Day 4 - #Haines #Alaska
After filling up my rental car with gas @ $3.78 per gallon, which was worth every single cent, I arrived pretty early for my flight. I wasn't real sure how "check-in" worked in contrast to Alaska Airlines. This was my last drive (at least this year) on Haines Hwy since Alaska Seaplanes is located about 2 1/2 miles north on the Hwy. Airport pretty simple with headquarters out of a trailer of sorts.
Check-in pretty simple, they get your weight and then weigh your bag. Anything over 50 lbs cost a bit extra per lb. My entire bag was 60 lbs, so not too shabby. Loved the baggage carts they used to load the planes. The pilot stowed the gear away, balancing appropriately in front, center and rear of plane.
Excitement was building for me; couldn't wait to see Alaska from above with a great vantage point flying along the Lynn Canal. I was VERY fortunate to be on board with 3 others that were FROM Alaska, so they all were like "you get to ride shotgun"! This was awesome! Sitting right next to the pilot, front view windshield a foot away, right view window 3 inches away. Not much room, but could've cared less! Couldn't wait to see and hear that propeller fire up...
Below is a photo I shot earlier in the week. Gives you a good feel for the flight. The photo below is right after take off from Alaska Seaplanes, and then making the turn south towards Juneau.
Unfortunately, since my bag was stowed away, all I had at my disposal was my cAndroid phone...so it would have to do. I doubt they'd allow me to have my Pro camera out and about. It might cause some damage if we hit some turbulence that caused me to lose control of it. Glacier to the right, Lynn Canal directly below, Pilot to the left, Snow-capped Mountains everywhere!
Couldn't stop looking around at everything, was just so unreal and beyond beautiful! Honestly, didn't seem real...was just too incredible looking to be real.
I did manage to remember my phone could record video. So below is a 20 second vid of the flight from Haines back to Juneau.
Once we landed in Juneau, I'm sure I was a complete dork! So incredibly full of endorphins rushing through my body, I shook the Pilots hand and said That.Was.Freaking.Awesome! Thank-you so much!
Got a quick ride to my Juneau Hotel, plan was to get checked-in and then go explore just a bit before the sun sets. Hopefully try and make it to Mendenhall Glacier and Nugget Falls if I can find some transportation...
