Jul
03
2009
by Mr Cubes
Chicken to Canadian Border (48.3 miles)
Total Miles: 881.8
If Hell exists and I am sentenced to eternal torture, then I will be claiming today as a day in lieu. Without doubt the toughest day I had yet experienced on the entire tour. Maybe my entire life.
My pitch at Chicken had been on harsh gravel and near a generator that was on all night. Needless to say I didn't sleep too well. The sun was also beating down on the tent by 7am making it insufferably hot inside so with hopes of a 
lie-in dashed I set off to Downtown Chicken (two minute walk) for a hearty breakfast. None of the other cyclists seemed to be around so I set off on my way. The two mile hill out of town was fairly tough going in the heat, but I took it easy and was rewarded with an equally long downhill back to the riverside. For the next fifteen miles the road was either flat or just a gentle incline and it was turning into a great day's cycling. But then it changed. The gentle inclines became steep inclines and there were no downhills and just the very occasional flat section. The afternoon sun was burning down, melting the sunscreen on my face which, with almost comic effect, trickled into my eyes making me partially blind.
And then it just started to get silly. After climbing one particularly brutal section for over an hour I stopped at the summit to take in the view and noticed a sign for drivers heading the other way which said the road is a high grade descent for the next four miles. Well that would explain my struggle then! Am glad they don't warn of steep inclines too as it's better not knowing what lies ahead. All of this was taking it's toll on my already weakened knees and each pedal stroke was becoming painful.
I stopped for noodles by a gravel pit at the roadside and in my fatigued state managed to spill half of them. After contemplating scraping them up I thought better of it and just hoped the wildlife didn't mind the curry powder. A few miles short of the border was the mining community of Boundary which offered services including food and gas. Well, that's what the signpost said but when I got there everything was boarded up. Yet another slap to my sunburnt face, I sat in the shade of their porch for an hour - a broken man.
Realising that the border control closed in under two hours I had to make a decision to camp in the ghost town or carry on. According to the map it was just four more miles so I was back on the bike and slowly edging my way forward again. But ha, bloody ha, those last four miles were another that finished with a sign warning drivers of a steep descent. A total of eight miles of graded hills in one day is not fun with a fully loaded bike. I felt I had nothing whatsoever left and actually had very little water left to add to my troubles. Maybe the border has a duty free shopping section like in an airport...
Stopping just a couple of hundred metres short of the border for a photo of the Fortymile Valley I must have looked a terrible state. A mysterious cut had appeared on my hand adding to the list of afflictions and the general impression of a man in dire straits. With the last of my energy I struggled to the control and just hoped I didn't receive any hassle. Thankfully, my luck here changed. A totally charming border guard filled my water carrier from their bottled water supply and assured me I was through the worst of it - the road to Dawson City was hilly, but nothing like what I had gone through 
today. I guess she must see quite a few stagger past in a similar state. Finally I had gotten through Alaska. It had been tough going and saved the worst till last, but I loved it really. Just maybe not all of the time.
Canada started no better with a slow long incline but then turned and I enjoyed a nice descent to a patch of ground by the roadside ideal for camping. As the border closed shortly after there would be no traffic so I plugged my mp3 player into the travel speakers, cranked up the Simon & Garfunkel and immediately felt better. And then passed out...
Jul
02
2009
by Mr Cubes
West Fork to Chicken (19.0 miles)
Total Miles: 833.5
Don't be fooled by the meagre looking 19 miles accomplished today. At least 10 of them were steeply uphill and a ride that would take about an hour on a road bike took well over two hours to complete. I'd left the campsite early, much to the disappointment of Denny, the host. A beautiful sunny morning, which quickly becomes ugly when combined with constant hills. I was sweating by the litre and wondering if the landscape would still be as beautiful if it got flattened out. I have tried never to grumble on this trip so far, but really...what is the point of climbing for a mile if it then descends again immediately. Something should be done!
Whether I've been riding for two hours or fourteen it is always a massive relief to be able to see the final destination and when Chicken came into view I was pleased to note it was downhill all the way - about two miles of it. There are signs for an airport, a post office and all sorts of other services so I'm starting to think it's a major town - but quickly realise it isn't. There are basically three distinct and competing parts to it - Downtown Chicken; Chicken Creek Outpost and Town of Chicken. Downtown Chicken seems to offer the most fun for a cyclist with a bar, cafe and souvenir shop. The other two have RV parks and souvenir shops only and seem much more money orientated. The afternoon is spent being the total tourist and I even get sucked into buying a Chicken souvenir fridge magnet. Really useful on a bike tour!
In the evening I head to the bar and meet a Canadian cyclist going the other way called Mike who tells me all about the hills to come - I doubt they can be anything worse than what I have already faced. I also meet the two German cyclists, Lars and Manfred and we get chatting comparing the state of our respective football leagues. The two girls from West Fork are also there; drunk and annoying pretty much the whole town - even though that is only 15 people. It's a good fun night after a long time on the road alone, though I doubt there is enough here to keep me occupied for another day. The huge hill winding out of town will have to be faced in the morning...
Jul
01
2009
by Mr Cubes
Tok to West Fork Campground (62.3 miles)
Total Miles: 814.5
Today's plan of action was a 78 mile ride to Chicken, a small community just inside the border. I'd been told the road there was hilly, mostly of the up variety. Still I felt that with a good breakfast inside me it shouldn't be a problem - so I set off to Fast Eddy's again, which also promised free wi-fi. On the way I stopped at the visitor centre for information on Chicken and met two German cyclists, who were cycling from Anchorage to Whitehorse and were also planning on the Chicken detour. I left them to it and got my breakfast - by far the best yet and reasonably cheap too. Highly recommended, though I couldn't get the internet to work.
The 12 mile stretch to Tetlin Junction - where the road veers north to Chicken - was glorious. Flat and fast 
with the beautiful Alaska Range visible behind me. At one point I had to stop for roadworks which included a pilot car to escort everyone across - seemed strange at first but it would happen a lot as time went by. At the junction I turned north and immediately the road was on an incline.
The climbing continued for six miles and after that it was the same sort of ups and downs I faced on the Dalton Highway - a mile of steep uphill, followed by a short downhill and then a longer climb again. Either side of the road were dead trees from a forest fire sometime in the past...it looks like destruction but they tell me the fires are essential for the ecology of the area. The road was quite busy and it was also pretty hot. Not a very enjoyable day really. After 47 miles I got to Mount Fairplay Wayside - a rest area with lots of information about the road and the valley we were overlooking. It mentioned there was a campground about 15 miles further up the road which suddenly seemed much more appealing than the 31 miles I had been counting down to Chicken. As often seems to be the way with luck - when it comes, it comes in twos or threes - the road now became a long downhill which was hugely appreciated. The campground was not too busy and I got a spot overlooking a beautiful lake.
As I was slowly setting up camp, the campground host, Denny, came over and started chatting away about all the other cyclists he had seen pass through here. Nice guy who lent me a hammer and took my payment from me (normally you have to go to the self registration booth). I was as social as I could be, but being absolutely shatttered I just wanted to eat and sleep. I tried unsuccessfully to get a campfire going and instead focused on cooking up more noodles with peanut butter and bacon bits. Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon period but I LOVE it! A couple of young girls came over who had set up camp next to me asking how you pay and then went off on their way. And got a fire going. Must have been in the Girl Guides or something.
It had been a very long day and a very tiring one. At least Chicken was just a few miles further up the road now and that was all I had planned for tomorrow.
Jun
29
2009
by Mr Cubes
Moon Lake to Tok (18.4 miles)
Total Miles: 752.1
Today's planned journey was the short ride to Tok, but even that would be difficult with a puncture which is what I was greeted with when I woke up. Always suspicious of punctures that appear overnight I started to look around for the squirrel from the previous night as my initial suspect. I changed the inner tube which seemed to be losing air from a scuffed up area; checked the tyre for glass or anything else that might have caused it but it looked fine - just a little worn around the sides.
Back on the road and the journey to Tok takes less than 90 minutes on good roads with magnificent scenery the whole way. This meant I could have an extended rest for the remainder of the day and as Tok looked like quite a busy little town I decided to spend another day resting there too. I checked into the Golden Bear campground and set up the tent and then set to work on cleaning up the bike. That is when I noticed that the back tyre isn't just scuffed around the side wall, it was shredded! The new inner tube was poking through some quite large openings and explains why the other one suffered so much. Time for the spare! It at least means I now had a weight and space saving - even at the cost of having no spare tyre. The Dalton really is a tough road and I'm grateful I decided to bring the spare after all.
The next two days are spent walking around Tok which is very much a tourist town - they know that everyone travelling between Alaska and Canada passes through it so there are a lot of campgrounds, motels and souvenir shops. A couple of bars too, so I spent some time in those getting to know the locals, the highlight of which was Tony; a big bearded bear of a man with a cracking personality and a story for every occasion. Did keep thinking I was Australian though. He knows California really well so we agreed to meet later with my maps for him to show me all the 'must see' locations. After this I was invited to dinner with him and Jackie, his wife, at 'Fast Eddy's' - the best restaurant in town! They told me I wasn't to look at the price, I could have anything I liked. Well after a week of noodles that was a Godsend so I went for their surf and turf which came with a visit to the salad bar and a mountain of fries. Naturally. They also ordered a plate of breaded mushrooms which would have fed a small army and various other side dishes. Tony kept wandering off to talk to other diners - even if he didn't know them. A very likeable guy.
Whilst we are talking they suggest that instead of staying on the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse, I take a detour through Chicken and Dawson City on the Top of the World Highway - assuring me that although it would be tough...it would be well worth it. I'd already heard about Chicken being a great place so this seemed like a worthwhile diversion. We got carry out boxes for all the food that wasn't eaten - which was still a lot and they gave me a lift back to the campsite. I'm still uneasy about accepting such kindness from complete strangers, but I reckon I could get used to it.
It had been a great couple of days meeting some really nice people, relaxing the body and mind and setting myself a new route. Time to see why they call it the Top of the World Highway...
Jun
28
2009
by Mr Cubes
Delta Junction to Moon Lake (94.0 miles)
Total Miles: 733.7
In an effort to improve my eating habits, I decided to draw up a new eating schedule. Start the day with a big breakfast and then stop every hour to eat. And on a day like today, it was lucky I did...
Leaving Delta Junction you immediately come onto the Alaska Highway and are 
greeted by a monument signifying the end of the road. 1,422 miles of it. As far as the eye could see it was dead flat and dead straight too, so most of the day's cycling was fairly boring but low impact and easy going. Even so, by the time I got to Dot Lake - my planned stopover after 60 miles - I was fairly tired and ready for a rest. Unfortunately the town had closed. A few locked up buildings and a school with a massively overgrown play area gave plenty of opportunities for stealth camping, but no availability of water - nor the large cheeseburger I was craving.
While standing at the sign of the road weighing up my options and studying the map, I was overtaken by a hitchhiker which made me think there must be life there after all. Still it was only thirty miles to the next official State campground so I decided to just carry on. Luckily the road remained flat despite the impressive Alaska Range threatening in the distance. And I got to the site with no problems. This site was called Moon Lake and was worth the extra effort, a very beautiful place 
though it cost $15 to pitch a tent. These campsites have no facilities at all, just a pump and outhouses, so it was fairly expensive but as the host was there I had to pay up.
While cooking up my gourmet evening meal of seafood satay (tuna, peanut butter and rice), an inquisitive squirrel started to edge ever closer to check out what the gorgeous smell was. Despite my shooing and general protestations he eventually got onto the picnic table and right into my pots. And I bet he didn't pay the $15...
So another day over ninety miles and now Tok - which everyone said was a fun place - was less than twenty miles away. A chance for a much needed day off was just around the corner.
Jun
27
2009
by Mr Cubes
Harding Lake - Delta Junction (59.5 miles)
Total Miles: 639.6
Being British gives me a birthright to complain about the weather at all possible times. Be it too hot, too cold, too wet, too dry - I feel it is important to express how difficult it's making my life. For the most part of today though, it was perfect cycling weather. Cool, grey and a slight trailing wind, it was difficult to have a good moan. Still, there was plenty to make up for that later in the day...
Along the way I spot my first moose - she's grazing by the roadside like some sort of hunchbacked horse until I see it's face. Very odd looking animal. Lunch is spent eating noodles at Birch Lake - a bit chilly if you ask me. Here I meet Kenny - a road cyclist from Fairbanks - who was on his way back from Delta Junction as part of his weekend training ride. That's a 200 mile round trip and he was preparing for a 400 mile ride later in the year in which he hoped to break the 24 hour barrier. Made my efforts look fairly lame, though he does have an ultra light bike and a support team keeping him fed and watered. That would be nice, I must admit. He assures me the road to Delta is mostly flat and I'm back on my way.
About 10 miles from Delta I start to feel spots of rain, that turn to a light shower and slowly develop into a major storm. I find the State Campground, set up the tent and go off to look for some food and Saturday night entertainment. Maybe it's because of the heavy rain, but I could find only one place to eat; which was very ordinary with only three teenagers in charge of the whole business. Nothing else in the town seemed to even be open - though I cycled the whole thing twice. Other people have since assured me that Delta is an okay place, but I must have missed that somehow. I'd be happy to leave and hoped that Tok - the next community shown on the map - has more to offer.
Jun
26
2009
by Mr Cubes
Fairbanks to Harding Lake (51.5 miles)
Total Miles: 580.1
After a rest day in Fairbanks, in which I got nothing accomplished but spent too much money, the knee felt better and it was time to get back on the saddle. I had been told that the next couple of hundred miles would be flat and I'd already started to find Fairbanks rather depressing. Being back on tarmac, with a rested knee and no hills made the bike feel a hundred times lighter...suddenly I was zooming along at a blistering pace!
My first port of call was North Pole, a small community 10 miles east of Fairbanks that was created when a planned giant toy factory never materialised. Now it is the redirect point for all mail addressed to Santa and I'm told he deals with each one 
personally. All the roads have Christmas sounding names, with the main street being Santa Claus Lane, which has a McDonald's as the first thing you see - probably where the elves all hang out after a hard day at the office. I cycled around for awhile, but couldn't see Santa's house which is meant to be here - there are reindeer and you can get your picture taken with the real Santa and pass on any special Christmas messages. I decided to give up and carry on, which is of course when I then spotted the house on the other side of town. Now I was on the highway though and no way to double back, so...sorry kids...this year isn't looking too great for you all...
Soon after this was the Eielson Air Force Base with an impressive display of US fighter planes and other aircraft, but plenty of signs forbidding the use of video, cameras or even just stopping made me decide to just keep on pedalling past it. The rest of the day was beautifully flat and 50 miles passed without me really noticing it. After I got to the campsite and set up the tent, I returned to a restaurant I had passed just before. The teenage waitress was obsessed with my accent until she was told by her dad, the owner, that she couldn't marry me as I was too old! Charming! It was nice to not have to cook for myself after a day's cycling and I even treated myself to some chocolate cake dessert. It had been a completely different day from anything in the previous week - I think I will enjoy this after all...