Haines is gorgeous

Day 41 July 25. Tok, AK to Destruction Bay, Yukon. Riding distance 61 mi. My distance 43 miles.

We got a late start from Tok to get a new tire. Turns out we've damaged three of my tires now from hitting pot holes, which tears the steel belts, which causes a big bald spot, and then the tread separates and can fall completely off. We decided to get the new tire before it separated out in the middle of nowhere while riding.

We then drove all together with the bikes, south into Canada, until we were about 120 miles from our destination. We then took turns driving 20 miles and riding. I got two turns in before my turn to drive, and after that we needed to pack up and drive to Destruction Bay because it was getting late in the afternoon.

Destruction Bay is right on the huge Lake Kluane, a beautiful, unspoiled masterpiece. The only photo I took today was this grizzly:

Day 42. July 26. Destruction Bay, Yukon to Haines, AK. Distance 134 mi.


We left early, 7:30, and rode until 4:20 pm. Then we packed up the bikes and drove across into the U.S. again and on into Haines. It was one of the most gorgeous, scenic days of this entire trip! Snow-covered mountains in all directions, lakes galore, rivers, more mountains, grizzly bears, and bald eagles. Rick took a day off from riding, so drove the RV the entire day for us.

This was our best grizzly sighting yet:

All I can do is post photos to show how incredible yesterday was:

That one is the southern end of the 50-mile-long Lake Kluane. Here are several more along the ride:

Such a nice picture of Jessica, isn't it?

On the photo above, Rick set it up for the timer and then ran to get in it. Trouble was, he ran to the wrong side and is left out. Even I am almost left out, but you can see it's me.

There's an eagle out there on the tree branch.

We eventually reached Haines. It is a pretty city on an ocean inlet, Lynn Canal, as it heads toward Skagway, where the cruise ships dock. I haven't seen any go by yet, though. Last evening after we arrived, we bought two fresh crabs the fishermen had brought in earlier in the day, and ate those on our picnic table right on the bay. What a yummy appetizer!

I thought I'd include this photo of Bob stretching as we drove toward Haines:

Last night, Jessica made hamburgers and they ate at our picnic table overlooking the bay, while I ate salmon at the restaurant next door. While there, I arranged for a massage this morning, which I need to leave for now in the rain. Then we'll be loading onto a ferry to sail up to Skagway.

Five days to catch up on

Day 36. July 20. Seward to Takeetna. Distance 70 mile bike ride.

The day after the fabulous cruise from Seward, we met up with the others at their campground and drove together the 165 miles up to Wasilla to begin the day's bike ride. I drove the RV with Janet in the passenger seat so she could start to become familiar with the big hulk since later in the day, she would be driving it for the first time. We dropped off the rental car in downtown Anchorage, and then continued on with all 8 of us in the motorhome. It was pretty crowded, with all our stuff and one bike inside.

In Wasilla, we transferred into our bike-riding clothes and all six of us took off, north toward Fairbanks. Janet agreed to SAG for us, meaning she would play leapfrog and park ahead of us at spots along the way to see if anyone needed anything, and for our scheduled breaks. For the first time on this trip, we had a driver and therefore all of us could ride the entire distance. Here she is in the driver's seat:

She was a champion driver, and Tomoko helped navigate and decide how to support the riders since she had sagged before. It was a very late start for our bike ride, about 1:30 pm, but 70 miles is now considered "short". Since I was still having trouble with both my shifters, I was stuck in a single high gear. Luckily, it was not hilly, so having only one gear was not much of a handicap.

That night we stayed in Takeetna, a little village with character. It's at the end of a 14-mile side road off the main highway that almost parallels it. A river keeps them from continuing the road north and back to the highway, so the next morning we needed to return those 14 miles. The town is there because of the Alaska Railroad, that begins in Seward and ends in Fairbanks. It was begun in 1903, and helped make Anchorage the big town it is now since it was a supply center. The photo on the previous blog is us at dinner at the Danali Brewing Company, and here's a shot from out front:

Here's another shop in town with a special character:

To sleep eight people, Bob had to pitch his tent for the first time on this trip. It was raining, so I pulled out the RV awning and they put the tent under it. Bob, Derek, and Rick slept in it, Jessica slept on the middle bed (kitchen table conversion), Bert and Tomoko slept over the cab, and Janet and I had the back bedroom. Whew! We did it, accommodating all eight of us!

Day 37. July 21. Takeetna to Cantwell. Distance 125 miles.

Jessica's 27th birthday! It rained all night, causing some to want to sleep in, so we got a late start leaving on our long 125-mile day. Just packing up the tent and putting back the awning added time. All six riders left in the rain, but during the day some decided to call it quits. We were thoroughly drenched all day. In this photo at one of our breaks, I had taken off my wet things but you can see Derek behind in his soaking clothes:

We had to squeeze the water out of our gloves before putting them back on after the break:

At the 90-mi rest stop, only Bob and I were still riding. I left before he did, so I kept riding slowly so he could catch up. I did not realize he had stopped and gotten on the motorhome, so when they all passed me and saw how slowly I was going, they told me to stop too so we could get to the campground by 7 pm. They thought I was tired but I was not. Not only was I going slowly up hills waiting for Bob, but I was still having trouble with my shifters, and I was at that point stuck in a single low gear. (I had been in a single high gear for the past two days, but once I shifted from the large chain ring to the small one at mile 88 because the hills got too steep, I could not go back into the big chain ring.) Early the next morning I rode the 17 miles I missed the evening before, when I was yanked.

Day 38 July 22. Cantwell to Denali National Park. Distance 36 miles.

Janet's mother's birthday! It was a short ride so that we'd have time to explore the national park. Alas, we did not get to see Mt McKinley since it was cloudy (but not raining). On the ride I got to see a caribou doe and her fawn, right next to the road! I didn't have my camera with me, so no photo. I was behind everyone at that point, and was the only one who got to see them.

By early afternoon after lunch on the RV at the campground, we rode or drove the RV a short distance to the park. Bert, Tomoko, Janet and I took a shuttle bus 15 miles in, and spent an hour walking in a scenic area called Savage River.

Bob, Derek, and Rick rode their bikes to the same place, and here they are across the river from where Janet and I were:

That evening, for many hours, Rick worked on my bike to try to solve the shifting and gearing problems I'd been struggling with for many weeks, and it had gotten so bad I couldn't even shift up my front derailleur. The master mechanic put on a new chain, greased my original rear tire that had been stored since about day 7 and put that back on, and fiddled with the derailleurs endlessly until finally getting it! He even test-rode it a few times and came back to adjust some more. Poor guy spent his whole evening until after 10 pm helping me. Thank you so much, Rick!

Day 39 July 23. Denali to Fairbanks! Distance 120 miles. Goal Achieved!

An epic day, all of the original Five for Alaska boys riding the entire 120 miles to our "final" destination. Wow, what a feeling of accomplishment that we did it, all according to Bob's original itinerary planned months earlier.

We started the day getting a photo of all eight of us wearing our Five for Alaska jerseys before setting out. It was taken using Rick's camera, so I don't have it yet.

At the 67-mile lunch stop in Nanana (where Jessica ended her ride), Janet made all the sandwiches. Both Janet and Tomoko did so much for us on the three days we traveled together. The RV was always spotless (well...as much as it could be without a three-day overhaul), food was always prepared. They catered to us and it was SOOOO nice!

Farther up the hilly road, Bob took a quick rest:

Late in the day, a reporter with the Fairbanks CBS TV station drove south to meet us riding along, and he took lots of video of us from several vantage points along the road. Then, at the 106-mile rest stop, he interviewed Bob and Derek, Rick (who arranged for this via the CBS station in Butte), and Bert and Rick who hadn't shaven since the trip's start (so they're the bearded buddies):

While the interviews were going on, I also got this cool photo of a fox across the highway:

Once in Fairbanks, we all rode to the motel where Janet and I, and Bert and Tomoko were staying. Janet, Tomoko, and Jessica were already there after having gotten gasoline in the motorhome. We four motelers unloaded our stuff, they put all the bikes onto the racks, and drove several miles to the campground (after a MAJOR grocery shopping).

Wouldn't you know, but next door to the motel was my "heaven" - an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant!! I had craved sushi for so long, and here it was with all I could eat. I loved it, eating 44 pieces. They joked they would have to charge me more money when they saw how much I was ordering and eating.

Day 40. Today, July 24. Fairbanks to Tok. Riding distance 100 miles.


I had to say goodbye to Janet this morning. It was an incredible week we had. So glad we arranged this visit. She was a wonderful addition to the whole trip for us, driving the RV as she did and smoothing me over some difficult times. In just two weeks I'll get to see her again in Butte.

After Janet and Tomoko (and later, Derek) left for the airport, I took the RV to a Jiffy Lube for an oil change. Then we drove all five of us and our bikes south to 10 miles north of Delta Junction. Here, we unloaded the bikes and started our ride at a spot just over a bridge spanning the Tenana River. Right next to our vehicle bridge
was a special bridge for the Alaska Oil Pipeline:

It is 800 miles long, the pipe is 4 feet wide, and it first started pumping oil on my parents' 35th wedding anniversary, June 20, 1977 (a night we took my parents in a limousine to Beverly Hills for a dinner and piano music by my dad's favorite, Johnny Guarnieri).

I was the first SAG driver, and in Delta Junction I got these photos because it is the end of the Alaska Highway (Mile 1422).

Look at how low the temperature gets here sometimes. Yikes!

From where my 20-mile segment ended for being the driver, we had 100 miles left to Tok. I rode those 100 miles really fast, since it was pretty level and we had a tail wind. It actually was the fastest 100-mile ride (a "century") I've ever ridden - 5:04, which was a 19.7 mph avg speed. My previous best was 5:15 when I was 31 yrs old, but, to be fair, it was a hilly course without the tailwind. Bert drove the 2nd 20 miles, and then finished with 80 miles for 100 miles also. The others rode slightly fewer miles. Tomorrow we head back into the Yukon Territory.

Made it to Fairbanks!

This is RV driver Janet on our ride into Fairbanks today. We all wore our Five for Alaska jerseys and made it safely to our "final" destination. From here on, we'll be mostly driving, but also riding sections, as we head back to Butte, MT in two weeks.

Janet flies home tomorrow morning, as do Tomoko Stock and Derek Brown.

I have not had time to post anything for several nights now, and I don't tonight either. So, this is it, just to let you know we made it. Janet has been the driver for the past three days, so all six of us could ride as much of the daily rides as we wished. My total mileage has reached 2646.

I will try on another night to go back and post pictures and more info. Here's one final picture from three nights ago in Takeetna, with Bert and Tomoko.

Incredible cruise from Seward!

Day 35 Wasilla to Seward. Distance for the riders 106 mi. My distance zero mi.

Even the cruise operators said this was one of the most perfect days they'd ever had for their daily five-hour cruise from Seward out into Resurrection Bay. We had perfect weather, we saw orcas, humpback whales, Stellar sea lions, otters, puffins, and bald eagles. We had an all-you-can-eat salmon and prime rib lunch complete with salad, rice, and dessert. All of this surrounded by the most wondrous glacial and mountain scenery you can imagine.

Bert, Tomoko, Janet and I left Wasilla early and drove the 185 miles to Seward. We arrived with just enough time to check in, park and get on the boat to leave at noon. Here we are just before departing, with our tour company (Major) behind Janet:

Then we set out in this incredible fjord, with snow-capped mountains and glaciers rising on both sides of the bay. That's Seward there we're leaving behind.

It didn't take long before we saw a humpback whale. Here's the best picture I could get:

Then we saw an otter:

We saw so many puffins, and eventually a rookery of Stellar sea lions:

Here is my best puffin photo:

And then after traveling a mile or so, we had our best treat, something the ranger on board said they see only every three weeks or so - a pod of orcas! They came right after Janet said, "Okay, now I really want to see orcas." There were about six, and we followed them for a long time. We got to see the calf breaching and spinning in the air, and they were close to the boat, and it was so amazing. That doesn't mean I got any great photos, but here's my best:

We later saw more humpbacks and otters, and sea lions, and many other birds. And scenery that wouldn't quit. It was such an awesome cruise. Here's one more picture:

After the cruise, we relaxed in our charming Swan's Nest Inn rooms. Bob, Derek, Rick, and Jessica rode their bikes today, with Derek doing the entire 106-mi distance and the others a little less because they drove segments. The four of us who did the cruise went grocery shopping and bought tons, and drove it to the motorhome at the campground. The others had already taken a shuttle into town to visit and have dinner. The four of us drove back to downtown Seward and had a scrumptious pizza dinner. We also drove a mile or so to this waterfall:

Day off in Anchorage

Day 34 Anchorage. No bike riding.

Bert, Tomoko, Janet and I drove the rental car into downtown Anchorage and had a great day being tourists. It was a perfectly warm, sunny day. We parked on the 6th floor of a parking structure, and immediately had a beautiful view of the snow-covered mountains to the west:

We started at the visitor center, which was in this log cabin and surrounded by beautiful flowers. Actually, all the colorful flowers, everywhere, were highlights of walking around today.

Right away we reserved our 5-hr glacier boat cruise tomorrow in Seward. Then, as we walked around, we passed many street vendors selling, among other dogs, reindeer sausages. We passed on Dasher and Rudolph.

The reason for all the people in this photo was the free daily noontime concert next to the old city hall. Fun. We had lunch at the Glacier Brewhouse, then spent a few hours at the large Anchorage Museum. Learning the history of this state and city was fascinating, from the natives and how they lived, to the 800-mile Prudhoe Bay oil pipeline built in 1975-78.

We then visited the federal visitor center and watched two 30-min videos about the gold rush of 1896-98, and the 1964 earthquake (magnitude 9.2). Finally, we drove to the west for a view back at the Anchorage skyline:

Tomorrow we will leave here by 8:00 am to be able to make our noon cruise in Seward, which is a 3 1/2 hour drive south. It will be another day off from biking for Bert and me! Oh no. Will we get rusty? The others in the motorhome drove into the city and toured by bike, riding 25 miles. Tomorrow they are not going on the cruise, and are planning to bike much of the distance from south of Anchorage to Seward. So, Bert and I will be completely out of shape compared to the others. I'm getting soooo worried...

Janet arrives!

Day 33 July 17. Grandview to Palmer (our Anchorage destination). Distance 70 mi. My distance 51 mi.

This will be a fun week with Janet here. Tomoko, Jessica Brown, and Janet arrived in their rental car where we had our lunch break at the 51-mi stop. I was the final driver of the day, so I waited there after the guys rode on, and pretty soon the gals arrived and it was so wonderful to see Janet again after the five-week absence. They had passed the riders and honked a hello, but continued to the RV where I was.

Janet and I drove the motorhome, with Jessica and Tomoko in the car, to overtake the riders and we then had our formal stop-and-greet (where we took the photo at the top). We then drove on to the campground and pretty soon everyone was there! Actually, Bob and Derek were a little late because Derek had a flat tire. It's so frustrating when you're only a mile or two from your day's destination and you get a flat.

Bert and I unloaded our things into the rental car, and drove about 10 miles east to our motel in Wasilla. Look how beautiful our view is out onto Lake Lucille:

The four of us had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, and Janet kept encouraging me to eat eat eat. Which I did, of course. I DO eat a lot, but I have lost some pounds anyway.

The day started cold and overcast, and we ate breakfast at the campground cafe:

While waiting for the cafe to open at 8 am, Rick and I worked on my shifters once again, because they continue to not be right. I also did a 2nd load of clothes. Then we took off and immediately had incredible, spectacular scenery as we climbed and descended steep hills. Here are several photos:

The day warmed up as we continued along our route, and became delightfully toasty for the first time in weeks. The scenery just continued to impress with every turn of the road. With texts and phone calls, we knew the gals were on their way. Eventually we reached the lunch stop, which is where the gals found me:

Bert, Tomoko,Janet and I will visit Anchorage today in the rental car, while the others are planning to do a biking tour of the city. I'm pretty sure they will drive the RV to the city and then unload the bikes for their tour, because they are about 40 miles away from downtown.