July 3, 2007
To Clearwater Creek Wayside: MacLaren Pass Summit
Today another late start, 9:30am. This "never getting dark" has thrown our rhythm off.
We make it back to the road, now unsealed, but hardpacked gravel/clay. We climb to MacLaren Pass Summit, 4000 feet only the marker isn't on the highest point, but just down a ways with the view of the valley. The grade of the climb is gentle, then a 7 mile downhill to MacLaren Lodge.
It's now lunchtime, so Patrick has another hamburger, and Rachel a bowl of chili. The people are friendly and notice Patrick's left ankle. Since Valdez he has had a growing reddened blistery patch. Everyone in the lodge had a medical opinion, most thinking it a brown recluse spider bite. On the way out, a woman stops to look at it and says it's like a poison ivy/oak, a plant in Alaska didn't get the name. She's a PA from the clinic in Denali Park-Glitter gulch. She recommends antibiotics and hydrocortisone cream, which we had also discussed to start at the end of the day. Instead of waiting, Rachel gets the medical kit out and gives Patrick Cipro, and the hydrocortisone cream helps the itching that had started again today. The ankle looks nasty, we'd never seen the bright red color before. Anyway this bides time until we reach a clinic with a coarse of treatment to see if it improves and if not go to the next step or treatment, a different antibiotic and stronger cortisone.
The afternoon ride is more tiring, storm clouds threatened but there is never rained. We could see the mountains and glaciers but the clouds obscure more distant views. We arrive at the Clearwater Creek wayside camp, pitch the tent quickly for another storm looks to hit. We filter water and make coffee and soup. Then the neighbor in the RV camper came over when Patrick got out of the tent and offered us a beer.
After dinner we are invited to their campfire and another beer. Harold and Jean are a retired couple from Colorado. They had for their dinner grayling trout, just caught from the stream.
A very nice evening.
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Today's ride: 57 km (35 miles)
Total: 10,134 km (6,293 miles)
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