July 14-20, 2024

Even for enthusiastic travelers, the past twelve months have been a whirlwind year of travel. The most significant trip, however, was a one-way trip to Durango, Colorado. After twenty-three years in Flagstaff, we pulled stakes and moved to Durango. The ‘sweet sorrow’ of parting was eased somewhat by the warm embrace of family, friends, and our wonderful new neighbors in Durango.

With the ink on the documents barely dry, and some boxes still unpacked, we did the obvious and set off on a three week trip to Wisconsin with the grandkids. Immediately upon our return, we completed packing for another  adventure – this time to the Great White North.

This trip has its origins in random web surfing more than a decade ago. I came across a company offering a “Mothership” experience. Each day is spent kayaking coastal wilderness. Each evening is spent aboard a small boat offering good food and a dry place to sleep. It sounded amazing, but alas, it was a champagne experience beyond our beer budget means. A decade later, however, Sharon found a similar but somewhat more affordable Mothership experience in Seward, AK. One thing led to another, and a plan was hatched. Sharon and I are to be joined by four good friends at the end of July for a Mothership journey into Kenai Fjords National Park. It promises to be an amazing experience.

As is often the case though, Sharon came up with a slight…wrinkle. Why not combine this kayak trip with a bike trip? Since we’re going to be in AK, why not pedal from Anchorage to Seward. And then, why not ride partway home through Canada to … let’s say … Calgary! Why not indeed! It should be noted, that wrinkle was conceived of prior to the stress of our decision to move, selling and buying homes, packing and unpacking, adjusting to life in a new community (and spending three weeks with the grand kids in Wisconsin). That note will become relevant later. Still, we made all the necessary preparations for both an epic kayak trip and bike ride.

And that, dear reader, is how we found ourselves on yet another plane on our way to another captivating corner of the globe. And, as always, we hope you will make the journey with us.

Tuesday, July 16, 2024: The most notable event of this day was not our flight from Durango to Anchorage. That honor goes to my lovely bride who celebrated the completion of another successful trip around the sun!! Nothing says “Happy Birthday” quite like 15 hours in airports and on airplanes!  

It was well past our bedtime when we arrived in the land of the midnight sun.  Unfortunately, our bikes didn’t make the trip with us. American Airlines decided they would prefer a later flight. Nothing for it but to hail a cab and wait for (hopefully) a cheerful reunion on the morrow. 

Wednesday, July 17, 2024:

Our first full day was full of happy reunions, generous strangers, and typical, challenging AK weather. First, we reunited with our bikes, and in short order, were ready to ride. Outside a local bike shop, we met a young man who had just completed a ride from Skagway to Anchorage. He graciously gifted us his bear spray and a fuel cannister – neither of which are welcome on airplanes. Then it was lunch and catch up with old friends, former classmates, and co-workers. Thanks Kay, John, Jeff, Deb, Colleen and Jane for a lovely afternoon.

Eventually, it came time to point the Konas south along the Seward Highway. Of course the rare sunny weather gave way to  more typical rain. Some might say we chose…poorly! The steady rain and spray from passing vehicles was annoying, but partially offset by a vigorous tailwind. Two miles shy of our planned camp for the night, we were lured in by the promise of $8 cheeseburgers at the Brown Bear Bar.

Fortified by hot food, cold beer, and congenial surroundings, we decided to push on through the rain another fourteen miles to Girdwood. Even though it meant arriving well past our bedtime, we reckoned we’d have more options there to wait out tomorrow’s forecasted day of rain.

Winners and losers: Winner-  Neoprene paddling gloves turned out to be a brilliant choice for cycling in 50 degree rain. Why haven’t we thought of this before? Winner – My new Arcteryx Beta rain jacket performed flawlessly. It is a significant improvement over my 15 year old dead bird (aka Arcteryx) jacket. Loser – Our new Nemo tent. Granted, these were tough conditions, but rain and condensation combined to drop moisture on our faces far exceeded anything we experienced in our now-retired ten year old REI tent. Curse you REI for changing the design and leading us to this choice.

Thursday, July 18, 2024: Yesterday’s decision to ride far into the evening through persistent rain seems especially brilliant today. As advertised, it rained all day. Not to worry! We happily made use of the spacious pavilion in the campground. We made good use of the Girdwood library. We quaffed beer and made new friends at the Girdwood Brewery. Other than limiting our view of the surrounding mountains, the rain bothered us not all.

Friday, July 19, 2024: Nothing like a few days of rain to help you appreciate the glorious rays of sunshine that greeted us this morning. No surprise, but it turns out we have similar tastes in cycling. We prefer sunshine over rain, tailwinds vs infernal headwinds, flat or downhill vs uphill. We’re easily pleased. On this particular day, we were granted the trifecta of cycling goodness. Flat. Blue skies. Tailwind. Until we started climbing! Still, as Meatloaf famously sang, “Two outa three ain’t bad!” And so it went all day. Thank you AK!

The day ended on both a literal and figurative high point. Thanks to all our climbing, the ride from Summit Lake to Seward will be mostly downhill. Score one for the team. Next, we rode into a full campground and scored a walk-in tent site. Yay team!

Saturday, July 20, 2024: Long days breed lazy mornings. If the sun can loaf around all day and not bother to wander over to the horizon until 11:00pm, there is very little incentive to start our day at the proverbial butt crack of dark. So we had a lie in. We lounged about camp, had a bite and leisurely got our kit sorted When we could find no other reason not to, we bid “adieu” to Summit Lake.

Our leisurely start carried on through the day. We did a small hike. We stopped in the almost comatosely laid-back community of Moose Pass for snacks. We bought fudge. And unbelievably, we scored the very last camp site in the lovely Primrose Campground nestled on the shore of Kenai Lake.

And so ends the first days of our trip. It was, and is, everything we hoped for and love about travel. We’re looking forward to exploring Seward and the surrounding area. But more about that next week. Until then, Seize the Carp!