Into the wild – only 25,000+ kms to go!
Ready, set, GO!
After a quick visit to Homer’s farmer’s market (great concept and you get $2 to spend if you come by bicycle) we went on our first stretch to Ninilchik. This was the first test for us with some hills and for our rain gear as well. Apparently it was a wet summer in Alaska (climate change?) so we could practice setting up our tent in the rain. The next morning we entered with our wet clothes the coffee shop next to the campground and encountered a random act of kindness that we will describe a lot in our blogs and make travelling so worth while. Jeff and Mark running the tiny coffee shop brought in a heater to dry our clothes and let us sit there with a warm coffee for a couple of hours to dry up and reload to get back on the road. The couple had moved into a trailer from Las Vegas to tour Alaska, arrived in the mini town of Ninilchik 13 years ago and sort of never left. Asking what they could do around there it appeared the coffee shop could be reopened and now they serve puppucino’s (whip cream for dogs – check out their hilarious movie on Polka Friday) from the Buzz Cafe on Fridays. Meanwhile with every coffee served from the window of the drive thru the latest talks of town are exchanged with the locals. No need for a news paper.
There is also a small orthodox church in Ninilchik from when Russia still owned Alaska. Because there are not many buildings in Alaska older than 50 years you have got to check it out. The Whike already proved a good conversation starter and we met an Australian couple there. When we had an unpleasant stretch of muddy gravel and rain through a road construction two days later, they were waiving at us from a rest area. They had looked out for us on the road and worried about our visibility, drove to the next town, bought yellow caution tape and drove back to give it to us. How nice, thank you!
In Soldotna we had a nice break from the rain with a sundowner on a nice spot by the river. After being sent away from an ‘RV only’ site, we found a nice tenting spot. It occurred to us that being two cyclists with a tent we are not the average tourists in Alaska. That is a retired couple, a dog and a giant RV vehicle with a jeep towed behind it. We have a long way to go in promoting green travel! The Kenai peninsula is one of the most scenic routes you can take. Mountains with snowy peaks, wild camping under the glacier and turquoise lakes. When you have made it in Alaska you have a house by the lake with your own float plane, a fishing boat and an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle/ quad).
The first five days were a test ride back to Anchorage where we could still resupply and buy everything we would need. And a test it was… On ‘Turnagain Arm’ Jakoba saw beluga whales and called Matthijs who stopped to look. She unfortunately also kept looking and drove right into his backside and broke a spoke. Communications can be improved in a young marriage ;). On a busy stretch just before Anchorage a police car stopped to check if we were ok. Just one kilometre later we had our first flat. The night before we woke up on the ground as we had a puncture in our expensive air mattress. Luckily we were able to fix all this in Anchorage. Riding into town we meet a moose and calf casually munching away on trees on the road side. We feel right at home at the Amsterdam cafe which has a great selection of Dutch beer. The owners are American but took over from Dutch folks and decided to keep the theme.
Wheels on Wind TV debut
Back in the capital we stayed at a Dutch B&B owned by Irene, an adventurous woman who has great stories to tell. She moved to Anchorage long ago to marry a doctor after being a flight attendant and never left. Now she has also become the Dutch consul for Alaska next to owning the B&B. In the morning when we get ready to leave, her super enthusiastic friend Louise arranged an interview with us on the Alaskan Channel 2 news to tell more about our trip and mission. The news item that they created was posted in our earlier blog, check it out here. After our last supplies we leave the city and make our way on the Glenallen highway.
We have a great stay with Ryan and his wife Lindsay with a nice salmon dinner and a warm bed. The next morning we leave Wasilla and Palmer stocked up because we would not see a large town until Whitehorse 15 days later. Unfortunately we could not find any white gas for our stove at the four giant supermarkets in Palmer. Luckily a lady offered to drive back to Wasilla to get the gas at Walmart. Grateful as we were we greeted the lady with some flowers and money for the gas. She asked if she could ask Jakoba a question “do you know Jesus?” When the answer was no, she handed a small bible out of the window of her truck and drove off. On our way East we pass the village of Sutton, where the worn down bar has an advertisement to bring coal jobs back and the restaurant shows photos of the glory days of the old coal washing plant.
High on hills and camping fun
We camp out and have drinks and good fun with Vanarchy; a group of lesbian couples and one guy from Anchorage who go on mini adventures with their camper vans. The next day has some steep hills to reach Matanuska glacier, a tough day riding uphill on a chilly day. But the view of the glacier on the road side is well worth it. Luckily we are offered a shower and hot chocolate in the cabin of a Dutch couple who live close to where Matthijs grew up. The next day we drive along with a Basque cyclist for some time and at the campground we decide to wait for the rain to stop and make it a short day.
We arrive at Grizzly Lake the next day which has no grizzlies but does have two swans and we rent a canoe for some morning exercise. That day we ride 114 km and arrive in Tok which is on the junction of the Glenallen and the Alaskan highway. Here we see the first signs to the Canadian border. A popular stop where we take a rest day and feast on and big pizzas and an endless salad bar at Fast Eddy’s. It is nice to get out of the tent and stay in a motel for a night.
In the mean time we have learned that the northern lights can be visible this time a year on this latitude. We set our alarm multiple times, but are also not completely ready for the colder, near freezing, nights and decide to stay in the tent. Only to hear that the lights were spectacular the next day… We have two days left to the border and stay in a nice lakeside state park campground. The amenities here are always basic – a pit toilet, fire rings, a bear locker and some trash cans – but clean and on the most beautiful spots. We are treated to the view of the sun setting over the lake. The next day we look forward to cycle into Canada, crossing the border and a time zone on our bicycles!
