[Normy]

-I flew into Anchorage, Alaska one night out of Hong Kong. We got there with min-fuel, and I flew the ILS approach down to minimums; Blowing snow, 1/2 mile visibility...quote un-quote!

We get through customs/immigration, and wind up in the lobby of the airport. They have a stuffed polar bear that is about 11 feet tall in their lobby just to gently remind you where you are. Anyway, the snow outside is now completely sideways. I can't see the other side of the parking lot. Suddenly, the hotel van shows up; a rear-drive late model Ford van.

Is this drive to the hotel going to be safe? I ask myself as I walk out the doors to the van. Snow going everywhere, including down the back of my leather flying jacket, as I load my bag and backpack. We load up, and then we try to get to the hotel...

Ford's vans are well-built, but they are still old-fashioned Hotchkiss-drive machines with live axle rear ends. We wound our way toward the hotel, the van slipping and sliding in the 13 inches [35 cm] of new snow on all the roads. The van was literally fish-tailing down the street, when the van driver asked us, non-chalantly:

"Where are yah from?"

I replied that I was from Florida.

"FLORIDA! How da hell do yah deal with all them hurricanes down dare?" She said.

As the van fishtailed down the street! I'm serious- she was incredulous about the hurricanes in Florida while the van she was driving could barely stay on the road due to the BLIZZARD we were driving in! I laughed (internally) and told her that they get more press than they deserve. Which is true-

Moral: You get crap everywhere. Deal with it or move-

N!