July 30
69 miles
1300 feet elevation gain
Today is Paul’s birthday. I think we both figured it was a good day for us to set a new mileage record, but neither of us said it out loud. It was a clear and beautiful morning. We got up early but took our time getting out. I think we were the last to leave the lodge at 9am.
We set out from Delta Junction onto the Alaska Highway. Also known as the AlCan highway, this is the first road that connected Alaska to the lower 48 and opened to the public in 1948. Once known for being a difficult route, it has been straightened and paved and is a proper highway. Fortunately, it has a nice shoulder.
It was quite straight, and pretty flat, and only a breeze for a change, so we were cruising. The scenery was a bit monotonous, looking at a straight road ahead lined by Spruce and Aspen, but every once in a while we’d get a view of the mountains. It was easy to get miles in.
We crossed paths with a hiker named John who biked last year from Tucson to Montana (or maybe vice versa), and this year from Montana to here. We chatted for a bit and exchanged info so we can host him when he comes back to Tucson next year to bike to Mexico.
Since it’s such a short distance to Tok, we took the opportunity to pack more “real” food. We had apples with peanut butter, tuna with cheese and avocado, and spaghetti with zucchini and onions. We also stopped at a local sausage company and bought some jerky sticks made with reindeer.
We rode past more archaeological sites. Swan Point has human artifacts dating at least 14,000 years old, as well as bones of extinct species such as wooly mammoths. I only knew which milepost it was at, I’m not even certain exactly where the site is, and it certainly isn’t advertised. But it is one of the oldest archaeological sites in North America. Soon after we stopped at Dot Lake, which was once an Athabascan hunting camp.
There was an old chapel that said it was open, so we went inside and looked around. By this time we’d ridden 60 miles and decided to go for 8-9 more to another lake that looked like it might offer some camping opportunities.
And just like that, we did a new biggest day, riding almost 70 miles. We debated going for 75 but decided we’d rather stay at the lake than risk not being able to find a camp spot for a long time. One downside of the highway is that it can be harder to find a suitable place to camp.
We ate dinner at the lake and watched the ducks before setting up the tent a bit up the side road we came down. It looks like we’ll have a dry night too. I saw a Northern Flicker today, which isn’t an uncommon bird to see but it’s the first one in Alaska for me. Lots of grouse and ravens. Saw some Buffleheads and Mallards, but only females.
