On the road

Again this will be short but I will do my best to capture some snapshots. Right now we are staying in a campground in Glennallen. I have been sitting in the bathroom for the last hour charging my devices and checking email and reading the news. No I am not having a long bowel movement. The Mosquitos here are do bad it is the only place I can get a break. They were literally swarming every part of my body. 

Onto updates. 

1. The Glenn Highway might just be the prettiest stretch if road in Alaska. The views of the mountains for here are incredible. 

2.  People have been so generous. We were going to camp last night but met a great family who own a rv/cabin/campground. They let us stay in one of their cabins and served us an amazing dinner and breakfast. And we got to play Catan with them. It was a beautiful night if hospitality and fun. 

3.  We also met an older couple who we ended up camping with for two nights in a row. They had an RV but just camped alongside us. They made us a Few delicious meals. And we had great conversation. We camped one night next to a river when we met them but realized we had first met them in Denali. That's a long great story for when I get back. 

I am sure there is more but I am tired. I heard the road to Valdez is stunning. I am very much looking forward to it. Here are some photos and videos from the road. We have had long days with tons of climbing. And all sorts of weather. I have used every bit of clothing I brought with me. Most at the same time to stay warm. Until next time.

Having breakfast with a beautiful family in the road. 

My first taste of caribou. It's delicious. 

Our campsite by a beautiful river. 

Rain rain rain. And cold. Lots of it. And all of my jackets are yellow and black so this sign was very funny to us. 

Power green smoothie made for us by friends we met on the road. This was so good after days if oatmeal. 

This is what midnight looks like. It's actually lighter out than this photo is showing. 

A Run Down

I don't have much time to write so here is a quick rundown of some events. 

1. Spent three days and two nights camping and biking along the Denali Park road. 

2. Saw a bunch of wildlife close up. 

3.  Hitchhiked from Denali to Palmer. Pete, our ride, was very interesting and we had an amazing trip. Well worth the hitchhike. 

4. Met another traveling cyclist. This time a lone female from England. She inspired us to hitchhike and wild camp. Get over our fears. 

5. Decided we were running out of time to see everything we wanted to see partially because the Denali highway is closed and we can't ride it. So we had to change route. We flipped a coin and took best two out of three to decide which direction to go. 

6. Headed on the Glenn Highway now on our way to Valdez which I am told is a beautiful way to ride. 

We are headed to go shopping at a full stocked grocery store. Quite the luxury after the shit grocery stores along the road in the small towns. 

Lunch in Palmer. Finally a vegetable. 

A moose right in our campground. 

Letter Home

i thought I would write a blog post in the form of a letter home to my mom. She worries quite a bit but who wouldn't when you have a kid biking in Alaska. 

Hi Mom

We are safe. No problems so far. We have been staying in the same campground in Denali taking in the hikes close by and the ranger programs. We mostly wanted to give our legs a rest for a couple days. We succeeded at that until we did a huge hike today up Mt Healy. I was exhausted at the top but the view was worth it. 

I haven't showered in at least three maybe four days. Honestly I can't remember at this point. Showers are expensive here and after awhile you don't notice the dirt. I only kid. About the dirt. Not the showering. You will be proud to know I have changed my underwear everyday. Deanna and I have actually contemplated seeing how long we could go without a shower. 

My clothes are getting pretty gross but we are headed out into the park tomorrow for two days. We have campsites but they are very primitive. We decided to take showers and wash all out clothes when we get back out. 

Tomorrow we take a bus with our bikes on board to the Eilson Visitor Center. It is about 66 miles into the park. The road extends out 90 miles but isn't open just yet to buses. We would bike the whole way but that would require a massive uphill climb from mile 90 to about 70. We would rather avoid it. 

From the visitor center we will bike back to the park entrance sleeping two days at campsites much farther in the park. No wireless there. 

With any luck the Denali Highway will be open and we will start heading that way. It is still closed because of a few washouts on the road. It's probably passable by bike but we are waiting for final word. 

We are really having a wonderful time. It was freezing last night but otherwise the weather has been beautiful if not a little too hot. Below I included some photos. 

Much love

Mari

Turn off the lights

It's almost impossible to sleep here. Between the constant light, fear of bears, and my inability to find a comfortable place to put my arms while laying down, I haven't found much restful sleep. 

I wake up probably 2 to 3 times an hour and eventually find sleep about two hours before we get up. 

Eventually I assume I will be so exhausted I will just fall asleep. 

We start biking today for day three. Both of us feel pretty good. No real body pains. 

More to come later. Here is our campsite from last night. 

Day one

We are in Nenana, AK for the night. Beautiful ride today with some tough climbs. Lots of ups and downs. We found a nice campground in the middle of Nenana. 

Josh if you are reading this we pushed through to Nenana. Our friends dropped us off outside of Fairbanks so we only biked 40 to 45 miles. It was still tough. Glad we are staying here. 

Photos and more blurbs coming later. Don't expect too much. Wireless will probably be a luxury. No major wildlife sightings yet. I did get a nice camera so I will post photos for sure after the trip. 

Making a Garden Grow

I recently spent a few days with my dad and lots of dirt and wood and built some raised beds for my backyard. They look awesome! And already have some great plants growing in them. Check out the photos below.

I am going to be gone for a month in Alaska biking but my roommate and upstairs neighbor are going to be taking care of the plants and most likely already be able to starting eating what they produce. It's quite exciting. I have always wanted a garden and here it is happening.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100460788717711.1073741828.20008861&type=1&l=b168701d93

Beauty

I just listened to this radio story today. It ended and I had tears in my eyes. It is just beautiful. It is an hour and well worth your time. Makes me want to get on my bike and just ride somewhere...

http://transom.org/?p=33988