Masks on Planes

Routine transit from California to Alaska. But, when we arrived at row 24 on the SEA to ANC leg, the gentleman in the window seat was sitting there without a mask!  Before sitting down, Gloria asked him to put on his mask, which he reluctantly did.  We're thinking this may be an uncomfortable three-hour flight, or if he takes his mask off again, an empty seat once they kick him off the plane!  But, in conversation, turns out he is a nice guy, works in the oil industry; he crews on ships that service the offshore rigs in Alaska.  Postscript, he never wore his seatbelt......

Speaking of Anchorage airport.  Huge fuel stop for 747 cargo liners to and from Asia, we must have seen 15 take off or land while we were waiting for our flight.

                                                      Springtime, the ice is beginning to break up                                                                                    

Kirk, our contact, met us at the Kotzebue airport.  First up, Covid test!  They have been very aggressive in their testing and vaccinations in this part of Alaska.  The younger generation will go the Anchorage for the weekend, get infected, then return and infect their whole village,  Kirk said one flight had 12 who were infected!  They quarantined them in Kotzebue before letting them return to their village.

Kirk gave us a quick tour of the town, we are in the 'melt' now so lots of potholes full of slush and people discover that the potholes can be knee-deep.  Kirk squared us away at the hotel and left to continue helping pull people's cars out.  Lesson: carefully drive the gravel side streets in town.

Tomorrow, Kirks picks us up at 8:30am and takes us to the hospital to start our orientation.