Lagopus lagopus... Lagopus lagopus... Lagopus lagopus...

I wake up from dreams of Ptarmigan flying over to a strange soundtrack in my head.  I have been repeating the words Lagopus lagopus incessantly to myself as I slept like some kind of meditative mantra.  Lagopus lagopus is a species of Ptarmigan that i hope to see outside the confines of my imagination soon enough.

I sit up to see that I am still lying on a bench in the Anchorage airport.  It is 5:30am and the sun is poking up from behind what I believe is the picturesque Chugach Mountains.  I have a feeling the word "picturesque" is about to become rather common in my vocabulary...

Time to board my last flight to Fairbanks.

(Updated 5/15)

This was my view as we flew into Fairbanks.

Alaska Mountain Range

Denali