Heading North- Homeward Bond

After spending five days in Council, we packed up, headed to the airport, and said goodbye to our friends the Stangs.

Eska fell asleep immediately after takeoff for what we hoped would be a long nap for the 4+ hour flight home.

Unfortunately, the nap was short-lived. Twenty minutes into the flight, she was awake and angry. We had debated whether we would stop in Unalakleet for fuel or fly directly home, but having a screaming baby in the back helped make our decision clear. We set the GPS for Unalakleet.

Stopping in Unalakleet generally sounds like a good idea to me for a few different reasons. First, we typically get to see friends on our stops. Second, even if we don’t meet up with friends, the airport usually has beautiful wildflowers during the summer, and lastly, the runway is right by the beach. Stopping even for a couple hours feels like a bonus beach destination.

Since we weren’t sure if we would stop in Unalakleet we hadn’t made plans to see friends, but after landing, we were greated by a familiar face. John Hicks, who we’ve known through his family ties to Ultima Thule Lodge since he was a boy, and who we had also seen this spring at the Sourdough Fly-in in Port Allsworth, greeted us.

I soon learned that John was working as a commercial pilot based in Unalakleet and was between flights. We chatted for a while, then refueled up and parked the airplane in the freshly mowed grass. Thankfully, another field near us hadn’t been mowed and hosted the wildflowers I had anticipated.

Next, we headed to the beach right next to the airport.

Nothing like sand and a snack to make kiddos happy. The kids would have played in the frigid water, but it was muddy, so they opted for the sand and the big rocks between the beach and the airport.

After eating and exploring for about an hour we headed back to the airplane to continue our flight home.

Based on previous experiences, Eska has determined that her car seat is optional while in the plane. If she doesn’t fall asleep, she has a habit of protesting till she gets out. We’ve tried different tacktics to keep her in her seat, but shes a strong willed little lady, and I’m getting to be quite the softy.

Of course, she was happy as soon as she was back up front with Mom & Dad. Happy until I put her back in her car seat for turbulence and landing.

With Eska screaming in the back, our flight, and one of our longer summer trips came to an end.

After landing in Wasilla, we headed to Bearpaw River Brewing to enjoy pizza and a celebratory beer after another amazing Alaskan adventure together as a family.