Kenai Peninsula - south of Anchorage
The weather is changing, plans need to be adjusted. Having arrived safely in Anchorage, I had to decide whether to fly to Deadhorse in northern Alaska and cycle the Dalton Highway. The weather forecast wasn't on my side: around freezing and snow/rain for half of the eight days. However, this meant I could start cycling with less weight and leave my thermal clothing and second sleeping bag behind.
Anchorage
I spent most of my first day in Anchorage looking at alternatives to Deadhorse. In the afternoon, I explored the city center. Since it was Sunday, it was very quiet and only a few shops were open.
I didn't like Anchorage very much. There were a lot of homeless people, and it was just like you'd imagine an American city to be: very car-oriented.
I learned that the city wasn't so safe on day two when I returned from buying bear spray and a gas canister. I had assembled my bike and cycled to the REI store. As usual, I locked it in front of the shop. At the hostel, I was then told that they no longer allowed their rental bikes in the area and that I could simply take my bike into the shop with me.
Departure
Day 3 began. First stop was Walmart, and this time I took my fully loaded bike to the huge store to shop for two and a half days. It felt strange, but apparently normal, and there was so much choice. From weapons and TVs to food. I was a bit overwhelmed 😅
Then I went out of town for about 15 km on a separate road, but then I came to the Seward Highway. This one had a nice wide shoulder. Sometimes it was clean, but sometimes there was a lot of gravel. That was my gravel riding practice ride.
There was also a section of whiteland with a bike path. About a quarter of the day. Suddenly, I saw something black and four-legged wobbling in front of me on the bike path in the woods. I hadn't even managed to cut the fuse on the spray bottle yet, and by the time I'd done that, the bear had already disappeared. Cautiously and singing, I continued on my way. Now ready for the next one.
Having reached the end of the fjord, the water was flowing with the tide towards the sea. I saw my first bald eagles using the shallow water to fish. Shortly before the ascents, I found a campsite by the lake. It was truly beautiful below the snow-covered mountains. There I had a quiet but cool night.
Many thanks to all my supporters ❤️ Johannes, Lucas, Peter and Carmen, Helga, Michael The pizza that led to the creation of this blog post can be found at the end of the blog entry.
Mountains
While I was having breakfast in the sunshine and packing up, a moose strolled across the lake and grazed on the other side. Now all I need is a grizzly bear 😅.
Before tackling the climbs with noticeable leg fatigue, I needed to get some water. The next shop was 60 km away, but I asked at the zoo, which was only 2 km away. It had a kiosk where I stocked up.
After the initial climb, I was above the tree line and it reminded me of Norway. There I unpacked my folding chair and had lunch. All the rest areas have toilets but no seating.
Once I reached the shop, I'd conquered most of the elevation gain. There, I treated myself to a delicious chocolate ice cream, as it was quite warm. According to the GPS, it was up to 32 degrees Celsius. And of course, it was always windless when going uphill 🥵. That's how I got my first mild sunburn.
Right behind the store was a campground by the lake. Since it was a good fit, a spot right by the water was available, and it was simply beautiful, I stayed. After a quick dip in the lake, about two or three hours later, two other cyclists, Elle and Cody from Ohio, suddenly showed up. They were cycling all the way to Mexico and carrying climbing gear for the mountains along the way. We spent a lovely evening together.
Downhill
This night was also a bit chilly, but the sun came up quickly. With sunset at 11:30 PM and sunrise at 4:30 AM, I have to pull my buff/head warmer over my eyes at night and check the time every time I wake up. Unfortunately, I discovered that my air mattress has a hole. It's so small that more than half the air was still in it in the morning, but I couldn't find it underwater in the lake 🙄. My updated packing list:
Cycling Basti
With Cody and Elle, we rode all the way to Seward, stopping only once for lunch at a small shop. Riding in Cody's slipstream, and all downhill, we made good time. Elle set her own pace, and we waited for her every few kilometers. If anything came up, the two of them were always in contact via walkie-talkie. During the breaks, Elle would tell us about the names she'd given to the mountains, like Sharktooth, Rockefeller Center, or Cookie Crumble.
Ever since I hit the road, I'd been looking for an Alaska license plate but couldn't find one. Just a few seconds after talking to Cody about it, I found one, and even a small one for motorcycles 🍀. They then turned off briefly towards Seward for Exit Glacier for their first mountain hike. Theoretically, our paths will cross twice more. We'll see how the timing works out.
I went to the hostel in Seward to take a proper shower. For dinner, I had a food truck burger. I spent the rest of the evening fixing the website's map synchronization.
Return to Anchorage and break
After a somewhat rough night, I had the seventh day to explore the city. I could have taken a six-hour glacier boat tour, but the weather was very cold and windy. Clouds drifted through the city from the sea.
To avoid cycling back, I booked a bus which unfortunately didn't leave for Anchorage until 6 pm. So I arrived back at the same hostel in Anchorage around 10 pm. I'll stay here for a day or two to wait out some more rain. I'll decide that at the last minute. Besides writing this blog post, I also used the time to visit the Anchorage Museum. Very interesting, with many topics covered. It's also the only modern building 😅. After that, I'll head north to Denali National Park. I'll meet Till there on the 15th.
Conclusion
So far, I'm really enjoying Alaska. The weather is cooperating, and the route I've taken so far has been fantastic. Yes, it's a shame I didn't start in the far north, but I've come to terms with it.
I still have to get used to the differences, such as the waiter leaving with the credit card, cars having priority at zebra crossings, being allowed to turn right after stopping at a red light, the large portions of food, or that every card terminal asks for a 20% tip (Elle and Cody don't understand this either 😅).
And now, visible only to my sponsors, a picture of my pizza from Anchorage. The first postcards are already being processed. Thank you all so much! 😊
