Todd drove us to the airport at 9:45am to catch the 11:50 flight. Sandy likes to be early. Early we were. Southwest flight departure was 12:15pm. This is not too bad considering flight horror stories floating around from other family member adventures.

Fortunately, I found a book to read for three hours. Metaverse by Matthew Ball. The book was a thought provoking look at the evolution of the internet , how society uses technology today, what’s going on the gaming industry and how everything is likely to change over the next ten years. I learned new terminology like interoperability,, payment rails, and blockchains. My grandchildren know a lot more about these topics than I do. But, I am convinced mega-millions of dollars will be made in the Metaverse.

We arrived in San Jose, California for a 1 ½ hour layover. We had plenty of time for a late lunch. By the time we got to our airport hotel we had been traveling for 12 hours. We still had enough energy for a light dinner. Salmon chowder and a beer hit the spot.

Day Two:

I woke up at 1am and 4am to make sure we wouldn’t miss the alarm at 5am. Sandy was up three times just to make sure I set the alarm correctly. At 5am with no coffee we both moved about like cave people gathering firewood. We showered, took our medicine, brushed teeth, packed our bags and headed for the shuttle. When we were standing in line for boarding security Sandy said “good morning” and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Life is good.

Alaska Airlines departed on time and arrived Anchorage earlier than scheduled. We dropped off our bags at the Inlet Tower Hotel and began to explore downtown Anchorage, I must say,, from 12th street to 4th street, then down I, H, or L, there is not much to see. We’ve walked 3 miles today with nothing worthy of a photograph. We walked past hotels, restaurants, convention centers and Federal buildings. Lunch at Humpy’s Great American Ale House was a worthwhile lunch stop if you ever get up here. Dinner at the Gastro Pub was tasty too.

I just watched the Cardinals come back with five runs in the ninth inning to win 6-5 over the Nationals. I can now go to bed with a smile. We start early tomorrow with a 5:30am wake up call. We will be on our way to Denali on the 8am train. .