Distance: 76.9 miles
Avg speed: 15.1 mph
Max speed: 26.6 mph
Ascent: 1467 ft
Saddle time: 05:06

I awoke to the 6:30AM phone alarm and realized that I finally got a pretty good night’s rest! Stomach sleep at its best! It was barely light outside so I started packing up what I could see and that was my sleeping bag and air mattress. It was remarkably warm in the cabin which I didn’t expect. Normally I need to immediately put on all layers after waking up to stay warm but not today!

My goal was to be on the road around 8AM to hopefully avoid some of the high speed bus/semi/auto traffic as it can get downright frightening out there. The semis and autos do a great job giving me space along the shoulder but the massive tour busses could care less. They almost never give any space and they don’t even slow down! I swear I could reach out and touch them when they come whizzing by at 70MPH. It is two fold really. You get the freaky close drive-by followed by an intense wind gust that, if you don’t have both hands on the steering, would almost certainly result in loss of control. It is a similar, but even more fierce story for the oncoming trucks and busses. The wind when they fly by feels like you are riding into a massive wind gust immediately slowing you down. Again, you definitely need both hands on the steering when those big guys are coming at ya. You can really feel the impacts of this when climbing a steep grade at 6MPH. You are already working hard and barely moving when the wind gust from on coming traffic wants to push you back more than the hill! You must always be ready to react and set your pace expectations accordingly.

There was a nice morning overcast which kept the temps down which is what I prefer. I tend to sweat a lot which soaks my clothes and can make for some uncomfortable riding. I was feeling really good after 15 when I can across a little lodge with a restaurant. Now would be a good time to relax a bit. The girl even gave me the secret wifi password so I could call Swati to let her know all was still going as planned. The staff have me some Intel w.r.t. what services lie between here and Willow Creek which is very valuable. There were a few fuel stations in trapper creek (15 miles from here) of which one has a restaurant and another with a Subway (35ish miles from here). So, I planned my day according to that info.

It always amazes me how many road signs/markers there are along the roads of the United States (many with bullet holes). I swear the amount of resources consumed to manufacture, install and maintain these must be expensive. I can imagine as electric cars evolve there might come a time when road signs are a thing of a bygone era. The exit and road information these days can simply be displayed on your cars touchscreen as you approach what would have been a physical sign. Even bike tourers can get this information on their bike computers. It can dispay the real time lodging availability, charging stations, food etc. I wonder if this will ever actually happen…

After 15 miles I entered trapper creek a and like clock work found the first gas station/restaurant. It was a very cute place that also appeared to rent small cabins. They offered showers too! I bought a Gatorade, hostess pie and coffee and took a seat inside as it was still a bit chilly out there.

The sun started breaking through and I was in need of break when in the middle of nowhere there was Jana’s Jumpin’ Java duel drive thru (Telketina AK). I pulled up to the window where a very friendly woman happily explained all the Italian soda offerings. I went with cherry and parked in the back. There was a guy sitting back there that clearly knew the girl so we chatted while I enjoyed my icy beverage. He was sporting a clearly visible side arm which is the first I’ve seen since being up here. We were talking about the forest fires and he declared that these damn tree huggers don’t understand that some of these trees need to be cut down otherwise mother nature will eventually burn them down anyhow. He brought up some very good points and I’m sure there is some merit. There always is a fine line to compromise and reaching that line can be difficult. He had a dog named Rosco sitting in his truck so I asked to pet him. Rosco is a large pit bull softy. He had his head resting on the door window frame of the guys jeep so as to always keep his owner in sight. Very cool dog.

At mile 50 it was time for my Subway lunch. The place was booming and I had to wait about 10 minutes before placing an order. I got a foot long veggie delight of which I ate half and saved the other half for my destination. I used their WiFi to check up on things and relaxed a bit from the afternoon sun.

About 20 or so miles from Willow Creek I could see the first real signs of the forest fires. As I road through the fire zone I saw burned out vehicles and structures. It looked isolated but I’m sure these people are devastated. There were many fire staff chopping timber and dousing smouldering piles with water. They made these temporary pool like structures where they would store the water along side the road. Basically, I fire truck would go to a creek to fill it’s tank and then deposit the water in various pools along the stretch of road. The fire fighters then had pumps to drive their hoses. These guys are true heros taking risks in order to help save people’s homes and businesses. The residents showed their appreciation with signage all along the road and in front of businesses and homes.

The night before I slightly altered my plan. I knew there was an RV campground along the highway at the edge of town. Staying there would shave off like 5 miles round trip from my original destination which required me to veer west a bit. Plus, it had nice flush toilets and showers too so why not indulge a little and save myself the extra miles in the process?

I pull into the place and immediately see like 10 rabbits of all colors just sitting there. They didn’t seem to be afraid of humans and were almost like a petting zoo. My immediate thought was of that 1972 horror film ‘Night of the Lepus’. Basically, attack of the killer rabbits.

I walked into the registration office where the lady gave me a $8 discount as I didn’t have a vehicle which was nice as I was willing to pay full price. She gave me a nice grassy like area away from most of the RVers.

I setup camp, showered and ate dinner (freeze dried food and the remaining half of my Subway). I finished the evening sitting indoors near the bathroom/laundry area writing and collect information for tomorrow’s last push to Anchorage.