, I was just happy to be on the flight.
Here are a couple pictures of some inflight meal highlights:
Alaska Airlines PDX-ANC Butternut Squash Enchilada Casserole
Alaska Airlines PDX-BOS Greek Yogurt and Granola Starter
Alaska Airlines PDX-BOS Spinach & Kabocha Pumpkin Frittata with Chicken Sausage & Potatoes
Upon arrival in Boston – this time at the much nicer Terminal B - I made my way to the Rental Car Center and picked up an almost new Kia Sorrento. Then it was off to Newport, Rhode Island for the next rail adventure.