From Sea to Shining Sea

Last week I had to take a quick trip to L.A. for work. So after returning from birthday festivities in Puerto Rico, I transferred my toiletries and a few snacks into my other suitcase, crawled into bed and 9 hours later boarded a flight to the west coast.

On the way back from L.A. I managed to score a window seat in the first row of coach; what I didn't realize is the amazing view it would afford me. As we took off and looped across the ocean to head east, I was taken aback at how beautiful the U.S. is. I quickly turned on my camera and snapped a shot. A little while later, as I was plugging away at work emails (onboard wifi FTW) we crossed over northern Utah/Arizona, and I snapped another photo. I of course got extremely excited when I realized I was staring at the Grand Canyon from a bird's eye view (and also felt a bit smug for recognizing it when a few minutes later the captain announced it over the PA).

After my third photo, I realized it was pretty cool that from my vantage point I could document a trip across the entire U.S., ocean to ocean. Sure, I've been on vacations to particular landmarks, but when can you see the vast and varied topography of the U.S. in one day? Well, I could from seat 6A on Alaska Airlines! So, from sea to shining sea, I present you the Pacific ocean, the red rocks of the southwest, the Rockies, the meandering rivers, the great plains (no buffalo though) and an evening descent into Washington D.C. ... that's close enough to the Atlantic, right?

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