June 3, 2025
Tok to Gerstle River Bridge
It’s hard to put today into words. I left Tok feeling a bit deflated about the re-route, but also anxious to complete my ride. I set my sights on a pull-out along the AlCan, about 55 miles from Tok. I thought that was as far as I needed to go if I was going to cover the last 200 miles in four days.
Leaving Tok westbound, a very nice 10-mile long paved bicycle/ski trail ran about 25 feet from the highway shoulder. It kept me out of danger from those rock trucks and traffic for a little while. A breeze from the south nudged me comfortably another 10 miles further. The highway was constructed in a northwesterly direction between the Tanana River valley and the foothills of the Alaska Range. I left behind remnants of the Wrangell-St. Elias Range when I pulled away from Tok. Because the highway follows the Tanana River valley towards Fairbanks, I expected to slowly lose elevation from start to finish with a few hills along the way. Just before I crossed the Robertson River, the highway made a slight, more northerly directional change, and the tailwind stiffened.
To say there are very few folks living along this stretch of the highway is no exaggeration. In places where I could see across the Tanana River, there were a few winter cabins on the riverbank. Basically, no one lives here. All you can see in any direction is forest, hills, and mountains.
When I arrived at my destination roadside rest stop, it was still early in the afternoon. I did a quick assessment: positive mental attitude, check. Meal, check. Water, check. What the heck? With the wind pushing me up the road, I felt compelled to continue.
At this point, I don’t member a whole lot. My body was functioning as well as it ever has. No labored breathing. My legs were pumping, and I had a happy butt. I don’t remember when it was exactly, but it all of a sudden it struck me … I was under the spell of the midnight sun! My feelings of exuberance, happiness, strength, intensity, and a desire to persist emerged from the setting I was in and the work I was doing. I’m fairly certain I had not experienced anything like it before. At this point, the Gerstle River bridge was within striking distance.
When I pulled into the Gerstle wayside and checked my bike computer, it indicated 78 miles, the second-longest ride I had ever completed, panniers or not. Despite a flat caused by a paper staple — which I patched in 20 minutes — as well as a 0 MPH tip over when I couldn’t unclip fast enough and fell into large aggregate gravel (nothing a few BandAids and ointment couldn’t fix), it was my James Cameron moment! No one else was camped at this wayside, so they didn’t hear my primal scream. I rewarded myself with the best 910 Cal freeze-dried meal I’ve ever had, Butternut Dal Bhat, followed by a few almond joys to compliment the coconut milk. It may be light all day and night, but I slept like my swaddled grandson, Joe.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 1,657 miles (2,667 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 2 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 1 |