After leaving Denali, we had some sweet long downhills to enjoy, but unfortunately, the strong southerly headwind we had to fight into made it much less enjoyable... It was a hard fought slog to push forward, and having to pedal downhill really hurts, not just physically, but mentally too.
We were all podding (riding with iPods pumping out the tunes) before 1100, to make the wind less prevailing...
We did get to see a huge cow moose up close by the roadside and she grazed on the marsh grass there, before riding on south.
After taking a solid 2 hour break at the gas station in the small town of Nenana, we opted to clear one of the 2 large main climbs we knew we faced before we'd be riding into Fairbanks.
The afternoon sun beat down on us, roasting our black spandex clad butts, and the climbs were long, long long grades, not all of which were gentle.
Reading the road signs is as important for us, as it is for motorized vehicles... Seeing "truck lane 1000 feet ahead" means that it's about to get steep... Seeing "stay right unless passing" means its gonna be steep for a while... Seeing another one means its gonna stay steep even longer..!
Finally seeing "right lane ends" means the climb will be ending soon... Thank goodness!
The set of hills we were ending the day slogging up were shaped like the letter 'M' with the drop in the middle only goung about half-way down... And somewhere in that middle dip was our planned stop for the night.
We knew of a bar there that we hoped to get some water and maybe a cold soda at, and upon entering the very unique and rather adult-themed "Skinny Dicks" we found we could not only get some snacks and cold beverage, but they kindly offered us the use of their garden area to pitch our tents.
The night was pretty quiet, although still bright daylight of course, and we were up and off by 0800 to smash out the last big set of climbs to get to Fairbanks.
And big they were... Phew... Definite thigh-busters! Not just a pretty steep grade, but some were between one to two miles long as well.
Taking a rest break at the top of one of the big climbs, we managed to enjoy the previously annoying headwind, as it was nice and cooling, plus it kept the bugs away, as we are all pretty well bitten up by the damn mozzies. I also took the opportunity to do a manufacturer-advised short test spray of my bear spray, whilst Tom and Will videoed it from safely slightly upwind!
All of the pain and effort from the long, windblown climbing was forgotten as we finally made it into Fairbanks, and straight into Taco Bell..!
My first Taco Bell in four years and it was SO. DAMN. GOOD!!
I had the big fat 1lb Grilled Stuft Steak burrito, and was thoroughly satisfied.
Tom opted for the Carl's Junior he spotted over the road, and once he was sorted with his Cod Burger and fries, he joined Will and I at Taco Bell, where we made good use of the free wifi to check out motel options.
The newly refurbished Best Western Plus, Pioneer Park Inn was our choice, and what a choice! For just $40 each, we have been thoroughly satisfied with our accommodation... Pool, wifi, cable TV, and a full breakfast service all included.
It's not often that the breakfast is so varied... Usually, toast and cereal, and maybe waffles are what's on offer... But we had all that plus fresh pastries, OJ, apple juice, cranberry juice, fresh fruits, yoghurt, bacon, sausages, eggs and muffins... All I can say is "BURP!"
We will be off to the supermarket to resupply later as well as hit Taco Bell again before a chilled evening watching TV (we hit the movie theatre last night to see WWZ, which was pretty damn good).
Tomorrow we head out south east for the ride down to Delta Junction, some 95 miles away. We don't need to worry about an early start due to losing daylight as we still have a midnight sun, but a good early start should mean we'll get a lot of it done before late afternoon when the sun really begins to have some mustard to its burn... And if we are really lucky, we will have either no wind, or better still, a tail wind, in which case I reckon we will knock out those miles by late afternoon just fine.
So, it's bye for now...
RWK.
OUT!
- Posted using BlogPress from my amazing iPad Mini..!
Location:Airport Way,Fairbanks,United States
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