My Travels    NYC Trip    The Windows	Alaska Pictures of the Day #5 Hood Cabin - Lake Hood has a feel a bit like Chautauqua Lake. Folks decorate their cabins with a flair of their own. This one had a funky paint job, others sporting potted pants, big boots on the porch or aviation-themed stained glass windows. Other folks just put their feet up and hang out on their lounge chairs between flights. Lake Hood is home to over 200 float planes, some swapping their pontoons for skis in the wintertime. If you're looking for a bush pilot 10min. from downtown Anchorage, this is the place.   At The Gate - This 737-200 is getting ready for my run to Nome via Kotzebue. Both towns are only accessable by plane or boat, so a lot of what travels on them is freight, and this plane is set up for carrying a lot of it. The front half of the plane is configured for receiving "igloos", the type of container you can see being loaded into the left side of the aircraft. Passengers are limited to the rear half and enter through a door at the back. Unlike most Alaska Airline flights(I'm told), this one left ANC on time, and after a short stop in Kotzebue, made its scheduled landing in Nome. The pilot noted that feat, "I just have to tell you that we got here early so you remember that the next time." The flight reminded me a bit of some of the ones I took on Aloha Airlines, it has an easy, laid back feel. I knew I was close to the bush when I got into the terminal and there was an announcement over the small PA system, " Did anyone order a pizza from Minoli's? There's money due on it." It got quite a laugh. I knew right then I was going to like Nome.   NEXT