Day 82 - Enroute to Alaska

4:30am came sooner than I expected. The  ride on the airport shuttle was short and upon checking in, I was surprised to hear that I was upgraded to the SkyWest version of first class. Not complaining as it meant that I didn’t need to check my suitcase as there is more available space. I really didn’t even need a suitcase for the trip north but I do have several Amazon orders that need to be brought back. 

The coach has eight fluorescent fixtures each with two 18” bulbs. These ran on 12vdc and draw quite a bit of power. About 15 watts per bulb. I had checked Camping World for LED replacements and was shocked at the price, $44/bulb. A quick search on Amazon showed significant savings but still not cheap at $11/bulb when purchased in quantities of 10. BTW, if purchased from Amazon individually, the Camping World price wasn’t that far off. So, I have a bunch of LED bulbs for the interior. Most, but not all, of the 12vdc bulbs. I’ll see how well these ten fluorescent tube replacements work before picking up the rest. I also ordered a pair of “Mr. Tuffy” liners designed for additional thorn protection on fat tired bikes. I suspect that thorns are going to be a common occurrence this winter. 

The flight was uneventful and the included breakfast was pretty good. Borderline healthy. The next flight from Seattle to Fairbanks has no upgraded seats. But at least I have an exit row aisle seat. Like most flights to Alaska these days, the plane is completely full.

I think that this is Mono Lake on the east side of the Sierras. I just happened to look out the window and saw it through the clouds. It is an alkaline lake (no outflow) and the water level is low as water has been diverted to Los Angeles. The last time I visited Mono Lake was ~1980. It’s worth visiting.