Here We Go Again

The Mrs. and I will brave another sojourn thru the wilds of TSA Country as we leave for Sooper Seekrit Destination in the U.S. in a few days.

I read with amusement as other bloggers, safely ensconced in the Lower 48, rant about how they won't fly again for whatever reason (usually concerning the Porno-Scan and/or groping by blue-gloved flunkies). I say amusement because for most of us in Alaska, flight is the only practical means of getting anywhere else. I suppose that, if I were self-employed, I could set aside three weeks for a one-week visit to the Midwest.

Why, you ask? Because it's a seven-hour drive to the state line from Anchorage, and that takes you to the Yukon Territory. Seattle is a three-day drive from here. You can do the rest of the math, but here's a hint: it takes seven days to drive from Anchorage to St. Louis, if you take the most direct route and spend four of those days heading southeast across Canada.

So, we fly. Is St. Louis our destination? No, but that's the point from which we departed to move up here a decade ago. And alas, my employer has the expectation that if I take a week off, I'll return at the end of that week rather than spending the better part of a month cruising the upper two-thirds of North America.

Go figure. :)