Salcha Creek to Fairbanks

Day 28--Wednesday, August 15, 2002

If this last entry sounds loopy, it's because we're eating Chinese and drinking champagne in a little motel (Golden North) near the airport and celebrating the close of our 60/30 Great Alaska Bicycling Adventure.

This last day started out COLD. It was cold in the night and I awoke several times because of it. We both also woke at 2 a.m when a LOUD wind boat motored up the river, bright lights lighting the tent and noise vibrating the ground. We could hear it for a good 10 minutes after it passed. My little zipper thermometer read 32 degrees F when we woke up.

Pulled all of my biking duds into the sleeping bag to warm them up before putting them on. It was definitely a polar bear ride when we started out, but warmed up quickly when the sun came out. Jess started calling me Michael Jackson because halfway up the camp road I realized that I was so anxious to get started that I'd put on only one glove. The other one, which had been on my rackpack, lay on the ground near where I started.

Unremarkable, flat route today, divided four lane once we got to a town called North Pole, very commercial, a lot of traffic, and a stretch of construction shortly thereafter. Very dirty shoulders, and a vicious cross wind were "challenges." In fact the wind is still going strong, and the air is full of dust.

I finally saw a roadside moose today—made of spruce burls. Wanted to take a photo, but Jess was sailing far ahead so I did not stop. We did see three more sandhill cranes, though. They were just walking about in tall grass by the roadside.

Jess spinning off the last miles

Once we got to the motel, Jess taxied back to the original (more expensive) motel for our bike boxes and the stuff we'd mailed back from Denali. Then we took showers and I ran the film to a nearby Fred Meyers1-hour photo and bought champagne and tape for the bike boxes

And so, here we are. Stuff sorted and packed, though still wet and dirty in some cases. Bikes boxed. Three hours to relax before our airport shuttle. Our flight leaves at 1:05 a.m. We'll be on the same flight until Sea-Tac.

This has been a wonderful time for both of us. I will report our general impressions in a final summary report composed on the plane.