Alaska Airlines from Wrangell Airport to Greater Rochester International Airport

If you’re considering a dalliance with cross-country aviation, then let me entertain you with a tale of two airports - Wrangell Airport in the grand state of Alaska and Greater Rochester International Airport, tucked away in the bosom of Old Uncle Sam's homeland.

First, let’s acknowledge that your flight, should you dare attempt it, will likely be a hurricane of mixed emotions. Yes, embarking on a seemingly tedious odyssey from Alaska's deeply romantic and untamed paradise and landing at Rochester's, shall we say, distinctly less wild International Airport, may feel a tad underwhelming. Like biting into what you expect to be an exquisite macaron, only to realize it's an oddly shaped marshmallow peep.

Behold the non-stop flight, a marvel of our times. And lest you assume that this is a journey for the faint-hearted, or for the thrifty souls hunting for cheap flights, be forewarned. Apparently, non-stop and direct flights refer to two completely different scenarios. A direct flight can often be as discombobulated as your great aunt's story about her friend’s neighbour's cousin that met Elvis at the state fair. On a direct flight, there will be layovers, and connecting flights and possibly a merry dance throughout the unfathomable vastness of American airspace.

But let's return to the drama at hand. Should you choose to fly 'non-stop' from Wrangell to Greater Rochester, prepare yourself for a high-altitude ballet of boredom and awe, interspersed with bouts of contemplative introspection and desperate attempts to convince your body that the economy class seat is indeed comfortable. You will fluctuate between marvelling at the in-flight services and internally criticizing the dreary choice of mainstream movies.

Should you muster the courage to select a round-trip ticket, endure your journey, and eventually return to your Alaskan starting point, salute yourself, gallant traveller. You have indeed traversed a great geographical divide. From Wrangell, nestled amidst the raw beauty of Alaska, the state so large you could fit 75 New Jerseys inside it (an incredible but utterly random fact), to the considerably less expansive, but industrially charming reaches of Rochester, you will have completed a truly epic American journey.

Your luggage, hopefully still intact and reasonably identifiable, will have circumnavigated the baggage allowance rules by the skin of its zippers, chuckling softly as it narrowly avoids the fate of being tossed into the 'overweight' category. Your frequent flyer miles will have multiplied like caffeinated rabbits, giddy at the prospect of your next airborne jaunt.

Flight cancellation policy and fortune permitting, your return flight won't resemble an adrenaline fuelled episode of 'Last-minute flights: The Desperate Hours'. Rather, it will be an occasion to muse over the marvel of aviation, to recollect stories of the places visited and the people met, and to plan the next gallant expedition.

Mayhap, the business class ticket will lure you with its siren song of more legroom and fancier fare. Or, your travel experiences could turn you into a wise sage, ensconced forever in the heart of Alaska, narrating stories about your airborne foray to those brave or bored enough to listen.

Either way, in the grand lifecycle of daring airborne adventurism, from the eager anticipation of departure, the unexpected thrill of miles high turbulence to the sweet relief of touchdown, consider yourself initiated to the curious club of trans-America explorers. Bon Voyage!