This week my Wednesday evening routine was shaken up by an upcoming trip. I would be leaving for Unalakleet for an ECE (early childhood education) working weekend at 3:30 on Thursday afternoon. I have kids until 4pm so this trip means that I will be leaving from school. I packed my clothes and gathered other things that I would pack the next morning. Overall, by the time Thursday morning came around and I walked to school (carrying my travel bags) I felt very “in control”.
I know that some of you caught on to the foreshadowing of that comment.
I had email Carolyn when I received my travel itinerary asking how mid-day travel works when I am teaching. She told me just to stay at the school as long as I could and be picked up from there. That’s what I did. 3:00 rolls around and I am finishing up the Head Start Newsletter for the 3s class and the 4s class. 3:25 comes and I am thinking how I haven’t received any calls from the big school about who was coming to get me. 3:30, 3:40, 3:50.
4:00 I call the big school. Liz answers the phone. “Are you calling about your plane?”
“Yes.”
“It will be here at 4:15. Elias is going to pick you up at Head Start. Tim tried to call you earlier. Here he is.”
Tim: “I called your house and Nathan said you left already.” (I think: Yeah to go to work.)
“Nope, I’m still here.”
“Okay well Elias is going to get you.”
“Thanks.” (Now I am a little worried.) I have time before Elias is going to come so I walk over to the house to put away some school things (next week is spring break!). Nathan says, “You’re still here! Tim called and asked where you wanted to be picked up. I said you were already gone.”
“When did he call?
“3:30.” (Now I am annoyed…but not going to panic).
I head back to Head Start and see that Elias is there. I grab my bags and head out to the truck. We pick up Albert and head to the airport where we wait, and wait, and wait. This is nothing new. Go with the flow.
The plane arrives and Albert and I walk over to it. I hand up one of my bags and overhear Albert ask, “Is this direct to Nome?” (Red Flag)
I turn to the pilot who took my bag, “This is going to Nome?”
He said, “Yeah, where are you trying to go?”
“Unalakleet.”
“That’s not us.” I turn to look at the truck driving away.
The pilot continued, “We did have a plane go to Unalakleet but your name wasn’t on it.” (Great. Thanks Era!) “There’s a mail plane that should be in Stebbins soon, maybe Hilarry (our village “travel agent”) could call them and have them stop and get you.” He proceeded to talk to Hilarry and Hilarry said he would call. The pilot also said that he would call to see if there was a plane nearby that could get me. Neither gave me a definite answer. This resulted in the plane taxiing and flying to Nome, Hilarry taking his truck (yep he had a truck) back to St. Michael, and me standing against the door of the building (not even sure what’s inside it) waiting for a plane to come—but not even sure if one was coming.
Fortunately, unlike the beginning of the year, my AT&T cell phone works in St. Michael. So I call the big school (it 5:30)…no answer. I call Nathan and tell him what’s going on and ask for Carolyn’s home number. I call Carolyn…no answer. So I took advantage of the beautiful evening—sun was shining, no wind was blowing—and called Michelle, my sister, for a nice chat. After talking to her, I called Tim and told him where I was.
Yes, I’m at the airport still.
No, Albert and I were not on the same plane.
Yes, Albert was going to Nome.
No, I need to get to Unalakleet.
Call Hilarry and see if he found me a plane.
Tim tells me he’ll come get me. I shouldn’t be at the airport by myself.
Within two minutes I hear a wonderful sound from the direction of Stebbins—yes is it ten miles away…over flat frozen ground…with no noise—the sound of a small plane engine. Sure enough a dot appeared above the horizon, and got closer and closer and closer. Within five minutes the plane was landing. At that moment Nathan called, “Tim just called and said there is a plane landing any minute now.”
“Yeah, it just landed.”
“He said get on it.” (I was planning on it even if it wasn’t the intended plane. I was going to be very convincing.)
So I got to ride on my smallest plane yet. Two pilots and me…all the seats were full. Single propeller…loved it! My own personal taxi to Unalakleet.
We flew over the ocean…completely frozen and covered with snow. Unlike other trips I have been on this time the pilots didn’t stay right along the shore. We were at least four miles out (it is hard to judge from a plane). As we got closer to Unalakleet I saw the first body of water (liquid water) that I have seen since early November before the bay froze. Just one little strip of water moving slowly between banks of ice at least four miles out on the ocean.
After arriving three hours late I was still the first one here. Everyone else was on a Charter that arrived at 8:30pm. Dinner: Pizza from Peace on Earth!
Alaska Travel Lesson:
Yes wearing all your winter gear for the plane ride can be bulky, cumbersome, and can make you hot and uncomfortable (especially in Anchorage), but when you are stuck outside waiting for a plane you don’t know is coming at 10 below for 40 minutes when the sun is beginning to set, you are very thankful that you put on those extra layers!
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