When coming from the Tok Cut-Off Road and arriving in Glennallen - advertised as the gateway to Alaska's South - the town struck us as pretty cyclist and tent unfriendly. Additionally the weather predicted rain for the region of Valdez in the coming days, so our decision was quickly made: we would head north again and undertake our last gravel road adventure during this trip on the Denali Highway. When riding up to Paxson we got soaked wet, but for all the remaining other days our strategy had worked out once more. We were rewarded with sunny and warm late summer days and could enjoy the scenery at its best: from the Denali Highway we had a fantastic view on the Alaska Range and some close glaciers and from the George Parks Highway we were even as lucky to see Mount Denali one morning out of the clouds. What a spectacular finishing highlight for our cycling tour! These days we also encountered the Alaskan mentality more closely. The hunting season for caribou and moose had started last weekend and it seemed that half of all Alaskans drove their pick-up van, motorhome and trailer with (at least) two ATVs on the Denali Highway to shoot anything that couldn't get out of the way in time. Proof for that were the numerous bullet holes in the road signs! From then on, we were only cycling in bright colored clothing! For the first time while touring, it was quite difficult for us to find food. We would have expected this situation in more remote areas like on the gravel roads in the bush, but truly, it was more difficult to find proper food in Cantwell, just in front of the portal to the Denali National Park. The reason for this is, that all motorized vehicles stock up on food in the Anchorage and area, before driving the 300 miles to the park entrance. Being on bicycles, we can only cover such a distance in 4-5 days and were thus forced to shop at a gas station's food mart: for basic groceries (pasta, tortillas, chocolate bars, no fresh fruit and veggies etc.) we paid over 70 USD! To get this into a relation: one can fill up gas for three small sedan cars with that amount of money in Alaska! So it is evident where priorities lie in this state. Also, when approaching more inhabited terrain again around Wasilla and Palmer, we were amazed by the nearly even number of fast food restaurants, gun shops and churches that alternated along the highway. On the other hand, we were greeted and welcomed to Alaska warmly on the farmer's market in Palmer by numerous pedestrians. It seemed to us that the Alaskan people are as rough and diverse as the state's landscape - and you can always be in for a surprise! One morning, when calmly cycling along the George Parks Highway, we suddenly came up upon a moose mother with two calves feeding right next to the shoulder on the road. The encounter however was too close and too sudden to end peacefully: the moose cow charged at us but we were have been rolling at a decent speed and could easily escape. Although we were well aware that moose could be much more dangerous than bears, this experience made our hearts pound and the effect of loosened adrenaline was stronger than having drunken two espressi! What troubled us most was the unpredictability and dumbness of this moose: instead of standing still or fleeing into the woods it chose to charge... From now on, whenever we saw anything alike brown fur we changed sides on the road. And sure enough we saw another two calves along the shoulder the same day! We didn't wait to meet mummy too... Our days on the bicycles are definitely counted now as we are only miles away from Anchorage. We are therefore starting to take it slower: we stayed two nights at Nancy Lake State Recreation Area (thank you for the hint - Ines, Res, Anja and Sina :-)) and some days in Palmer where we enjoyed a genuine American breakfast.
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Blog Archive
September 2016
CountersKilometers pedalled
Hours on the bike
Meters cycled uphill
Flat tires
Burgers eaten
Bears sighted
Day by day statisticsFor those interested in our day by day activities and statistics, please download the following document.
World Clock
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