Two Wheels: August 1 – 8

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.

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.

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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 it happened!” 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!

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.

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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.

Two Wheels: July 25 – 31

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Two Wheels: July 18 – 25

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Until next time…Seize the Carp!

Two Wheels: July 11-17

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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

Two Wheels: July 4 – July 10

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!

Two wheels: June 23 -26

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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Two Wheels. June 7- 13

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Two Wheels: June 1-6

Six weeks ago we downsized our lives. We went from a 1700 square foot, three bedroom home to 4Runner and a queen size bed on wheels. On Tuesday when Rob dropped us at an airport hotel we downsized again. From that point on we would be traveling on two wheels with four waterproof bags each (with a minor jet assist).

The jet assist portion to Prudhoe requires the tedious but necessary step of boxing the bikes for flight. After enjoying a clear view of Rainier ( and reminiscing), I got to work. By Tuesday afternoon, the bikes were ready to travel. By Wednesday evening we had our gear ready, had made phone calls, sent texts and emails, and basically taken care of all the last minute details.

Thursday: June 3: The Big Day. Alaska Airlines did not help our nerves today. They made multiple, last minutes changes. The end result was that we arrived in Prudhoe at 7:30pm instead of 1:00pm. It looked very much like I remember…cold, grey, windy, overcast, industrial. It also was very foreign arriving as a tourist. Everyone else had a purpose for being there. Because of the late arrival we also decided to bite the bullet and stay at one of the local hotels. These are not hotels in the typical sense. Several companies use them to house short term workers. Our room had all the belongings of such a worker who was “off shift”. Odd. By days end, the bikes were back together, we were well fed, and gear was stowed.

Friday June 4: Took advantage of the buffet breakfast, made a trip to the general store for fuel and bear spray, and pedaled away from civilization. It was 29 degrees, foggy, misty, with a brisk NE wind. Perfect. We were shocked to find the first 18 miles of the highway paved. Very quickly the nerves and anticipation were replaced with the realization that we were up for the challenge. By days end we had traveled far enough inland to find clear skies. We dismissed one likely campsite because it was already occupied by mom and two grizzly cubs. Several miles down the road we found another spot, got everything all set up, when two different people stopped to tell us there was another mom with two more grizzly cubs nearby. Seriously? We broke camp just as Marshall, the other biker out this early happened by. We went a few more miles down the road and found another likely spot…and saw another grizzly. Hmmmmm. This one turned and sprinted away as soon as he caught wind of us. Fair enough. This was home for the night.

Saturday, June 6: Cold and damp morning did not encourage lounging. Quickly on the road and quickly found more blue skies. The Brooks range that came into view yesterday has been looming larger ahead of us. As did the hills. Large, long, steep hills came in waves as we climbed away from the Sagavanirtok River, and the back down. All day long until we called it quits 42 miles after we started. Super pleasant day getting to know Marshall. At the tender age of 31, he has lived and worked all over the world. His ultimate goal is to bike all the way to the southern tip of Argentina.

Sunday, June 7: Unbelievably we had yet another good weather day…starting at 35 degrees before skyrocketing to 50. It was also equal parts brutally difficult biking (4,400 vertical)…and majestic wilderness in every direction. After staring at the Brooks range for over 100 miles, we finally arrive at its feet by days end. Tomorrow we will attempt to make our way through. Buts that’s tomorrow after a good long rest.

I know this was a concern for many…so far we’ve seen nine grizzlies…none have eaten us yet. Actually none have shown the slightest interest in eating us. We’ve seen caribou, fox, musk oxen, and untold numbers of birds. As advertised…lots of trucks, almost all have been super thoughtful. That’s all for now until Fairbanks.