Sunday, 1 February 2009 – Departure
Since we will be gone for the month of February we decided to let someone else get us to SeaTac Airport between Seattle and Tacoma, 90 miles east of Port Angeles. The weather in February can definitely influence decisions to fly as fog and other extreme weather conditions are unpredictable. With this in mind we opted to take bus service operated by the Dungeness Line. Cost was also a consideration, almost one/half the cost of flying, and less influenced by the weather.
We departed Port Angeles at 6:02 AM, as I misjudged how long it would take to get our car back to the house and have Jon drive me back to the bus. After a very pleasant journey, which included a ferry ride, we arrived at the terminal at SeaTac around 9:30AM which give us plenty of time to check-in for our 1:35 PM departure. By 10 AM we were checked in with Continental by a very friendly check-in clerk named Nadine. She made our check in so smooth –maybe it was our age! We did check-in online yesterday, so I am sure that helped. Our largest bag weighed in at 49.5 lbs, as Barbara (the master packer) breathed a sigh of relief. Since we were traveling with three bags, we were charged $25 for the third. Another relief was that our bags were checked through to Buenos Aires. Going through security was also smooth as the lines were short; I almost felt that it would be easier to go through in a speedo and clear plastic bags as carry-ons. Barbara did hit a bump as they confiscated her can of spray deodorant. After what seemed like a mile walk we arrived at our gate; B1.
So here we sit – with our boarding time a couple of hours away.
As a part of our Fly/Cruise package arranged by our travel agent Debra Dickerson at Cruise Specialists, we flew onboard Continental Airlines flt CO366 from Seattle to Houston (4 hrs 10 min) with a layover of 1 hr and 15 minutes. After watching the last few minutes for the Super Bowl, (once we trudged a mile or so through the terminal) we boarded flight C051 to Buenos Aires, Argentina arrived some 10 hours and 20 minutes later, at 11:30 AM, Monday the 2nd of February. Total trip mileage will be 6,936 miles. JWC
Cummings Family Adventures 