Alaska Adventure Machine!

Alaska Adventure Machine!

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Hill Country Hell

Saying adieu to the Yukon River, I pedaled away in rain and cold 40 degree temperatures. The road was muddy, but not the same super-sticky variety of yesterday. The hills were a major challenge. So far I hadn't had to walk or push my bike for 350 miles. Today's hills would crush that record and my ego. Six different times I'd have to dismount and push my heavily-ladened bike up another muddy hill. This was like the hills of Kentucky, straight up and then straight down. Unnamed grades, repeating themselves over and over.
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Often I'd go through vast areas of old burns too. Alaska is too big to economically put out forest fires, so they spread until autumn rains and winter snows extinguish them. Mid-summer Alaska is often quite smokey due to these fires. At least I didn't have that to contend with too!

Fairbanks had had lots of smoke this summer, pity the visitors doing their big Alaska adventure vacation. A photo from this summer's Fairbanks newspaper.
After a super hilly day I finally reached the Elliot Highway. The 414 mile Dalton Highway had been conquered, well,  more like endured. I was psyched to reach this goal. The road junction signs were plastered with stickers and memorabilia from cyclists and motorcyclist who had passed this way. The goal to ride from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego, at the tip of South America, is a "bucket list" goal for a few crazy souls. I enjoyed looking at the stickers and marveled at the adventures of the individuals they represented.

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I spun down a side road and set my tent up for the night, dreams of Patagonia in my mind.

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