3 August 2010 Touchdown!

After some final tune-ups at Schwarz this morning, I left New Orleans for Alaska around 11 am. A Chicago layover later, and I arrived in Anchorage at 8:45 pm Alaska Standard Time (11:45 pm Central Standard Time). Along the way, we flew over the Yukon Territory where clouds gave way to snow-covered mountains and glaciers.

At the airport, Dima - a post-doc who will begin at George Washington University in the fall - and I met to collect bags, a rental car, and head to the hotel. We briefly rendezvoused with Elliot and Kelsey, two George Washington students with whom I'll be taking my North Slope Training Cooperative course tomorrow. As all were tired from a day of travel, we returned to the hotel after dinner to prepare for an early rise.

Already, Anchorage feels a far cry from the muggy August days in Louisiana. Temperatures have been in the high 50's and lower 60's during my first hours here, with skies generally overcast. I'll explore much more of the city in the upcoming days and am interested to see what I find -- particularly because New Orleans (pop. 336,644) and Anchorage (pop. 286,174) are very similarly sized. Each represents the largest municipal area in their respective states. 

'Til tomorrow,

Josh