Growing up in the northern latitudes, one learns very quickly to embrace outdoor activity in the cold months. Madness lies down the path of trying to hide from the cold and snow. Thus it was that during our week in northern Wisconsin we braved the cold, the wind, the snow…and the occasional sunny day…and seized the carp outside.
In our humble, yet devastatingly accurate opinion, Wisconsin has the best secondary road system in the country. Thus we would have been remiss if we didn’t sample some northern tarmac while we were here. It did not disappoint – even if we did have to wear down jackets and winter clothes.
Biking old haunts, backroads and favorite trails
Given that water freezes at 32 degree, the car thermometer and snow flurries did give me a moment of pause. Perhaps…just maybe we’d moved beyond prime paddling season? No! Conditions just guaranteed I didn’t have to worry about bugs, sunscreen, or tourists. With the right gear I actually had some excellent paddling on local lakes.
For us, these outdoor activities were a necessity, and were quite fun. As always though, the best part of this week – much like last – was the chance to spend time with family. We talked, played games, did puzzles, crossed several items off Mom’s “honey do” list, did some baking (and eating – lots of eating), and just generally relaxed and had a great time. Sharon also took the opportunity to visit and share memories were her cousins at the family cottage. They all lived next door all through their childhood, so they are really more like brothers and sisters to Sharon. Sharon also got together with some former co-workers from her time in Rhinelander. No photos of that evening were available to the press. I’ll let that fact speak for itself. Apparently what happens at Dawn’s house stays at Dawn’s house!
Sharon and cousins
Cousin’s cottage
Mom and a content cat
prepping for a northern winter
This being Wisconsin, there are plenty of bars – but only one microbrew in Rhinelander. In keeping with our microbrew fact finding mission, we spent an entertaining afternoon enjoying the staff, the beer, and two fun couples from Florida visiting Wisconsin for the first time.
And thus draws to close a lovely week in the Northwoods. As much as we love Flagstaff and the west, there is a special place in our hearts for Rhinelander. I spent much of my childhood here. Sharon and I met and married here. And of course Mom is here. I can’t imagine leaving the west, but it is always a joy to be able to return “home” from time to time.
Monday, September 27. Question: When are we happiest not being on two wheels? Answer: Days like today!
“The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play, so we sat in the pub on that cold, cold wet day. I sat there with Sharon, we sat there we two. I said, ‘How I wish we had something to chew.” Too wet to go out, too wet to play ball, so we sat in the pub, we ate pretzels and all. And all we could do was to eat, drink, eat, drink, and we liked it a lot, not only a bit.” – The Cat in the Hat (Dave and Sharon style
Tuesday, September 28. Irrational optimism reigned supreme this morning. Surely, the sun will shine today and allow us to combine biking with some hiking in the Redwoods of Jedediah Smith State Park. That worked right up until it didn’t. We hadn’t even gone a mile when the rains came. Back to camp. An hour later we decided a drive would be nice. Good call as it rained on and off . We still managed to sneak in three lovely hikes. I can share pics and use a thesaurus worth of synonyms to describe the redwoods…but really, you just need to see them for yourselves.
Wednesday, September 29. Once again we turned to the Konas to experience the redwoods. We found a loop that included a coastal hiking/biking trail and a scenic highway. The coastal trail was definitely more hike than bike, and became a full body workout. We ended the day though having seen a remote stretch of coastline, elk, and more of the amazing redwoods.
Every bikers dream ride
“Are we sure this is the trail?”
Another highlight of the day was meeting Ann. An experienced rider, she is making her way from home in Port Angeles down the coast as far as time and desire allow. After chatting a bit, we agreed to camp together a few miles down the road at Patrick’s Point. Ann’s suggestion was brilliant. The views were amazing. In spite of the damp and cold, we stayed up way later than normal, talking and trading stories.
Thursday, September 30. Travel day. Left the coast and headed inland through Redding and Sacramento on our way to South Lake Tahoe. Lots of evidence of the fires that ravaged this area as well as beautiful areas that deserve more exploration.
Friday, October 1. Twenty-nine degrees this morning. Summer, it seems, is well and truly over. Not to be deterred, we donned our down and set off down (or in this case – UP) the road to an overlook high above Lake Tahoe. The lake lives up to the hype. As much as we enjoyed the overlook, and the climb to get there (not), the boats seemed like the better option for enjoying Tahoe. We chose…wisely. An added bonus of biking and a few hours on the water was a healthy appetite. We continued our Great Western Pub Crawl with a visit to the Lake Tahoe Aleworx. Excellent pizza and pints.
Saturday, October 2. Forty some years ago when I left Prudhoe Bay, I never imagined some day I would return to the Slope. During that original summer I met the most amazing person I’d ever encountered. Suzanne embraced life and adventure like no one I had ever met. I was inspired by her generosity and openness to life. For a few years after that summer, we kept in touch. She and her partner (and eventual husband John) would send the occasional postcard from Fiji, or Skagway, or some other far flung location. As happens though, we eventually lost touch.
On Saturday, we had a happy reunion at Suzanne and John’s home thirty minutes from Lake Tahoe. Not surprisingly, they had spent a lifetime working and traveling the world. It was such a joy sharing stories and finding that time has not diminished their adventurous spirit in the least.
We ended the day in Reno. Tomorrow Sharon will be leaving to spend ten days with her folks. For the past six months, we have been together 24/7. It will be a bit odd wandering around northern Nevada on my own. Not sure yet what I’ll do…the no plan plan is firmly in place. I look forward to finding out along with all of you where this road leads. Until next week…STC!
Sunday, September 12. Poor road design yet again! Where do they find these engineers? I get saving money by having absolutely no shoulder on the road. Why pay to pave something that pick up trucks aren’t going to drive on, right? Makes perfect sense. Sure, it’s inconvenient, possibly even deadly for bicyclists, but we don’t belong on the road anyway! No, what I don’t understand are the unnecessary hills. I’m no engineer, or physicist, but the lake looks flat. Seems reasonable to assume that a road along a lake might also be flat – but NOOOO! Up and down and up and down!! Enough already! But I digress…
It was actually a lovely ride from Flathead Lake into Big Fork and then on into Kalispell! At the cleverly named Kalispell microbrew we had fun chatting up three folks who had just finished a through hike of the Continental Divide trail. Then a local cyclist gave me the skinny on the active year round bike scene in Kalispell. Sounds like a cool, active community. Like many other cool, active communities they are getting over run by work-at-home folks and people fleeing California and Texas. Eventually we moved on to microbrew #2 to watch the Green Bay Packers high school team get destroyed by a real NFL team…’nuf said.
Monday, September 13. A not great ride along a busy highway to Whitefish. The town, however, was pretty great. Visited with Whitney for several hours at Jersey Boys Pizzaria. Interesting how we viewed our respective bike trips. For us, this journey was the logical continuation of active lives spent outdoors. For Whitney, this trip was like stepping through a doorway into an alternate universe. A place where seemingly impossible tasks…like bicycling across the country, or around the world suddenly becomes possible! We parted ways with the knowledge that we will almost certainly meet again.
Tuesday, September 14. Last day on (near) the road. Lengthy lie in. A series of conversations – first with the campground trio of youngsters, then Dom and Donna at the lake, then Heidi at the farmers market. Nice folks all. Did I mention tasty food at the farmer’s market? Excellent music. Strolling around town and sitting by the lake. All the necessary ingredients for a relaxing last day to reflect on the previous 102 days. The day ended with us heading west on the Amtrak Empire Builder.
Wednesday, September 15. Amtrak spit us out at Everett. Several friendly locals helped us navigate the bus system. For the princely sum of $4 we were efficiently whisked from Everett all the way to Bellingham. Amtrak refunded the $48 they were going to charge us for a similar bus ride five hours later in the day. A delicious lunch with Cailie was followed by a quick ride up the hill to the Buckingham casa. One hundred and three days after leaving, our two wheel odyssey was officially over!
By the numbers…
103 days.
2,700 miles
600+ miles of gravel roads
4 flat tires
29 degrees…coldest biking temp
12,126’…highest elevation while biking (Cottonwood Pass, CO)
54 nights camping
10 grizzly bear sightings
22 hotel nights
27 nights spent with family/friends
6 different states
As I’ve noted elsewhere, numbers don’t tell the story. So in no particular order, here are some thoughts about this journey…
– During his long run, Forrest Gump stopped one day in Monument Valley and said, “I’m pretty tired…I think I’ll go home now!” That pretty much describes how our trip ended. Very anticlimactic.
– Our country is awesome! That word is over used to the point of being almost meaningless…but it fits. This country of ours regularly “inspired or induced feelings of awe!” So many images come to mind. The Brooks Range panorama. The endless expanse of the arctic. A grizzly mom and her cubs. A male grizzly sprinting at full speed (awesomely terrifying). Denali. A broaching whale. A tidewater glacier up close. The Rocky mountains.
– Social media would have you believe the world is a scary place filled only with horrible people. Turn off your devices! Ignore social media! Go! Interact with real people! With the possible exception of Idaho, people were almost universally kind, curious, generous, encouraging, and friendly. And if I’m honest, many people we met in Idaho were pretty cool as well! Consider just a few examples…
Pipeline workers stopped to share massive chocolate cookies and rice krispie treats.
Tom and Amanda gave us the use of their vacation home in Valdez.
Kay and John hosted and fed us in Anchorage, and allowed us the use of their Deshka cabin.
People regularly gave us rides through construction zones, dangerous stretches of road, or just when we needed a lift.
People regularly stopped to see if we were OK or if we needed anything.
An 11 year old boy caught and gifted us with salmon filets for lunch.
A restaurant owner in Walden comped us a meal for our anniversary. A Palmer couple let us camp in their yard and made us salmon burgers. A woman drove out of her way into Girdwood to buy us a beer.
So many people invited us to share their campfire, shared their stories, invited us to share ours, shared their knowledge, and their time.
– We worked very hard for many years to be physically and financially able to take a trip like this. Having said that, we recognize what a gift we’ve been given and what a privilege to be able to spend three plus months on the road. We also recognize the rare gift we have with each other. To not just tolerate, but enjoy spending 24/7 with another person through some grueling conditions…that is a rare gift indeed.
Wanderlust is a powerful force. In addition to the 3+ months bike tour, we’ve been away from home since mid April…and we’re not yet missing a more sedentary life. Ongoing thank you to Jack and Abby for taking care of business for us in Flagstaff. We’re both looking forward to new adventures. Having said that, we’re going to enjoy the luxurious life onboard the Tardis and Bumpy3 for awhile. We will continue to see where we’ll be able to go in the future,, and from that decide where we want to go.
Thank you all for traveling along with us. I really appreciated the comments and encouragement both on and offline. As an FYI…while we’re traveling on six wheels, I’m going to take a break from weekly posts. If something interesting comes up I’ll definitely share. Otherwise, figure that no news is good news. Seize the Carp and make your own adventures!
Sunday, September 5. All across Wyoming we’d pointed our front wheel toward Yellowstone. Then at the very doorstep, we had second thoughts. Heavy holiday traffic with no shoulder to ride on…mmm, no thank you! Instead, we found a gravel road that cut west across the northern end of the Tetons into Idaho. “We can do gravel!” we said. So we did! We ended up at a very nice and eerily quiet campsite near the top of our climb across the ridge.
Monday, September 6. Today was meant to be a relatively easy day. Mostly downhill and flat into Ashton, ID. Instead, in the words of a fellow cyclist, the road was “kind of chunky”. Loose, bone jarring chunky gravel road. Not so easy, it turns out. Turns out, also quite by accident, we found ourselves, on the Continental Divide mountain bike route. Consequently we came across more riders in one morning than we’d met our entire trip so far. All were planning to ride all the way from Canada to Mexico. That’s some pretty hard core stuff.
Texas and Michigan
New Hampshire Jeff
Bell, Luke and David
A few of our fellow bikers
In Ashton we gorged on excellent pizza, then rode another six miles to a spot along the Henry Fork River. What looked to be a quiet place to camp was a veritable animal menagerie. We caught the Sandhill Crane rush hour after work. Hundreds came flying over on their commute home, all making their distinctive call. Up the road hundreds of cows were bellowing and bawling…not really sure what was going on there. Nearby a lively community of coyotes was having choir practice. Not to be outdone, the elk joined the chorus. Interesting night!
Tuesday, September 7. Best stop so far. Falls Drug store in St Anthony. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast for $3.77 each! You read that right. Unheard of! The huckleberry malt we had for breakfast dessert cost more. (You realize breakfast dessert is a thing, right?) The rest of the day alternated between sublime and sadistic. Sublime, flat, smooth, tailwind assisted riding gave way to rough gravel that led out into a sadistic Mad Max waterless wasteland. Back in civilization, Shane at the sheriff’s office gave us permission to camp next door in the Dubois city park. A lovely end to a long day.
Sweat glands all functioning
Wednesday, September 8. To say the landscape today was butt ugly would be an insult to ugly butts everywhere.
In addition to the bleak landscape, people here seem not “too full of themilk of human kindness”. Those who acknowledge our presence at all, do so with a sort of sullen indifference. Sorry Idaho, you’re not winning hearts and minds. After forty unpleasant miles we decided to bag it and hitch a ride north. Right! Did I mention sullen indifference? What kind of people ignore two frail (yet friendly) senior citizens – literally in the middle of nowhere? For an hour and a half! In 90+ degree heat! We were not thinking kind thoughts of Idaho or Idahoans when Rob circled back to see if we needed anything. He then drove us 20 miles past his turn off to drop us in the nearest town. Well played. Faith in humanity partially restored. (Note to Idaho…the rest of you are not off the hook yet).
The scenery did improve as we moved north. Unfortunately we could see very little of it because of the dense smoke and ash from all the fires. The smell was so overpowering we sought refuge in a B&B in Baker.
Thursday, September 9. Another unhealthy, smoky, smelly day. We biked into Salmon and decided to play thumb roulette again. Craig seemed awesome. Offered to drive us forty miles north to the top of Lost Trail pass. Conversation started with his high end custom car building business. ( He’s the real deal). By the end we were hearing about gov’t death threats because he’d discovered a cure for cancer. We were super grateful for his generosity. We were super grateful to have survived the wild ride in his mega customized (insanely fast) 1,000 hp pickup truck. We were extremely grateful to be out of the truck and back on two wheels again! Apparently hitch hiking is also of like a box of chocolates…
Thanks Craig
By days end we’d arrived in Darby, MT. Local veterinarian Tom and wife Barbara graciously allowed us to set up behind their clinic. Not only that, but also gave us great local beta on the best food, and stopped by after work to make sure we had everything we needed. Thanks Tom and Barbara
Barbara and Tom
Smoky clinic camp
Friday, September 10. Early start. Huge breakfast in Darby then our longest day yet! I’d like to talk about the beauty of the Bitteroot mountains, but we could only just make out their faint outline through the smoke. Basically, just a long day! We were excited to stay with Ethel, our Warmshower host for the evening. We met 83 year old Ethel bike touring through Alaska! She and her 70 year old friend biked from Seward to Fairbanks. So what’s your excuse? While at Ethel’s we met Whitney, her other guest for the evening. Whitney has biked most of the way across country by herself and was a joy to be with. By evening’s end we’d made plans to spend some time biking together.
Ethel and Terry in Wasilla, AK
Ethel at home in Missoula
Saturday, September 11. After biking 12 miles across town, Mark graciously ferried us 62 miles into Polson. From there we rode another 13 miles along Flathead Lake to Blue Bay campground. Meanwhile, Ethel’s neighbor Ann was showing Whitney the sights and eventually dropped her off at camp. We had a fun evening with Whitney swapping stories around the first campfire of our trip.
Whitney, Ann and Sharon
The smile says it all
Flathead lake sunset
Perhaps you noticed that during this past week there has been a significant amount of vehicle assisted travel. While we are still very much looking forward to more bike touring, we are ready for this portion of our journey to be over. So today we purchased a ride on Amtrak to take us from Whitefish to Bellingham. We still have a few days to bike and see the sights of northern Montana, but the end is now in sight. Definitely a bittersweet moment, but after 3+ months of two wheel travel we can begin to imagine some new adventures. Maybe a bicycle tour with Whitney around Mt Rainier. Perhaps some hiking, or sea kayaking, or day rides on empty bikes. So many different ways to seize the carp!
Sunday, August 29. Today – People often ask what we do all day while we’re riding. Usually we ride together, admire the scenery and chat. At times, pace and road conditions lead us to ride apart. Sharon will occasionally listen to a podcast or an audio book. I have a little Bluetooth speaker and prefer music. Other times I will ponder the question of life, the universe, and everything…and other mysteries, such as…
I wonder if we could fund our retirement selling used bungee cords found along the road?
Who is in such a hurry that they need to pee in a soda bottle and chuck it out the window? Related question…how does one pee in a small neck soda bottle while driving?
I’m would love to know why a broken vibrator ended up alongside the road, and how it got broken…or maybe not!
Are there mates on the other side of the road for all the single gloves laying in the ditch on my side of the road?
Why does the driver of a behemoth semi-sized RV not need the training and special license required of a semi driver? 🤔
Hey Colorado! Roads don’t have to end at the white line! Wyoming has nice wide, smooth shoulders. Just sayin’
These are just a few of the odd places my mind wanders when I’m not paying attention to it. The route from Riverside to Rawlins was interesting and pleasant enough that my brain stayed home most of the day. After restocking our pantry, we found a nice wild camping spot spot a few miles north of town.
Fun with hay bales.
More fun with hay bales…
Wild camp north of Rawlins
Smoky sunrise
Monday, August 30. The blood red sun and early winds felt ominous. We expected a brutal day until the wind shifted to something called a ‘tailwind.’ I wasn’t sure what that was, so I looked it up. Turns out we like it. On the way to Jeffrey City we crossed the Continental Divide twice. We passed through an area that seemed like it belonged in Nevada. We were regularly surprised by the scenery served up by Wyoming. When at long last we arrived at Jeffrey City, we enjoyed chatting with Bill over a cold beer. A life long resident of this sad little town, he filled us in on the history, the scandals, and his own (fascinating) life story.
That evening we stayed at community church that hosts bikers on the Transamerica route. This route is the cycling equivalent of the Appalachian trail, or PCT. All along its 4000+ miles there are facilities like this and people willing to help ‘through bikers’. We spent much of the evening enjoying conversations with Jim and Gregg who were cycling all the way to the east coast.
Tuesday, August 31. Just about the time I decide I’m done with Wyoming’s endless scrubby open range, it surprises with some interesting topography. Still, after a long, hot, windy day we we’re both very ready to reach Lander and free camping in a beautiful city park.
Wednesday, September 1. Technically this is only day 89 of our two wheel adventure, but it sounds cool to say we’re biking in our 4th month. No better way to celebrate than with a lie in and rest day to see the sights of Lander. Kudos to theunbelievably friendly and helpful folks at Gannett Peak Sports. For a few well spent dollars they replaced worn out chains and tweaked our tired bikes. Having someone else work on our bikes…LUXURY! Later that day we enjoyed dinner with Harrison, another biker on his way east.
Thursday, September 2. Based on advice from several folks, we skipped ahead 75 miles to Dubois, WY. HUGE thank you to Ireneus (sp?) for driving far, far out of her way to give us a ride. She happily filled us in on her life as a member of the Shoshone tribe. Our arrival in Dubois coincided with the arrival of a massive thunderstorm that seemed intent in hanging around. Good enough reason for a hotel, hot tub and hot shower.
Friday, September 3. Today we said good-bye to the open range, and hello you lovely mountains…finally! The wide open spaces were a nice change of pace…for awhile. We were quite happy to slog uphill all day to creep over Togwotee (TOE-go-tee) Pass. We were also quite ready to be done. As I write this we are comfortably reclined in our tent in a high meadow listening to elk bugling, coyotes yipping and a creek bubbling. Sublime!
Saturday, September 4. As expected at 8,500′ it was a frosty night. Going forward we’re going to keep elevation in mind as we pick our camp spots.
Even during Labor Day weekend, it was a pretty chill day riding into Teton National Park. National parks have started offering hiker/biker camping. Sites are almost always available – and at a reduced rate. We snagged a spot at Colter Bay. First order of business,, fixing our fourth flat tire, and also replaced worn brake pads. Maintenance completed, it was a relaxing afternoon.
Big picture, we’re now looking at Sandpoint, Idaho as our final biking destination. From there it looks like we can catch Amtrak to Seattle, and possibly Bellingham. That will give us a few more weeks of relaxed riding instead of having to crush big days to make it all the way to Bellingham in our time frame. Short term we’re going to bypass the traffic and narrow roads of Yellowstone by taking a remote gravel road across the northern Tetons into Idaho before heading north. Another stupid fun adventure! Whee!
So until next week…Seize the Carp! And for all you Flagstaff Imogene runners…have a great weekend! We’ll be thinking of you all!
Sunday – Tuesday, August 22 -24. Another day…another herd of cows to help us greet the new day. Actually they were being herded by a young lady on a quad who scolded us for camping on private land. Upon learning that we called Flagstaff home, she said “Well, at least you’re not from California! I guess you’re all right!” We were glad to hear that!
Five miles down the road, we met with Kevin. He’d driven down from Loveland to climb with friends and we’d planned to drive back to spend a few days with he and Katie. Spent a nice day hanging with Kevin, Katie and their friends Mel and Aron at the crags.
Given the urban sprawl that is Denver and its environs, it made sense that to accept a ride from Kevin and Katie in order to visit them in Loveland. We spent a wonderful few days there enjoying time at a beach, playing games, sampling tasty Mo-Jo (Moore-Johansen) vegan cooking, and just hanging out. I won’t say it was a well deserved rest, but it was truly appreciated.
Wednesday, August 25. Fifteen miles up the road we stopped to meet up with former co-worker, former Flag resident, and current dear friend Glen. It was great catching up. And while it would have been nice to spend more time, the day was heating up and we had some miles to travel. The canyon containing the Cache la Poudre river was to be our home for the next few days. Beautiful!
My new mascot…Ellie Elephant
Thursday, August 26. Anticipating more warm weather, we got an early start. The headwinds, anticipating our early start, got an even earlier start and reduced our forward progress to an almost glacial pace. On the plus side, this gave us plenty of time to enjoy more of the lovely Poudre river canyon. The downside was that we were barely making 4 miles an hour in our ‘no hero gear’ up a very gradual incline. Late in the day we gratefully accepted a lift up the last seven miles to the top of Cameron pass. Thank you Duncan and Julie.
Seriously paranoid landowner
Flood aftermath
Trail Angels
At one point during the day, we rode through an area that had burned the previous summer. Just a few weeks prior to our visit, massive mudslides and flooding claimed four lives and caused significant damage. Certainly helped put our whinging about a headwind into perspective.
Friday, August 27. Thunderstorms made for quite a wild night. In spite of all the theatrics, our sturdy little tent allowed us to sleep peacefully through most of the drama. Friday morning dawned cold and clear with temps in the mid 30’s. While we’re still getting some toasty days,, it’s becoming clear that summer is beginning to wane. The wind, obviously feeling guilty about the poor showing yesterday, decided to help us the final 24 miles into Walden.
Walden was the perfect place to prepare for what could be some challenging riding across Wyoming. We treated ourselves to a massive breakfast, a hotel room, a hot tub, and then more food at “All Smoked Up” BBQ. Clearly we haven’t met all 870 residents, but Walden has to be in the running for “friendliest town” ever. Gas station and grocery store clerks, hotel folks, restaurant servers and owners…all were smiling and pleasant.
Larry and Shannon were over the top. Larry came to our table and thanked us for coming to his restaurant. As we chatted about our trip, we mentioned that we were splurging on dinner and a hotel to celebrate our anniversary from a few days prior. He insisted that our BBQ dinner was free. Thank you.
Saturday, August 28. Today we traded the mountains and canyons of Colorado for wide open Wyoming. That’s not to say there was no climbing. The hills were measured in single digit miles instead of double digits. It looked like we were going to have an ‘easy’ fifty mile day until a malicious headwind almost ground us to a halt. Still, we finished relatively early and had a relaxing afternoon/evening complete with shower.
Lazy Acres in Riverside
It’s been another interesting week. There have been some mentally tough and physically demanding days. We’ve also had some beautiful, rewarding, and relaxing days as well. We’re currently in good spirits and ready to continue on. We appreciate the encouragement that’s come our way.
Small side note: Saturday was our 85th day on two wheels and we just surpassed 2,000 miles…400 of those in Colorado and Wyoming. Clearly there have been lots of rest days off the bikes. Also of note…if you don’t count flying into Colorado, after three months we finally biked across our first state border.
Sunday, August 1. This particular Sunday was not to be a day of rest. Rather, it was up and over a seemingly endless series of unnecessary hills from Clam Gulch to Homer – famous for the Spit extending into Kachemak Bay. It’s five mile length makes it one of the longer spits in the world. Which, as I’m sure you all know, pales in comparison to the longest in the world – the 68 mile long Arabat Spit in the Sea of Azov.
View from the last ‘hill’ before dropping into Homer
Homer Spit was both spectacular…and disagreeable. The world famous Spit checked all the positive boxes…ocean, seals, sea otters and sea birds, beach walking with views of the bay and snow capped peaks beyond. Unfortunately it also checked all the boxes for being an over priced tourist trap. We chose to enjoy the former and ignore the latter. We did have one serendipitous moment. A young local (Hayley) saw our bikes and sought us out. She had toured extensively in Asia and offered some great insights and ideas for us to ponder.
Unique Homer housing
1st night on the beach
The last night…
Monday/Tuesday, August 2-3. The sign identifies Homer as “The End of the Road.” Turns out, Homer was in fact the end of the road for us. We spent time on the Spit pondering our options, our timelines, our desire for more adventure, as well as all the events beyond our control. We finally concluded that the time had come to end this chapter of our story. We spent much of our last daily Homer sitting on the beach reflecting on the past two months. We talked about the people we’ve met, and all that we’ve seen and done. As all the BLE folks in Flagstaff know, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad ithappened!” We’ve decided we can be both…and we are.
Wednesday, August 4. Six days of hard biking were undone in less than six hours. Having experienced the route from Anchorage to Homer on two wheels, the same sights barely registered when simply viewed from a bus. With no effort on our part, we arrived back in the big city to a day filled with preparations to leave. Happily we also found time to have a wonderful evening with a former high school classmate and his lovely bride. Unbeknownst to me, Jeff and Debbie have made Anchorage their home for the past 26 years.
Thursday, August 5. One last bike around town and the bikes were once again relegated to the status of luggage.
The highlight of the day was meeting up with our Warmshower hosts from Palmer, Chelsea and Gerrit. Chelsea (certified badass biker) completed an epic bikepacking ride of her own while we were loafing around Valdez and Anchorage. It was fun comparing notes and meeting some of Gerrit’s friends. It was an evening filled with entertaining conversation, superb pizza and tasty beer. Thanks Chelsea, Gerrit – and Moose’s Tooth Pizza for a memorable send off!
Friday, August 6. Goodbye Alaska! It’s been fun getting to know you. Now that we know where you live, we’ll try not to be strangers.
And just like that…a few hours and several thousand miles later we find ourselves, of all places, in Durango. If you’ve been keeping track, you may recall that our truck and trailer are in Bellingham, Washington. We are not geographically challenged. We realize Durango is nowhere near Bellingham. However, a certain young lady will be celebrating her third birthday this week – an event not to be missed! And, since Canada insisted on making southbound travel difficult and uncertain, we thought, “Let’s celebrate a birthday AND then bike north to Bellingham!” Win-win!
Durango welcoming comittee!
Saturday/Sunday, August 7-8. When we arrived in Durango, Aaron, Vanessa, and the grandkids were away on a San Juan River trip. We used the time until their Sunday evening return doing laundry, shopping, bike maintenance, as well as some serious loafing!
When the magic moment finally arrived, the looks of surprise and excitement from Oliver and Kiri were priceless. We’re all looking forward to spending some quality time together. So far the week is looking good.
Grandma reading “Peter Rabbit”
At some point this week we’ll have some hard decisions to make regarding route. But that’s for later. For now we’ll focus on enjoying family and acclimating to life outside of Alaska.
Just to change things up a bit this week, rather than do a day by day journal, I’ll do something of an overview. From Anchorage on Sunday, we followed the road south with stops at Girdwood (1 night), Hope (2), Jean Lake (1), Soldotna (2), and Clam Gulch (1). As usual, we’ve had some wonderful experiences.
Along Turnagain Arm we were fortunate to follow an incoming bore tide. Amazing to see the power of the tide – as well as the surfers, SUP riders and kayakers riding the wave. As we we’re riding along following the progress of the bore tide, we met Debbie. Even though she was on her way home to Anchorage, she followed us to the Girdwood Brewery and insisted on buying us a beer. Trail Magic #1. At the brewery we met Bill and Marina from Truckee. They had just finished a five day sea kayak trip out of Valdez. They shared some incredible stories of kayaking in the same area we took our boat tour. The best was their description of a hunting pod of whales. One of the pictures below was from their trip.
Turnagain Arm bore tide
Pics from Bill and Marina’s kayak trip
Bill and Marina…toasting Debbie’s generosity
Next day we made our way to Hope. Hope was exactly what you’d imagine an Alaskan village would look like. Most of the buildings date back to a gold rush in the late 1800’s. Back then as many as 3000 people lived in the area, hoping to strike it rich. Today fewer than 200 hardy souls call it home. We decided it looked like the perfect place to spend an extra day. As usual, the best memories came from some of the folks we met. In the Sea View bar we met family friends of the Seward Olympic swimmer – Lydia Jacoby. They were proud beyond belief. Fellow camper eleven year old Jacob caught and fileted a pink salmon for us. Trail Magic #2. We promptly fried it up for lunch. Delicious. In the same campground Debbie and Steve from Palmer invited us over for adult beverages around their fire. With many similar interests, we would easily see a friendship forming if distance weren’t an issue.
Main Street – Hope, AK
Jacob the mighty slayer of fish
Sea View Bar
Steve and Debbie
I had been to Soldotna several times back in the day, but remembered almost nothing about it. We enjoyed visits to both the St Elias and Kenai River breweries. We spent an off day doing laundry, meandering around town. taking our first opportunity to watch some of the Olympics, and getting caught up on chores.
Jean Lake camp
Favorite landmark
Site of my 1st taste of backcountry telemark skiing.
Prost!
After Soldotna we took a detour into Kenai to witness the spectacle that is dip netting. Apparently every AK resident head of household can dipnet 15 salmon, and 10 more for every member of the household. From what we saw at the mouth of the Kenai River, not many residents were passing on that opportunity.
Dip net action in Kenai
We also spent time planning our next few weeks. We were disappointed to learn that the normal ferry between Homer to Kodiak had been reassigned elsewhere for the first two weeks of August. That effectively removes a visit to Kodiak as an option. Not to worry. We have Homer to explore. Seward still awaits. In the meantime, we’re enjoying the journey. Hope you are enjoying yours.
Sunday, July 18. FOMO vs. RD. In the midst of sweating, slogging uphill, fighting a headwind… we fantasize about the pleasures of a rest day (RD). Sleeping in. Reading a good book. Enjoying beautiful views. Eating! On one of our rare rest days, FOMO (fear of missing out) whispers in our ear, “Go do something!! You’re missing…. something! FOMO vs. RD. On Sunday morning we listened to FOMO. We intended to hike up Mineral Creek into the mountains outside of Valdez. Rain cut that short. We took that as a sign. Later when the skies cleared, we sat by the harbor, playing cards, chatting with folks who happened by, eating, and just enjoying the little spot of loveliness that is Valdez. RD = 1. FOMO = 0
Monday, June 19. FOMO vs. RD. We’ll call this one a draw. We had talked about taking a boat tour in Seward. In an uncharacteristic change of plans (ha) we chose to seize the carp in Valdez. We chose…wisely.
Tuesday, July 20. For six hours we watched islands and bays materialize out of a foggy Prince William Sound, only to disappear back into the murk. That was the ferry ride from Valdez to Whittier. The town is much as I remember it. A not so attractive community in a stunning location. We decided to give Whittier a chance to show off. After setting up camp in a city campground, we hiked up to see the Portage glacier. It was a bargain hike. The pay off far exceeded the efforts of climbing up to the pass.. We ended the day firmly seated on the Bucks bandwagon, watching them win the NBA championship. It was a very good day.
Wednesday, July 21. Thanks to the rain arriving as predicted, we packed away a soggy mass of tent before heading to the tunnel entrance. A very friendly young man from Palmer agreed to take us through the persistent rain all the way to Anchorage. He was freshly off the PCT due to an injury. Born and raised in Palmer, he had a wealth of information to share. We appreciated the ride and enjoyed our chat.
After so many days in rural or small town AK, Anchorage was a bit jarring. We had a happy reunion with Marshal. Over lunch and a beer he regaled us with fantastic stories of camping with local homeless folks, leaping whales, and adventures with new friends and former co-workers. We parted with vague plans to meet the next day.
We ended the day chatting with friends Kay and John who have once again graciously opened their home to us. (The Deshka cabin was theirs as well)
Thursday, July 22. John and Kay work, so Marshall, Sharon and I biked some local bike trails. Beautiful. After a brief stop at 49th State Brewery, we finally parted ways with Marshall for the last time. Given the uncertainty about Canada, he is flying to Montana to continue his journey. We certainly wish him well on his travels. He will be missed.
It was fun biking around Anchorage reminiscing about my time here a lifetime ago. Later, Kay, John and I took an enjoyable romp down memory lane sharing stories of growing up in Rhinelander.
Friday, July 23. A few chores today. Sharon rode to do some errands. Kay and I strolled the beach below Kincaid park. This evening was spent getting to know a classmates lovely daughter and one of Kay’s dear friends. With access to real grocery stores and a proper kitchen, we provided home made pizza and apple pie. What a treat!
Saturday, July 24. You may have noticed, by the time we get back on the road tomorrow, we will have spent an entire week NOT bicycle touring. This is actually one of the best parts of bicycle touring. Yes, we do enjoy watching the scenery roll by while on the bike. The real point of the exercise though is to enjoy the places we visit. The bicycle just happens to be our chosen means of transport.
Today was a perfect example of enjoying a place. After doing some packing, sorting, preparing and planning, the four of us drove to Girdwood, took a pleasant hike, enjoyed a pint at Girdwood Brewery, had amazing deep fried halibut prepared by John and conversed late into the evening. An amazing day “bike touring” and nary a butt touched a bike saddle.
Fixing six weeks of wear and tear
A walk down memory lane
A walk along Crow Creek
It has been a wonderful week enjoying beautiful places and wonderful people. Thanks again to Fairbanks Tom and Amanda for allowing us to stay at their place in Valdez. And special thanks to Kay and John for being the perfect host and tour guide during our stay in Anchorage. We’re looking forward to getting back on the road to explore the Kenai peninsula…and to making some final decisions about the next portion of our journey.
Sunday, July 11. We have looked Madness in the eye and have seen the abyss. Insanity is a retired cop driving a battered pick up truck. He drove over to see who was sitting on the road 200′ over from his driveway. After using his retired cop super powers of deduction, he determined we were senior citizens riding bicycles. Then the interrogation began. “Who do you think won the election?” (Uh oh). Well…Biden is the president. “Nope!! It was all a massive fraud! Mark my words…his day is coming! Just a week ago Comey was tried by a secret military tribunal and found guilty of treason. He was executed by guillotine, just like he executed by guillotine thousands of homeless Republicans who came to FEMA’s emergency camps.” (You can’t make this stuff up) He was starting to pick up momentum now. “Do you have passports?” Umm…Yes? “You won’t get through Canada! Trudeau’s got 175,000 communist Chinese troops massed on the Alaska border. They’re just waiting for Biden to take our guns before they attack!” He was getting passionate now. “Make no mistake, he’s coming for our guns! You won’t hear about any of this on the news, but it’s a proven fact!!” He continued on, no longer bothering to ask questions before launching into his next tirade. We were ignoring him and packing to leave when someone he didn’t know drove down the side road onto the highway. Insanity fired up the beater and roared off in pursuit. We saw him a few miles down the road, grilling some unfortunate woman in a convenience store parking lot. We’ve been on the road five weeks and met dozens of wonderful people. This was our only uncomfortable and bizarre encounter. We happily left him in our rear view mirror.
Speaking of leaving people behind. With our change of plans to head to Valdez, it seems unlikely that we will cross paths with Marshal again. In spite of the Chinese army at the border, if Canada allows, he will bike south as soon as possible to continue his journey to Ushuia. If not, he will fly to Washington. It has been a tremendous pleasure spending time with a fascinating young man. I have no doubt we will meet again.
As for us, we said good bye to Chelsea (our Palmer Warmshower host) bought groceries, talked with a nutter, and landed thirty some miles down the road. The Glenn highway follows the Matanuska river and is sandwiched between the Talkeetna and Chugach mountains. Even the omnipresent headwinds did not detract from the pleasant weather and visual feast. We’re hoping for an early am start tomorrow to avoid wind and traffic. We’ll see.
Laundry on the road
Monday July 12. Nope! No early start! Sleep was deemed more important. Still, we hit the road fairly early and all day were treated to views of the Chugach range to the right, and Talkeetna mountains to our left. At our mid-afternoon food stop we pondered our dilemma. If the forecast for heavy rain for the next 36 hours was accurate (doubtful) that meant lots of soggy time in our tent. What to do? How about camp out under a highway bridge? It was unbelievably quiet and protected us from the rain all afternoon and evening.
Matanuska glacier
Super cool “wilderness” campsite
Tuesday, July 13. The forecast was partially right. It did rain all afternoon and evening, but at some point overnight, the rain went away. Refreshed, we decided to make the most of the dry weather and light winds to put in our longest day yet. We rode 65 miles through more magical mountain scenery. We crossed Eureka summit – apparently the highest paved road in AK at 3322′ above sea level. This achievement earned us an afternoon of mostly downhill. Perfect.
Profile of a big day in the mountains
Wednesday, July 14. A nice lazy lie in followed our big day yesterday. Still the road called and we are compelled to answer. Our first real town since leaving Palmer is Glenallen, just over an hour down (literally down) the road. Our first priority? The grocery store. It took three separate trips to sate our appetites and prepare us with a little extra for the road ahead. We turned right onto the Richardson Highway and pedaled south toward Valdez. We found a lovely place to camp next to the lovely Klutina River next to some lovely Minnesotans who were kind enough to share a beer with some thirsty cyclists.
Thursday, July 15. If you’ve been following our journey for a while, it may seem like we’re whinging a great deal about rain and hills and headwinds. Today was one of those days that remind us why we endure the hard days. No rain. Light winds. A long gradual uphill for the first part of the day was followed by a miles-long downhill through corridor of snow-capped peaks. In the midst of all that loveliness we enjoyed a new taste treat – a Russian dish called machanka – served up by the Russian owners of the Tonsina River Lodge. Our 55 mile day means that tomorrow we only have to slog our way 20 miles up Thompson pass before we get to enjoy a 30 miles down into Valdez!
Mt. Wrangel
Friday, July 16. Happy Birthday Sharon!!! 🎂 In honor of Sharon’s big day, we rode over Thompson pass and down into Valdez. According to Sharon, it was her favorite day of riding and favorite town so far. Wish I could take credit, but it was her idea to come here. I’ll say no more and let the pictures speak.
Birthday burger!
Saturday, July 17. Rest day! And, a huge thank you to Tom and Amanda (Fairbanks Warmshower host for Marshal) for the trust and generosity of allowing us to stay at their vacation place in Valdez. It has allowed us to clean and sort gear. Make plans for the future. Connect with family and friends. Cook some food. Lay on a sofa and read a book. Walk around and enjoy all that the charming little town of Valdez has to offer.
Across the harbor, the southern end of the pipeline.
Speaking of plans for the future, you may have noticed the somewhat…fluid nature of our plans. We have made some decisions. After the boat ride to Whittier on Tuesday, we going to head to Anchorage first, then explore the Kenai peninsula. This makes sense because…drum roll…it looks like we will not bike through Canada. At least, not all the way. There is still too much uncertainty involved with timing, restrictions, and whether or not we’ll find places open where we can buy food. So instead, we will likely catch the ferry all or part of the way back to Bellingham. Not to worry gentle readers. While this is a bit of a disappointment – we’re already excited about other opportunities to explore. So until next time…Seize the Carp!
PS. For those of you interested in such things, here are a few stats. As of today, we’ve been on two wheels for 43 days. We’ve camped 28 nights. We’ve spent 10 nights in hotels (mostly Fairbanks dealing with my knee). We’ve enjoyed 5 nights of hospitality in other people’s homes/cabins. In 43 days we have covered 1,266 miles – roughly half on gravel. We’ve taken 8 rest days – but only recorded zero miles biked on two of those eight rest days.
Roads traveled so far. Lots more AK that isn’t accessible by road.
Sunday, July 4. “On our own!” One month ago we set out from Deadhorse, AK. Hard to believe we’ve been on the road that long! All that time, Marshal has been playing the good boy scout, helping us old folks across the street, as it were. During his bus ride back from Wonder Lake, he was offered a free helicopter flightseeing tour. His momma didn’t drop him on his head, so he’s sticking around today to take advantage.
That means for the first time on our trip – we’re flying solo.
“I’m tired…I think I’ll lay down now!”
Mosquitos here really are big!
Only persistent headwinds kept this from being a “perfect” day. Smooth roads. Light traffic. Comfy temps. Stunning vistas, including one more peek at Denali. In spite of the fierce wind holding us back, we logged 50 miles.
Monday, July 5. Drastic headwinds call for drastic measures. That, and the threat of a storm system looming later today got us out of bed at 3am. On the plus side, no wind. On the down side, not quite 40 degrees as we hit the road. With heavy cloud cover, we had only occasional peeks at the peaks. With our early start, we were able to log 55 miles by 11am. We talked about pressing on, and might hsve except for two things. Last night it seems my snoring kept Sharon awake. She stopped my snoring by waking me up every time I fell asleep. End result – a sleepless night for both. Lack of sleep + abundance of rain = an early stop.
Tempted…but decided not to camp here!
Tuesday, July 6. Living in AZ for the past 20 years we’ve been conditioned to never complain about rain. So, we’re not complaining…but we’re also not “embracing the suck” as one ultra athlete put it. After 8 miles we decided to punt the suck and gratefully accepted a ride from trail angel Chris and family 25 miles to the Talkeetna spur rd. That left only 15 addional miles of rainy riding…well…and beer…and pizza.
Wednesday, July 7. Forecast…rain through Saturday. While we are not made of sugar, neither do we have webbed fingers and toes. Solution? Accept John and Kay’s generous offer to stay at their cabin at Deshka Landing. A lifetime ago, Kay and I lived across the street from one another and went to grade school together. The timing and location couldn’t have been better. We arrived at their wonderful retreat just as the skies opened yet again. I don’t think we’ll ever again take for granted the joy of being warm and dry.
Thursday, July 8. Rest day. Luxury! Warm, dry, comfy cabin. We took advantage of a dry spell to explore the cool location. Met the neighbors Tom and Dee…true Alaskans through and through. Checked out the Deshka Landing on the Susitna River. Fun people watching. The area around here has no roads, so people use the local rivers (the Susitna, Yentna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna) as highways in both summer and winter.
Friday, July 9. Marshal left early this morning to send off his phone for repair. We’ve decided to fully embrace the lazy life and take advantage of modern amenities…like electricity and running water. We’re spending one more day at Kay and John’s cabin. Books. Games. Movies. Sorting and cleaning clothes and gear.
The awesome Huebner cabin
Keeping up with bike maintenance
Road sign not often seen in AZ
Another rare AZ road sign.
Saturday, July 11 Friday night we were pondering the logistics and timing of getting to Anchorage, visiting with John and Kay, and getting to points beyond. Sharon came up with the idea of heading east and visiting Valdez. From there we could catch the ferry to Whittier or Homer. After sleeping on it, that became our new plan. We set out Saturday with that in mind. Our destination for the day was Palmer and the Warmshower hosts Chelsea and Garet (sp). Over a delicious dinner of salmon burgers and local hoppy beverages we heard tales of backcountry skiing, biking, climbing, pack rafting, long winter nights, the demanding life of a veterinarian (Chelsea), growing up in the middle east and working in the oil industry (Garet), life in AK and plans for the future. It was a wonderful evening.
On the unremarkable ride to Palmer, we met some remarkable ladies from Missoula…many years our senior…out on the road still kicking it. Very impressive.
Thus ends another week on the road. Challenges! Luxury! Fascinating folks! The lure of new places to discover and people to meet. Can’t wait to see what this new week brings.
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!
Wednesday, June 23. Tuesday’s “Best! Day! Ever!” put us in a positive frame of mind. The heinous headwinds and long slogs up endless hills in driving rain somehow seemed…”not so bad!” Not after a day of sunshine, tailwind and endless downhills.
All the positive vibes and good feelings got us thinking of all the wonderful people we’ve met along the way. Rather than a world of scary people intent on doing us harm, we found countless wonderful people who stopped to offer encouragement and praise. We found folks like the big rig trucker who stopped to give us her new can of bug spray “you’ll need this!” Or the big rig drivers who slowed to a crawl as they passed us. Or the pipeline workers who stopped and shared their amazing chocolate cookies and rice krispie treats. Or the couple who drove a mile back to retrieve a bear spray can that had fallen off Sharon’s bike on a bone jarring descent. Or the family who gave us their water when we camped without a water source nearby. Or the young father who gave us a package of smoked salmon. These varied acts of kindness lifted our spirits much as a strong tailwind might. It reminded us that it doesn’t take much for each us to make someone else’s day or life just a little bit better.
But I digress. We did have more downhill today. We did have more tailwind. Without much effort we covered our desired distance, restocked and enjoyed lunch at the Delta Jct IGA. We used the first cell signal in five days to take care of some business. And finally, found a lovely spot to camp along the Tanana River, complete with more views of the Alaska Range. We even had plenty of time left over to wash, to chat with Josh, a long distance cyclist who started from Prudhoe a week behind us. He is doing some big miles on his way to Panama or beyond. We spent a lovely afternoon and evening relaxing.
Chillin’
Alaska Range from camp on the Tanana River
Josh…on his way to Panama
Bath time
Thursday, June 24. Crazy night. Massive winds blew up in the middle of the night. Somehow the wind blew over us, but we all lay awake wondering when we’d get blown into the river or stomped by a falling tree. Mostly uneventful day. We did see several moose. Very hot and hilly today. While it was pleasant riding for the most part, I think we’re all getting a bit worn after seven straight days in the saddle. Tomorrow, or Saturday morning we arrive back in Fairbanks.
Lunch break
Friday, June 25. Very quick and easy ride into North Pole. While having lunch we found out via Instagram that Panama Josh crashed on a downhill and broke his collar bone! That was after the same wind storm that terrorized us shredded his tent. After considering our options, we decided to ride the rest of the way into Fairbanks. We met up with Josh at Sven’s Basecamp hostel in Fairbanks and heard his story over beer and pizza. We also met Billy, who just happened to be related to Louise, the young lady who gave us a lift into Fairbanks. Alaska may be a big state, but it is also a small world sometimes.
Louise
Sven and Louise’s cousin Billie.
Josh, aka “Lucky” after winds shredded his tent and he crashed on a descent.
Josh and the gang celebrating our reunion in Fairbanks.
Saturday, June 26. Fun night at Svens, but way too noisy. Relocated to a hotel and enjoyed a welcome rest day. Very happy to have ridden through another large, wild and wonderful chunk of AK. Somewhat bittersweet. Dan leaves for home tomorrow. Marshall is contemplating a different route. Our happy little tribe may be separating. As all you BLE people out there know, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened!” Tomorrow is another rest day as we prep for the Denali park road and beyond. More news in a week.
Monday, June 14. The contrast is almost unbelievable. Less than two weeks ago, it was 29 degrees, skies spitting rain with a stiff north wind. Ideal biking weather, right? Today we “endured” 83 degree bluebird skies with a gentle breezes to keep us cool. And, it looks like this will be our life this week while I convalesce in Fairbanks. So far the knee has responded well to the most common prescription for over use injuries. B.R.I.C.E. Beer. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.
Tuesday, June 15. Yesterday we did some easy riding around town. A little sightseeing, some errands, a visit to a medicinal microbrew with no packs and flat roads. Marshall arrived in town today. We enjoyed some pizza with his warmshowers hosts, Tom and Amanda. Super nice folks.
Pizza with Marshall, Tom and Amanda
Wednesday, June 16. More resting. Did some deep maintenance on my ride. I performed the same for Sharon when she returned from a sightseeing bike ride. We started prepping food and getting ourselves sorted for the next portion of our journey. Had a pleasant afternoon visiting again with Marshall. The tough ride south has proven to be a bonding experience for the three of us. None of us seems eager for our time together to come to an end.
Thursday, June 17. Rainy day so we got some laundry done and completed our trip prep. A final lazy day before hitting the road again. We’re ready and eager to go.
Friday, June 18. Dan found a shuttle company willing to drive us to Cantwell. With Dan’s limited time, we needed to shorten the ride to something we could reasonably do – without it being a complete sufferfest. Robin dropped us off in an empty lot in what may have been downtown Cantwell…not sure. Got our bikes and gear reassembled and headed east.
Day 1 was a good day. Warm. Sunny. Mountains to the right and left all day. Of course there were hills…nay…small mountains to climb and descend. This is AK after all!
John and Judy on a unique front recumbent tandem.
Just about the time we were ready to call it a day, Brushkana River and campground appeared. Perfect. Scored a lovely spot by the river. Another camper said, “I’d a taken that one if’n I’d a sawn it!” Rain was looming large, so we quickly set up camp and had dinner, then it was inside for the night along a lovely river.
Saturday, June 19 As soon as we emerged from our tents it was clear…this was going to be a rainy day. Fortunately we were able to pack and leave before the skies opened. Throughout the dsy there we’re only short reprieves from the wet. We tried ducking into a lodge for lunch to let the rain pass. The rain was patient and kindly waited for us. The rest of the day we dodged puddles and listened to the patter of rain drops on Gore-tex. We stayed “reliably dry” but were very ready to stop when we reached Alpine Creek Lodge.
Susitna River valley below in the distance
Camping near the lodge gave us access to a warm, dry place to hang out while the rain continued all afternoon and evening. Met some fascinating people Maria was there to run an ultra the next day. She was with her parents Jim and Olga. We gave Marshall lots of encouragement to spend time with this beautiful, talented diplomat and (we joked) his future in-laws. Not sure he really needed our encouragement.
Sunday, June 20. As happened often, the day started clear, but by day’s end we pulled the plug early rather than attempt to slog over McClaren pass in a driving rainstorm. Once again we camped near a roadhouse and availed ourselves of their tasty food and hospitality while the storm raged. As always, even with the rain, we never tire of the people we meet, the expansive views of the mountains, lakes and rivers. It is what makes the rain worth enduring.
Monday, June 21. Summer solstice. It makes little difference to us that today is the “longest”. Since we arrived on June 3rd, we have enjoyed constant daylight. Definitely provides travel flexibility.
Today we had perhaps the most pleasing scenery of the Denali Highway. It started with views of the McClaren glacier at the end of this valley. During the day we passed through broad valleys filled with Alpine lakes and creeks. The latter part of the day we spent creeping closer and closer to the jagged peaks and glaciers of the Alaska Range. Our day ended (in the rain of course) in the non-existent town of Paxson. We camped alongside a small bush plane runway. After some heavy rain passed, we actually were able to sit outside, relax, and talk future plans for the next few days and beyond. This was a hard, but extremely satisfying day.
Tuesday, June 22. After today, I should sell my bike and stop touring. I’m quite sure there will never be another day as perfect as this one. First, there was no rain! I was beginning to think that wasn’t even an option. Then during our ride we ascended and descended the same distance, yet somehow rode downhill for 48 of the 58 miles!!! All with a tail wind best described as a tail gale. That alone would qualify this as a ride for the record books. Even better, this all took place as we traversed the Alaska mountain range and were treated to the most spectacular eye candy imaginable. We topped it off with a high camp that afforded us stunning views to enjoy with dinner and conversation. Days like this make you forget the difficult days. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Maybe, just maybe, the difficult days help us truly appreciate gifts like today.
Monday, June 7: Numbers are precise, yet lack soul. They lack the ability to convey feeling. For example 34.87 is a very precise distance. It is the distance we traveled from Galbraith Lake to milepost 235 where we are camping tonight. What 34.87 does not convey is the difficulty of pedaling into a strong headwind while trying to climb 25 miles uphill, in rain and tenacious mud that sticks fast between wheel and fender, rendering the wheel incapable of movement. 34.87 does not account for the last mile and a half to the top of Atigun Pass…a slope so steep that all three of us were forced to dismount and push (just barely) our loaded bikes to the top. That number also does not capture the sublime moments. It does not capture those brief moments when the sun came out and framed stunning snow capped peaks with the bluest of blue skies. In spite of the challenges – it was a good day to have lived.
Tuesday, June 8 (day 5) We thought we lost Marshall to the mud and mountains yesterday. He spent almost two hours cleaning the mud out of all his mechanisms on his journey over Atigun. He arrived late – tired but happy to be on the downhill side. After two tough days, we put the brain trust to work and decided to do an even longer day! Only 62 miles would bring us to Coldfoot and real food and the possibility of a shower. Game on! Of course we had rain! Of course we had headwinds! Of course we had hills! By day’s end, bacon cheeseburgers made it all worthwhile.
The look says it all.
Tomorrow we rest weary bodies. Side note…the famous Alaska state bird (the mosquito) has made its first appearance. In fact, you might say we have a plethora of mosquitoes.
On the road, and arrival at Coldfoot camp.
Wednesday, June 9…Rest day. Nothing quite like a rest day when bodies are truly weary and worn. Lots of little chores to do. LOTS of eating accomplished with ready access to a restaurant. Bike maintenance. Laundry. Repacking. So perhaps a little less rest than hoped, but the key feature was no biking. Quite delightful. And we had the opportunity to meet and chat with the locals. Good day!
Thursday, June 10: I’m feeling a bit like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football, only to have Lucy pull it away. Every time a local forecast promises less rain, Lucy pulls the football and I land flat on my back – or as the case may be – end up cycling through rain. Given the pouring rain this am, we extended our rest day yesterday through noon today.
Marshall’s stallion waiting for the rain to end
Waiting for the rain to end seemed like a solid strategy. It worked right up to the point where we hit the road…and it started raining. Again. Not as bad as it sounds, given the right gear, but infinitely less enjoyable than sunshine and favorable winds. Still it was a pleasant day cycling through wilderness. Finally at 36 miles, the rain stopped and we found our home for the evening.
Friday, June 11 Woke to blue bird skies after a glorious, restful evening. Then it was deja vu all over again. Sweeping vistas, long, steep uphill slogs…and rain. Lots of rain. As with most days, the rain comes in waves…light, heavy, quick bursts and long soakers. Today we were treated to the whole range. Of note today – we are now south of the arctic circle. The official marker made a nice place for a lunch break, but doesn’t mean much for our day to day travel. Getting frustrated with a sore knee that’s been nagging for several days. If it doesn’t improve tomorrow, prudence may dictate getting a ride from the Yukon River into Fairbanks to seek treatment and rest.
Saturday, June 12. Finally! Woke to a cloudless sky. Even though some clouds built up during the day, we had a delightful reprieve from rain. So much more pleasant. The hills continued. Several were so steep that we could push as fast as we could ride…2.5 mph! On this day though, the hills gave more than they took. As we made our way to the Yukon River, we descended more than we climbed…with a tailwind. All day we were treated to the same huge views we’ve come to expect. Almost impossible to describe or capture with photos.
We arrived at Yukon River camp late afternoon. This River looms so large in the history of the far north, it was pretty cool to finally see it. It was also disappointing. I tried to ride today without medication. Eating ibuprofen like jelly beans has allowed me to get this far, but is not really sustainable. In consultation with my prudent better half, we decided to play the long game and hitch a ride the last 135 miles into Fairbanks. We will seek some treatment and rest before getting back on the road. We were very grateful to Jeff at Yukon Crossing for the medicinal PBR’s.
3am sunset
Sunday, June 13. Our trail angel Louise “I’ve never done anything like this before” was kind enough to drive us into Fairbanks. Super nice and fascinating young lady! Now the rest and rehab begins. We have 5 days before Dan Boss Backer arrives for another backcountry bicycle adventure. We’ll be gently seizing the carp until then. Until next time…STC!
