All too soon, I had to head back to the PNW... I had to leave at 3:30, which was midnight 'my time'. The flight back went through Charlotte, which was an interesting route. It made for a nice long stretch to take a nap. =]

Turnpike Rest Stop
Its interesting to me to have a rest stop with a hotel, a restaurant, and a gas station... all so you don't have to get off the Turnpike...

The Airport
Pulling into Manchester after the hour and a half drive from Biddeford, which was largely uneventful. I did see 8 people pulled over by the state patrols of Maine and New Hampsire.

Straight shot
The Dollar rental drop off is at the end of a long walkway to the airport's main entrance.

Terminal
There was more activity than I thought there would have been.

Boarding to Charlotte
I made it through security and to the gate with about 40 minutes to spare. I was stuck with an Isle seat, but there was no one in the middle, so it wasn't so bad. The guy in the window seat was as big as I was, and we were joking about the poor guy who would have to sit between us... =]

Interesting lighting
I thought the lighting was curious... I guess they're trying to cut down on the effects of the shaded area? The blue drew my attention to it.

Star Trek?
I wonder if this inspired the design of the command deck of the NCC1701-E, or the other way around? I thought it was interesting that it was in North Carolina...

Something different
Never heard of it. It actually wasn't that bad... a bit flat, but the mild cherry flavor worked well with the cola.

Boarding
Boarding went very slowly. The plane was VERY crowded... it figures; the longest leg of my journey (5 hours) was the fullest.

Nice
WiFi on the plane... for 10 bucks. I passed, after the guy next to me complained about how slow it was.

Full Plane
The flight was very full. They were asking people to bump to another flight, but were only offering a $100 voucher... I was holding out for free tickets, but they didn't offer.

Wheels up
We left the gate about 20 minutes late.

Chicago
I slept through most of the Eastern portions of the country, but got a nice shot of Chicago.

Nice View
We flew right over the city on a very clear day. My phone's camera didn't have a good zoom, but here's the detail of what it managed to get... not bad for a cellphone, I think.

Roll On, Columbia
The familar contours of the Columbia let us know we were getting close.

Low clouds
These low clouds in the Cascades were pretty curious looking.

Over Seattle
Seattle was sacked in low clouds... we could see the Olympics in the distance, but not much else, down to under 1000 feet.

Through the clouds
We broke through already on the final approach... the landing gear was already down, even.

Liquid Sunshine of Home
It was good to be back!

Old Faithful
I was lucky enough to park right next to the elevator's entrance, and had no trouble driving out... it was a very leisurely exit from Seatac, especially considering all's I had with me was a backpack... travelling light is the way to go!

Heading to the Foothils
In no time, I was on my way home. It was a fun trip. I was glad I got to go back, but I guess I would have wanted to stay a bit longer... maybe next time it won't be quite so long a gap. =]

 

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