Denali Highway

Tuesday, July 12

we hit the bumpy road

Today we start the section of our trip that we've been most looking forward to. We plan to travel the Denali Highway, a stretch of Alaskan highway system that spans across the most scenic part of the country. About 120 miles of this 135-mile highway, once the only access to the Denali Park, is unpaved. We do not expect to see much traffic or tourist attractions on our way.

rain is chasing us

As usual, we have breakfast --- French toast ($5.75) and 1/2 order of biscuits and gravy ($4.95) and toast ($1.50) at the Lodge.

Then we hit the bumpy road. It is quite impossible to admire the scenery since the road-turned-into-a-potato-field requires our constant attention. The road is all washboard, potholes and loose rocks (PIC). What comes to the wildlife, a fox and a squirrel are our only observations. Regarding the flora, we see lingonberries and raspberries which are still to ripen, and a lot of dwarf birch and fireweed.

down we go again

flora

After 52.5 kilometers of riding in four hours we are at the Brushkana River Campground fixing coconut-curry noodles with canned chicken for lunch. It's hard to tell the chicken apart from canned tuna, though. So, I don't blame Jessica Simpson for her little slip. The rain that began when we started our lunch break timely stops when the noodles are in bowls, but the killer mosquitoes do not stop bothering us (PIC).

sluice box

At nine in the evening we are at Gracious House.

We rode 89.6 kilometers in 7:50.

We decide to camp for $18. As first thing we head to the Sluice Box and have a couple of beers while waiting for the sandwiches and soup, the only services that are available for us tonight. Luckily we have a lot of daylight left to put up our tent (PIC).

Wednesday, July 13

rain ahead

A moose has visited our campsite at night. After the showers we join miners for breakfast at the "Home Style Cooking " Cafe (PIC) which is overwhelmed by dense grease stench. We have the usual --- French toast ($8.25) and 2 eggs, hashbrowns, and sausage with toast ($8.25). Note the price difference to the yesterday's breakfast at the Cantwell Lodge!

almost like in finland!

For the next 44 kilometers our ride is mostly uphill (PIC), against the wind on a very rocky road (PIC). We have a coffee break (PIC) at a rest area, that is equipped with a toilet. All the sites are taken, so we snuggle up in a corner of the parking lot to cover up the camp stove from gusty wind and the sprinkling rain. Sun comes out when we are on our bikes again. The road winds atop an esker, an upside down riverbed. The wind calms down and we have mostly downhill (PIC) to McLaren River. Only the road condition does not improve.

eskers

a rustic log cabin

We overnight in a rustic log cabin at the McLaren River Lodge for $15 per person (PIC) (PIC). There is a kennel on the other side of the river. The little further away we can see a glacier and snow-covered mountains of the Alaska Range. But first of all, we have a great view to the ascent we are going to conquer in the morning to the McLaren Summit (elev. 4086'), the second highest highway pass in Alaska.

Thursday, July 14

Happy Birthday, Tei!

snow covered mountains

We have plentiful sunshine this morning; there are no clouds in the sky and the breeze is practically non-existent. For the breakfast Tei has oatmeal and toast ($4.00) and Tomi pancakes and toast ($6.00).

cat oversees our packing progress

Then we start a steep 8.5-kilometer climb (PIC) to the summit, which we (PIC) (PIC) reach in less than an hour. Curiously, the summit is not marked at the highest point of the highway.

lake atop the summit

The wind grows gusty as we enjoy the almost 30-kilometer downhill to Tangle River. Then we are on the pavement again (PIC)! We stop at the Tangle River Inn for lunch (PIC), after riding 36.3 kilometers in three hours. We order Fish sandwich and Deluxe burger ($7.25 + $8.50). It's 1pm.

overlook

With full bellies (PIC) we start a long and tedious climb to a nameless summit (PIC), from where we have a gorgeous view over the Alaska Range. A Texan couple stops to chat with us; the other day they had met a Belgian-Dutch couple traveling by bikes. We have yet to see other bicycle tourers. Tomi notes that the drivers on Alaskan roads probably have watched too many car commercials: "Do not attempt. Professional driver on the closed course."

tangle river

We have one final descent before we are on the Richardson highway in Paxson. We ponder for a while in front of Paxon Inn whether to continue or to stay --- long enough to get our legs bit by black flies. We decide to go on for an additional 14 miles.

alaska range

For the first ten kilometers Richardson Highway follows the bank of Paxson Lake, but then suddenly decides to climb to the mountains. We see a glimpse of the Trans Alaska Pipeline (PIC). It start raining, and we cover our stuff. The rain stops.

We end the day's journey at the Meier's Lake Roadhouse and rent a newly constructed room for $100 in the Atwater's Chateau Motel (PIC). We have dinner at the Roadhouse; Pork chops ($12.95) and Seafood basket ($14.95) with dinner salads ($4.95). After four rounds of AA's we are ready to call it a day. This is a really weird place; the people are like characters from the David Lynch's Twin Peaks.

Today we rode 94.8 kilometers in 7:08. I think there are worse ways to spend one's birthday.

Friday, July 15

Now that we are off the gravel for a while, we spend some time cleaning the bags and the bikes, since breakfast at the Roadhouse starts as late as 9am.

really smoky out there

When we start riding it is really smoky out there; it smells like hundreds of saunas burning, and we can hardly see what's behind us. Even though we ride in a good tail wind mosquitoes and black flies are able to harass us in uphills. We DEET ourselves heavily.

like in finland again

We stop at Sourdough House for their lunch special --- grilled cheese (sandwich) and chicken noodle soup ($8.95), and we definitely have to taste their world-famous sourdough pancakes (one cake costs $2.99). People in this place have hard time grasping the idea that we split the sandwich and the soup and one pancake.

So far we have 36.2 kilometers in the cyclo-computer, which we have made in 1:50.

spruce on permafrost

Copper Valley Visitor Center turns out to be friendly and helpful as we are looking for a place to stay in Glennallen. The guy could have informed us that the town is dry, though. What the heck, we have a nice little cabin at the Sports Page for $65 (PIC). However, the tap water has a remarkable iron content, but we dare to do the laundry --- no harm done that cannot be washed away in the next load!

cosy cabin

For dinner we have a Field goal pizza (with olives and mushrooms, $17) from Panther's Pizza (PIC). Panthers is the local high school team (PIC). By the way, basketball is not only big in Indiana, it is huge in Alaska.

out of business

Today we rode 93.7 kilometers in five hours --- the average speed was 18.7km/h. Wow!