Fairbanks to Beaver Creek (From the heart of Alaska to the Yukon Territory, Canadian Border)
Date
Distance
Altitude gain
Place
18.06.2005
076 km
0250 m
Fairbanks-Salcha river
19.06.2005
000 km
(bad weather!!!!)
Salcha river
20.06.2005
192 km
1005 m
Salcha river-Dot Lake
21.06.2005
157 km
1115 m
Dot lake-Northway Junction
22.06.2005
099 km
0835 m
Northway Junction-B. Creek
I left Fairbanks on an overcast day after having stayed in Fairbanks for 2 and a half days getting organised, burning photo CDs etc etc. Carol, the campground host was really good to me. She ended up letting me stay 3 nights free of charge (as a contribution to my trip), letting me use her laptop etc etc. Soon after I left, the cloudy weather turned into rain which lasted 2 days. I ended up staying in my tent for a good 30 hours (just went out to pee and to cook). The weather was really really bad!!! It was an opportunity to catch up on sleep, reading and listening to music (MP3 player). However, after a day in the tent I was getting so bored that I swore to myself to get going the next day even if it would hail down on me.
The following day it was still overcast but the tail-wind was incredible, pushing me 192 km that day (ok, it also involved some peddling up some hills!!). A day later the weather had cleared and the Alaskan mountains could be viewed for a long time. At the time of taking this photo, a red fox was chasing a squirrel across the road, only 100 metres from where I was standing.
the view along the Alaskan highway always changes which makes the cycling interesting and lovely. The weather however used to change very rapidly and I eventually got hit by at least one thunderstorm every day all the way to Whitehorse. My Ortlieb waterproof bags have really been doing their job! My stuff has remained dry!
On some days I enjoyed cycling at night, the wind used to die down and the cool temperatures kept me going for a long time. The Alaskan highway remained empty, except for an occasional car every 30 minutes or so during the evening. At night the wildlife became active and in this way I got to have moose standing only a few metres in front of me. Watching this last sunset was somewhat sad, I knew I would leave Alaska and head on into Canada the next day.
The memories of Alaska will remain in my heart forever!!! I loved every bit of it, the people were good to me, the bears left me alone at night and the vast wilderness is just amazing!!! I'll hopefully be back one day!!!
I left Fairbanks on an overcast day after having stayed in Fairbanks for 2 and a half days getting organised, burning photo CDs etc etc. Carol, the campground host was really good to me. She ended up letting me stay 3 nights free of charge (as a contribution to my trip), letting me use her laptop etc etc. Soon after I left, the cloudy weather turned into rain which lasted 2 days. I ended up staying in my tent for a good 30 hours (just went out to pee and to cook). The weather was really really bad!!! It was an opportunity to catch up on sleep, reading and listening to music (MP3 player). However, after a day in the tent I was getting so bored that I swore to myself to get going the next day even if it would hail down on me.
The following day it was still overcast but the tail-wind was incredible, pushing me 192 km that day (ok, it also involved some peddling up some hills!!). A day later the weather had cleared and the Alaskan mountains could be viewed for a long time. At the time of taking this photo, a red fox was chasing a squirrel across the road, only 100 metres from where I was standing.
the view along the Alaskan highway always changes which makes the cycling interesting and lovely. The weather however used to change very rapidly and I eventually got hit by at least one thunderstorm every day all the way to Whitehorse. My Ortlieb waterproof bags have really been doing their job! My stuff has remained dry!
On some days I enjoyed cycling at night, the wind used to die down and the cool temperatures kept me going for a long time. The Alaskan highway remained empty, except for an occasional car every 30 minutes or so during the evening. At night the wildlife became active and in this way I got to have moose standing only a few metres in front of me. Watching this last sunset was somewhat sad, I knew I would leave Alaska and head on into Canada the next day.