Friday, June 12, 2015

So How'd the Gambling Go?

In late May we posted about some gambles we were taking on a quick Alaska trip. We did very well playing Non-Rev Roulette. We both got seats on our first choice to Seattle, and BJ got the last seat on the first choice flight to Anchorage. I arrived in Anchorage on the next flight about an hour later. Headed south, BJ got her second option out of Anchorage and her first choice out of Seattle. When I headed home, I got seats on my first choice out of Anchorage and also out of Seattle. Six out of eight first choices seems like very acceptable odds!

On the solar project, we ended up making a trip down the hill to the hardware store for a few small things, but we were successful with having all the special stuff we needed, including a couple extra 12 volt outlets.

The AT&T mifi was the right choice! We had super strong signals from AT&T in places where I had weak Verizon signals two years ago. Given a choice, AT&T is still the best option for travelers to Alaska.

Fishing is clearly a gamble, especially for someone who had never fished. With three generations fishing, I expected we would catch something, but all three of us limited on both halibut and king salmon the day I joined them. We ended up with two ice chests (over 75 pounds) full of cleaned and vacuum-packed fish.

Checked baggage arrived on our initial listed flights. My bag got to Anchorage before me, but BJ was on that flight so she was able to pull it from the carousel. I was a bit more concerned with my southbound schedule because in addition to my bag I also had a box full of frozen fish. Both my bag and the fish arrived as planned, and in spite of the 105 degree weather in Phoenix when I landed, the fish was still rock hard.

Two weeks of fun with family for me, and all the "gambles" paid off. How soon can we do it again?

4 comments:

  1. Some folks are just born lucky. Really glad you had success with your solar installation, and your fishing trip. Sure would have been bad to loose all that good fish to an airline snafu.

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    1. Alaska ships LOTS of fish, both commercial and boxes of sportsman caught fish. I was less worried about the fish than about me getting home on a later flight and needing to spring it from the unclaimed office. It was a wonderful trip, even if it was way too short!

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  2. Looks like you guys were definitely "in the zone," all the way around. What a great trip! Still can't believe all those trips to Alaska and no fishing, but looks like you made up for lost time!

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    1. That trip was as close to perfect as you could hope! I'm not sure about taking up fishing, but I'm really enjoying some geocaching. Great excuse to get out and wander the back roads.

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