Hiking: 8.75 miles over 3hrs and 30mn

I awoke to the titter tatter of rains drops hitting my rain fly. I peeled back my eye mask so I could take a peek through the tent portal. It looked gloomy and there was a definite chill in the air. It was around 8:30AM so I decided to hunker down for a bit in my warm, but albeit, pain in my ass Kelty sleeping bag.

I own two sleeping bags. A roomy warm weather 2010 REI bag rated to around 55F and a 2009 Kelty light year rated at 20F. The REI bag has seen lots more action as most of my tours were in warmer climates. This is the first action other than my first tour in 2009 that the Kelty has seen any real action.

You see, I’m a stomach sleeper. Stomach sleepers typically lay with one leg up while the other is extended. This isn’t normally an issue when sleeping in the roomy REI bag. However, it is nearly impossible to do in the mummy shaped Kelty bag. The result is tossing and turning throughout the night trying to get comfy. My body just subconsciously wants to go into that position! To complicate matters more is that a mummy bag has a little face sized opening where, if laying like a mummy, your face would be exposed. For stomach sleepers, this means the top of your head is exposed. So, I’m always trying to pull the bag over my head while bringing one knee up. You fall asleep and then wake up in the middle of the night with a cold head and you repeat the process. To resolve at least one of my problems I’m going to try and find a knit cap at either the mercantile or visitor center. I obviously cannot rectify the knee issue…

I will never buy another mummy sleeping bag. EVER!

The visitor center is a 1.25 mile hike along a manicured bike path. I gave my legs and more importantly my butt a break and walked it. The visitor center sits next to the Morino Grill and book shop. I decided to head into the visitor center first.

I enjoyed all the films and appreciated the phrase from ‘Heartbeats of Denali’ which hinted that we should ‘Reconnect and learn from the wisdom of Denali’. And the indirect reference to global warming in the words from Terry Tempest Williams – ‘if we listen to the land we will know what to do’. Science doesn’t lie…

The Backcountry Films were interesting as well. They essentially covered three distinct parts: how to hike, how to camp and how to handle animal encounters. The main points were to setup a camp triangle, tent, cook/eat and bear cannister. The film also had useful information on how to handle the big 3 encounters (moose, bear and wolf). If moose charge then you should run in a zig zag pattern until you can get something in between you and the moose. You should stand you ground with a grizzly and retreat facing the bear. Only use bear spray if the bear charges. Play dead and the grizzly will likely leave. With black bears one should stand their ground but if attached you should not play dead but instead fight. Similarly, you want to fight wolves off if possible. All said, these encounters are quite rare so over should feel relatively safe if paying attention to his/her surroundings. One interesting observation is that these films followed a group of 4 backpackers of which 3 were woman. Each would give advice throughout. Shonu would have been proud seeing women representing!

After exploring the remaining sections of the visitor center it was time to fuel up and do some hiking!

I made it a point to say hello to everyone I passed along the trail. This is something I picked up from Swati over the years. Many times it leads to conversation. Most of the times it leads to a smile. Sometimes all it takes is a simple kind gesture of a ‘hello’ to brighten up someone’s day (mine included)! 🙂

After several hikes I once again hit the Marino grill for a vegan wrap and chips. I also made sure to hit the book store for a Denali knit cap so my noggen should be warmer tonight!

I then trekked the 1.25 mile stretch to the mercantile (inside the Riley Creek campground) to grab a beer nite cap. Propped up against the wood deck I immediately saw a loaded bike with this young looking man sitting nearby with a lap top and two phones all plugged into an outlet. Judging by the looks of the bike and the young man (Derrick) I would guess he’s been on the road for some time. I decided to walk over and start some conversation.

Derrick has been on the road for about 1 month and has already ridden up to prudoe bay and had also already ridden inside the park. He opted for back country camping the entire time and said it was a real pain in the ass dragging his bike 1/2 mile from the road each night. He also said carrying the bear locker was cumbersome too. He said my choice to camp at the campgrounds should be easier. I asked about the rain and he said he was holed up for two days in his tent as it was pouring. He followed up saying it was well worth it tho. That’s the advantage of back country camping… You don’t make a reservation so you can overstay without issue. He said he’s probably gonna head towards Canada next but he wasn’t really sure. I just wonder.. how does this young man fund such a trip? Internet startup founder? Stock market? What an incredible adventure for Derrick! Stay safe!

Before heading to camp I decided to attend the 7:30PM amphitheatre showing. Ranger Jenn used to be in cosmetics but moved to Alaska when her husband relocated here for work. She said it’s the best thing that ever happened to her. She spoke tonight about porcupines. We had a chance to pet one (dead ☹️) as well as touch the quills. Apparently, these quills are virtually impossible to pull out if impaled. Doctors will mostly allow the quill to burrow itself through the tissue until it comes out the other side! This is mainly due to the tiny barbs which make it nearly impossible to extract. She did a great job getting everyone involved and I left knowing more about these little guys than I ever thought. Thanks ranger Jenn!

I wrapped up the evening sitting by a nice and warm camp fire. A perfect way to end a full day of fun!

Distance: 69.2 miles
Avg speed: 13.6 mph
Max speed: 30.9 mph
Ascent: 2328 ft
Saddle time: 05:05

I awoke around 7:30 to what felt like a the middle of a Chicago winter. The forecast was for the upper 30s and I’d say they nailed it. I grabbed my clothes for the day and stuffed them in my sleeping bag so that my body heat would warm them to a point that would make putting them on bearable. I eventually got dressed and tore camp down. My plan for the morning was to pack up the bike and head over to the Henana Chevron for breakfast around 9AM. A Chevron gas station you ask? This wasn’t your normal Chevron… The camp host explained the night before that this was the place to go in town for breakfast at they have a small diner inside. How could I pass up such an opportunity?

The Chevron interior looked normal with the exception of a walk up diner and a set of folding tables to eat at. I perused their menu and basically settled in 3 slices of toast plain and extra crispy potatoes. They were trying to push butter and eggs and I knew they would look at me funny if I said I was vegan so I politely said no thanks. Just plain toasted and extra crispy hash browns. She winked at me and said you got em!

People started rolling in from town and from the occasional passing tour buss. The locals were all chatty with the staff and you could obvious tell the locals from casual passerby. Anyhow, my food came up and while a little dry it was indeed tasty and the potatoes were extra crispy. Just as I ordered!

Before leaving I bought a Gatorade, a package of nutter butters and two hostess pies (Apple and cherry) for roadside snacks. I pushed off and continued South down Parks Highway.

Yesterday, about 10 miles out of Henana, I saw a ’28 miles to the next rest area. That would place the rest area about 18 miles south of Henana. I planned on heading there for my first real snack break. Right on cue at mile 18 I saw another sign that said next rest area will be in 28 miles. I was a bit shocked and wondered what the hell happened? There should be a rest area here! As I rounded a bend it appeared!

The tour buses were lined up at the rest area and a woman approached me and said to just make out Denali mountain today! So, she pointed and sure enough, if in the distance, you can see the snow capped outline. Check out the photo below. Very thoughtful of her to go out of her way to show me. Had she not I would have surely missed it.

About 5 minutes later a gentleman approached me. He’s from California and visiting Denali for a second time. He mentioned how beautiful it was. Nice guy!

Just a random photo whilst in the road…

At some point I decided to pull over for a short break at a nice pull out off the road. Stopping in the shoulder is always sketchy especially when massive semis come zooming by! I finished up and started to head out and was having trouble clipping in my right boot into the pedal. It just wasn’t happening. So, I pulled over on the sketchy shoulder to discover one of the screws holding the clip thingy had fallen out causing the clip thingy to move around. Now, I should have checked this earlier as I noticed that I was having the opposite problem… Unclipping was difficult. So, who knows if they were related? Anyhow, I remember putting some spare clip screws in my trusty plastic screw bin for my 2015 tour. Fortunately, I had one spare! I fixed the clip and then tighten all screws soon both shoes. I was back on the road in 5 minutes! Shoes clip and unclip like vegan butter! 🙂

I went a bit beyond my half point before stopping at a cozy rest area flanked by trees. This was more of what I’m used to and they even had a nice park bench where I decided to park my ass for some left over pizza!

Below are some random shots throughout today’s ride. I’m still in automotive shock after seeing that hideous Subaru…

I new I was getting close when I approached all the touristy shops and resorts. The park entrance must be just after this I thought!

Well, it sure was!

I made it to Riley Creek campground registration which shares a space with the mercantile. It is very nice inside and has a massively stock cooler of various beers… Hmm.

I was a bit nervous about the 3 remote campsites that I couldn’t register online (in person only). As luck would have it I was able to secure all 3! Awesome! I’ll have to collect water from nearby streams and filter it but that’s part of the experience!

All in all today went rather well. I stopped when it seemed right and the legs and lungs perform very well. In fact, I feel great sitting her writing this! Looking forward to what lies ahead.

The next two days will be spent checking out the visitor center, viewing some content at the ampli-theater and hitting some trails! As for the rest of the night…I did say that cooler was well stocked…

Stay thirsty my friends! 🍻

Distance: 56.0 miles
Avg speed: 12.2 mph
Max speed: 31.2 mph
Ascent: 3225 ft
Saddle time: 04:34

I woke up before my 7:15 alarm. I felt anxious and nervous about this day 1 of riding. It’s been 4 years since I’ve done this so I had some doubt in my brain. I hit the gym 3+ times a week, play ice hockey on two teams and occasionally cycle to the office. Outside of my normal aches and pains I truly feel like I’m in good physical condition. That being said, history has taught me that nothing can prepare a Midwestern Chicago boy for the 8% inclines that the mountains will throw at me. I also know from past history that I overcame these exact doubts each and every time. Granted, solo is tougher as you don’t have a partner to help push you when the going gets tough so you have to manufacture your own… Within yourself.

First order of business this morning was to send my bike box and another package to the hotel in Anchorage for my return home. Last night I decided to lighten my laundry load by removing 1 padded cycling short, 1 convertible pant and two cotton t-shirts. I simply brought too much. So, I summoned the only Lyft driver in the map to drive me to FedEx. $53 later and the boxes are in their way.

I walked back to the hotel to finish finish packing up the bike and headed into the lobby. I forgot to mention in day 1 that this hotel services the cruise lines so the lobby is always packed with senior couples doing senior adventures (love you Mom…I mean no offense). They are always all decked out with the same tourist adventure hat and matching adventure vest. It’s funny to see but they do look adorable. They are always so polite and smile when you make eye contact. I thought to myself that I hope I too can grow old and enjoy these types of adventures with shonu. My mother didn’t have that luxury and I can only imagine how lonley she must feel. I’m proud of her for finding the strength to join her local senior groups. Hell, my mom is now more active then Swati and I!

Okay, I digressed more than I thought.. so, I enter the lobby with my fully loaded bike and all eyes were immediately glued to me. I could hear some of them gasp and say oh wow. I felt like a senior celebrity. 🙂. They asked many questions and we’re genuinely interested. It was a very sweet moment.

I checked out around 10AM and for the first time in 4 years mounted my fully loaded touring bike. Wow what a tank when she’s this heavy… I rode the short distance to the co-op market and picked up some tasty trail mix for snacking, banana and vegan sandwich for lunch. I then headed towards Parks Highway #3 towards Anchorage.

Today’s ride was going to be a grind for me. Most of my tours start off with big climbs. That’s were the cool stuff is so you gotta get it done. There just isn’t any other option. Today was no exception. I knew I had to climb approximately 3300ft and I just needed to stay mentally focused, take breaks and keep a nice and manageable pace. Do this and I will be successful.

It didn’t take but 10 miles before my first real climb began. It also didn’t take long before i started talking to my virtual partner. Many may not know this but I do talk to myself often. Don’t freak out and think I’m crazy… It just helps me work things out and sometimes calms me. I see a bird and I say hello. My bike spits a rock out from under her tire and I apologize for not seeing it. It also helps to to away the suck that is climbing… Especially when your bike is at its heaviest. I’ve got 6 days worth of freeze dried food for my remote camping in Denali that I’m hauling… Anyway, below are some of my roadside photos… Notice the nice clear blue skies… I’m so fortunate it didn’t rain on my first day…

My mission was to get to the mid point of the ride before stopping for lunch. That happened around 1:00 PM and my stomach was ready for some calories. Besides, my bike needed a break too…

The second half of the ride was fairly similar. I’d work up a sweat on the climbs and then freeze on the descents. My poor exhausted quads were so elated to see the Nenana City limit sign. So was my butt, knees, back and brain for that matter! 🙂

I got to the very nicely equipped campground where that have very nice hot showers and, as you can tell, very nice wifi! I set up camp lickety split and hit those showers!

I walked into town to try one of their two open restaurants Riverside Pizza. They specialize in Ney York style pizza but naturally I had low expectations.

I ordered a 14″ veggie pizza without cheese and they tossed in extra sauce and jalapenos at no extra charges. I gotta say this pizza was amazing… What the hell are they doing in this tiny town when they could be making a killing at and major US City? It was really that good. I didn’t manage to finish the entire pizza and took the remaining 3 slices back with me for tomorrow (or maybe second dinner) 🙂

I’m now going to head out of the laundry room/bath house where I’m writing all 3 days worth of blogs. I’ve managed to have 3 separate conversions with others staying here when they’ve come inside to use the facilities! Some have even seen me in the road (hey, you’re that biker guy I saw today). Plus it’s starting to get pretty cold in here. I’m going back to the tent to slather some Ben Gay on the achy knees. And probably pass out from exhaustion. I got 68ish miles and 2700ish ft to climb tomorrow. With a little luck the rain will stay away. Either way I’ll push through to Riley Creek! Isn’t that right mr. knee? He said yes.

I woke up refreshed and ready to hit REI for some supplies. I needed to pick up stove fuel, bear spray and chain oil (expecting lots of rain). However, I noticed the night before that I underestimated the temperatures up here. I thought I would be able to layer a technical long sleeve tee, my smart wool long sleeve (bought before I turned vegan) and my showers pass rain coat. Well, that just wasn’t working for me. I had everything zipped up and I was still cold! I looked like a total tourist as some of the natives were wearing shorts and t-shirts! I guess I’m just a weak Chicago boy from the lower 48! So, I decided to add a insulated jacket to my list of items.

I believe I arrived just after they opened cause I had the place all to myself. I quickly grabbed the original items and then meandered over to the sales rack full of jackets. As luck would have I found a poly filled packable into it’s own pocket jacket! The best part is it only weighs like 13oz! I managed to grab the last large in blue they had too. It was fate 🙂. By the time I finished up the place was booming with people. I gotta say… REI is like toys-r-us for adults with an outdoor fetish. It’s nearly impossible to pry oneself away…

The night before I was watching the Alaska channel on the television and they were airing a segment about the Alaska pipeline. Apparently there is a public viewing area not far from fairbanks so I decided to head there immediately after REI (and Starbucks) 🙂. The pipeline is impressive but the pipe cleaner plug stole the show for me! This thing is pushed through the pipe by the oil’s flow force and untimely cleans the sludge from the pipe inner walls. Awesome engineering!

While there I met a young couple. His female companion was heading back to Virginia while he stayed back here for work. I shot a photo for them and they returned the favor. Nice people.

I had to return the car back to the airport by 4pm so I tooled around town visiting sites like the Alaska University. It looks like a nice campus. I then visited the co-op grocery store. This place had a bunch of premade ready to eat vegan sandwiches! I knew if be back here tomorrow morning….

The time has come to return the car and catch a Lyft back to the airport. I caught a ride with a young Alaska University student named Nisha. She had only been here 6 months but had given some really good options for food and sites to see. The real standout was the Cultural Center.

After freshening up at the hotel I walked the 6 blocks to the cultural center and was impressed by it’s size and newness. I headed over to the ranger desk and 2 ranger ladies helped answer all my Denali camping questions… Like, where to pick up my reservation? His to reserve igloo and sanctuary campgrounds and will the bus driver pick me up if I’m stranded? Very helpful bunch. They even helped me pick out a restaurant! They called like 3 restaurants asking about vegan options. Wonderful experience.

I finished up with the rangers and walked through an exhibit showing glaciers then (100 years ago) and now. This photographer made it his mission to find the exact locations of the original photos to make a better comparison. It truly tells the story of how global warming is impacting the environment. Superb exhibit.

I decided to check out their free movie ‘Aurora: Fire in the Sky’. It essentially described the science behind these magical light shows and how it impacted cultures across the globe. As you can imagine, many treated these lights like gods… Not to be messed with. It was an interesting and educational film.

I fished up the my 2.5 hour cultural center visit by walking through the museum. They had various wildlife like bears and moose and pretty much showed the history of Alaska including the a short video on building the Alaska pipeline. It too was well done and very interesting

Stomach pain let me over to the Jazz Bistro for dinner. While walking through the cultural center parking lot I stumbled upon fairbanks bike rental. I had seen people from afar riding them but this is my first up close view. They appear very touristy but well made. The giant antler Arch also caught my eye.

While making my way though the park a clearly intoxicated gentleman approached me and introduced himself as ‘thunder cloud’. He shoot my hand and asked where I was from. He then asked if I would like a photo of him so naturally I couldn’t pass that up! He again shook my hand and wished me well on me journey. He walked on to pedestrian bridge while talking to himself about the fast current of the river below..

I finished my evening with an exceptional vegan meal at the Jazz Bistro. Here I was able to enjoy not 1 but 2 varieties of Alaskan beer! (Amber and white) Both were cold, delicious and satisfying. A perfect ending to a really packed day off Fairbanks fun!

I went to bed late last night (3AM) packing up so I had that dazed and confused feeling when the alarm shook my brain at 6AM. Fortunately, I loaded the Xterra up (at 3AM) cause I knew it would be a bad idea to wait 3 hours when the alarm would go off. Good call!

All packed up Swati, Kona and headed to O’Hare. It is always tough saying goodbye and I know I’m going to miss them terribly. You have a ton of time to think and miss the ones you love when all you’re doing is pedaling. This isn’t my first rodeo but it still doesn’t get easier… In fact it might get more difficult…

My first flight was a 6 hour jaunt to Anchorage. There only really memorable thing was the Mediterranean snack meal I purchased for $6 and the free 1 hour wifi for T-Mobile customers. I was a bit disappointed at Anchorage airport as they had practically nothing for a vegan to eat. So, I was sick with a plain toasted cinnamon raisin bagel and an iced coffee…

The connecting flight to fairbanks was delayed but once in the air I was smart in selecting the left side as the view of Denali was spectacular!

We reached fairbanks in time actually which was great! I secured the rental and was relieved to see all my stuff also made the journey.

I was concerned that the rental may be too small to handle the bike box but it worked out well

Once at the airport I made quick work reassembling the bike.

It was after 7pm and finding dining establishments open was a challenge to say the least. I saw the El Dorado offered a vegetarian burrito so I figured they could make it vegan and all would be swell.

I say at the bar and was greeted by the not so thrilled to see me bar tender. I asked for an Alaskan beer of which they have 3 styles on tap. They were completely out on a Saturday night! So I got a Dos XX.

I placed my order and was given some very lack luster chips and salsa. Stale cold chips and store bought salsa. I still ate them because I cannot control myself around even bad chips and salsa. They burrito arrived and looked really good. Unfortunately, there was nothing memorable about it… Ah well. I should know better coming from Chicago where some of the countries best Mexican is served… Lesson learned.

While walking home I was amazed how light it was still outside so I decided to snap a quick photo of the bank clock showing the time. It didn’t get dark until well after 10PM

I’ve got many errands to run tomorrow while I have the car. I need to get it back to the airport by 4PM. Good night all!

‘North to the Future’ is the nickname given to Alaska in 1967 by Richard Peter. It is meant to signify Alaska as a land of promise. With a country so divided it is difficult sometimes for me to see the promising future depicted in that motto. Racism is rampant.  Global warming is accelerating faster than predicted.  The country’s debt is on the rise.  Unsustainable lifestyles… I can go on and on…

I continually ask myself what does it all mean?  Can we as a society find compromise or will we continue to spiral deeper into chaos?

Unsurprisingly I don’t have any of the answers.  I’m going to search for some by heading ‘North to the Future’.  Perhaps an outdoor adventure will allow me to clear my head and regain some faith in our society.  Maybe the land of promise can shed some light and show me the way to a better future. A bright and positive future filled with hope and compassion.

In all honesty I began thinking about this trip a few years back and actually intended to first do it last year. However, with Swati’s father passing, Selling our charming home, buying a wonderful new house (across the street) and work commitments it just wasn’t in the cards. So, I postponed it to this year with a tentative August 1st start date. Unfortunately, with looming work deadlines I was apprehensive about actually penciling the trip into the calendar. I kept telling myself that if I didn’t do it this year that it would likely never happen. So, a calendar entry of August 17th was born. Sadly, due to my wavering on the schedule, my wonderful wife is unable to join me as she has her own commitments. She waited for as long as she could for me to make up my mind but eventually she had to plan her August. I feel awful about the situation but Swati, being so understanding, assured me it was okay and that I needed to do this.

Shonu, I love you more and more with each passing year. You and Kona will be always on my mind and in my heart.

Adventure awaits…