Two Wheels: June 28 – July 3
Monday, June 28 After eight hard days of biking, we chose to treat ourselves by riding the train to Denali. It was…nice. Pleasant views, a few pleasant people, but none of the “take your breath away” scenery we’ve come to expect. While we loafed our way south, Marshall chose to cycle from Fairbanks to Denali. We planned to meet on Wednesday before cycling the park road on Thursday.
Tuesday, June 29. Imagine our surprise when we crawled out of bed this morning to find this guy sitting at our picnic table.
Apparently suffering from separation anxiety, Marshall biked the entire 125 miles from Fairbanks in one go. On a fully loaded touring bike no less! We suddenly feel very old and feeble. He did pull off a rather impressive nap after arriving! Rain all day kept us from accomplishing much. We’d hoped to spend rainy days exploring the visitor center and science center – nope – all closed!
Wednesday, June 30. Bluebird skies…yay! I hiked/ran Healy Mt. overlook and was treated to Denali peeking out from behind some distant ridges. Not to be out done, Sharon and Marshall rode ten miles up the park road to get their own view of the peak. Afternoon was spent minimizing our gear and food for the ride into the park. There may also have been some rehydration after our morning exertion.
Thursday, July 1. Shuttle bus driver training. Scenario: You drop off three cyclists at Savage River. As they prepare to leave, choose the appropriate parting comment. Multiple choice. A) “Have a nice day.” B) “Be safe out there!” C) “Enjoy your ride!” D) “Its a long way to medical care. Don’t be a dumb ass!”
Obviously “D” is the correct answer. I immediately flashed to Forest Gump. “I hope I don’t disappoint Lt. Dan!” Trying hard not to disappoint our bus driver we set off. It was of course what we expected and hoped for. Huge views. Denali in all her majesty off in the distance. A relatively short day brought us to Igloo Creek. Sharon and Marshall were surprised by a large brown bear…wandering past the outhouse! Cool experience, but a wee bit close for comfort!
Friday, July 2. Today is the big day. 50 miles and lots of climbing to get to Wonder Lake. The ride from Igloo to Wonder Lake offered dramatic scenery on display, as well as moose, caribou, bear and…wolves. Yes! In spite of a lifetime spent outdoors, this was my first ever wolf sighting. And then to see them interacting with the bear – beyond extraordinary! The road surface and- at times – what can only be described as demonic headwinds made the ride more challenging than it needed to be. Still, well worth the effort.
Saturday, July 3. Rain and fog overnight and forecast to continue through the day. We caught an early bus back to the front of the park. Enjoyed chatting with folks on the bus. Andy from Florida is on a 12 month road trip through the US down to Argentina to see the sights…and…maybe find a soul mate. We most definitely are not alone in our wanderings. Fun to meet kindred spirits on the road. Tomorrow we celebrate the 4th by heading south to see what other adventures await in this great country of ours. Wherever you are, we hope you and your families enjoy this long holiday weekend!
Loved hearing about the bear/wolf interaction! Stay safe.