Okay, so blissfully on time was a lot to hope for, but I got in the air albeit an hour and a half late. The flight was rather smooth getting out of Seattle and with little cloud cover we were treated to a great view of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens. I was happy to see these beautiful mountains from the air since where I am going, Kamchatka, Russia, is the most volcanically active region in the world. I’m told that there is just about always something erupting there, so I hope to see an eruption – from a safe distance of course.
A spectacular view from the plane of Mt. Rainier, Mt. St Helens and Mt Hood.
We also got a view of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Again reminding me that where I am heading is the Kamchatka Peninsula. This region of Washington looks rather tame from the air, which is altogether different than it’s Russian counterpart. Again, I’m told that Kamchatka has the largest population density of brown bears, also known as grizzlies. I hope to see one while I’m there – at least that’s what I think. Of course, if the grizzlies are shy that might be okay too.
Leaving Seattle-Tacoma Airport we get a nice glimpse of the Olympic Peninsula.