Journal Stage 3

2250 Miles in Alaska!

Last week I crossed into Canada and completed my tour of Alaska.  I rode from the Arctic Ocean down and out to Homer on the Kenai Peninsula.  From there, I headed North for Whittier where I crossed the ferry over to Valdez, Alaska.  I left from sea level and churned my way up Thompson Pass towards Glennallen.  I made time to make a detour into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to visit McCarthy and the amazing copper mine at Kennecott.  Once in Glennallen, I rode northeast to Tok where I joined up with the Alaska Highway.  When I saw a mile marker that read 1618, I knew this road was going to be a long ride!  Soon I was at Border City RV Park and it was time to cross into Canada after 2250 miles!  I am currently in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon and have pedaled nearly 300 miles into Canada.  Ride On, Right On! 

Salmon - It's Whats for Dinner

 
Believe me I am not complaining, but I have never eaten more salmon in my life than in Alaska.  The truth is that salmon is free in Alaska in the summer, assuming you are in the right place at the right time!  King Salmon run at different times than the Reds in some rivers but this is not always the case.  King Salmon are by far the biggest and can weigh up to 80 pounds, although some have been found bigger.  I spent a few days at the mighty Copper River, which provides some of the best salmon found in the World.  Copper River Reds are the richest and most filling salmon I have ever had.  Fish wheels were running and so were the fish.  It is normal for a fish wheel to pull in ten Kings and 60 Reds in less than three hours.  Alaska residents can get up to 500 salmon with their subsistence permits depending on the size of the household, but are not allowed to sell them.  They are however, allowed to give them away for Christmas presents and to skinny kids on bicycles hanging around camp at night.  I was offered whole fish but had to turn them down in exchange for some fresh three-pound fillets, enough for dinner that night!

Some people use dip nets, a three feet wide net that you simply place in the gray glacier river and wait on salmon to swim into.  Then pull up and repeat...and repeat.  30 salmon in a few hours is not uncommon.  Unfortunately only Alaskan residents were allowed to use dip nets on the Copper, so I just set back and watched with my jaw dragging the ground.  It is amazing how driven the salmon are at the end of their life cycle.  They swim blind up the dark waters to spawn in the thousands on rivers like the Copper and Yukon.  After several pounds of salmon, I was happy to be back to my staple, peanut butter and jelly on wheat!

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

 
There are only two roads which go into the largest National Park in the United States.  The roads are gravel/washboard and allow you to see a tiny portion of one of the most magnificent places I have ever seen.  The park is equal to six Yellowstones and is magnified by splendid isolation.  The park contains a single glacier that is larger than the State of Rhode Island.  Nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States lie within the park's borders.  Many of the mountains are over 16,000 feet and lie within 20 miles of the ocean!  Massive volcanoes tower in the park's interior including Blackburn, Sanford, Drum, and Wrangell, all of which I could see from my bicycle. 

I rode the McCarthy road all 60 miles until it ended near the park's center.  The Root Glacier provided an excellent campsite as we explored the history behind Kennecott and Bonanza copper mines.  The mines operated from 1911 to 1938 and concentrated at least $200 million worth of ore, which included $100 million in profit for Kennecott Copper Corporation.  At the mine's peak, about 600 men worked in the mines and mill town, all of which were attracted by the high salaries that were double what they could get in the Lower 48.

Copper Moose Bed & Breakfast

As I was leaving Chitna, Alaska, I came upon a small mercantile off the road to my left.  I decided to swing in and get an ice cream!  There were only a few people inside and one happened to be a gentleman in his sixties who was purchasing some fresh vegetables.  He asked me where I was heading and where I had come from before paying for his groceries and heading on his way.  I got an ice cream and quickly got back on the road.  Less than a mile away from the store, a GMC SUV pulled up beside me and to my surprise it was the same gentleman I had just met at the store.  He said, "I own a bed and breakfast up the road a few miles and you are staying with me tonight!"  I could not turn this one down and I soon found myself at a beautiful cabin overlooking the Wrangell Mountains.  The bed and breakfast was called the Copper Moose and the gentleman’s name was CD McCurry.  He was interested in my travels since he was planning a ride from his home in Kenny Lake, Alaska to Las Vegas in a few years time.  He would not take a dime and only wanted to pick my brain about bicycle touring, the equipment necessary, training required, and my diet among other things.

My First...and Second Flat

I rode for nearly 2200 miles before having a single flat tire!  This is impressive riding on brand new pavement, but unheard of on roads like the Dalton Highway and McCarthy Road.  The 2200 miles included over 600 miles of rough gravel and countless broken glass bottles along the Parks and Kenai Highways.  About two miles from the Alaska/Canada border I had a piece of glass puncture my rear tire.  Despite my self sealing tubes, the tire deflated rather quickly and I was left to repair my tire within sight of the US border officers.  I was sure they were going to stop me, thinking I was dumping things that might not pass through the border easily!  Fortunately they did not and the passage into Canada went smooth and without a hitch. 

We stayed the night about 40 miles from the border at a place called White River.  We woke up early and began our trek towards Destruction Bay, Yukon.  About half way down the road I hit something sharp that sliced my front tire.  Within seconds I was on my rim going downhill at 25 mph.  I was able to get stopped and fix my second flat, which happened less than 100 miles from my first.  I was beginning to worry about Canada and what my luck would be as I passed through its wilderness.  I just purchased a new tire in Whitehorse and will hope that things go smoothly until my next bike shop in 700 miles! 

The Long Lonely Road...

 
The Alaska Highway is a road which travels over vast stretches of mountain valleys and wilderness with very few services dotted along its path.  This is the reason I have not been able to send out newsletters or upload pictures as often as I would like.  If you are able to find a computer, it is usually very old and has a satellite Internet connection if any.  The connection is very unreliable and is usually not worth fooling with since it is impossible to upload a single photo without the connection timing out.  Computers are even few and far between here in Whitehorse, the capital city of the Yukon!  This makes sense given that the Yukon is only home to around 30,000 people in the entire territory.  25,000 of the 30,000 live in Whitehorse!  From here I will travel south on the Alaska Highway to Watson Lake before turning south onto Highway 37, the Cassiar Highway.  The Cassiar is very remote and has few services, including food.  The Cassiar is 450 miles in length and passes by several glaciers, lakes, and wildlife preserves.  Wish me luck and look for another newsletter once I make it to Prince George in two to three weeks!