May 31, 2025
Beaver Creek, YT to Lakeview Campground (USFWS)
I reserved one night at one of “Buckshot Betty’s” cabins in Beaver Creek. The cabins where I stay tend to be pretty similar. Typically they have a queen-sized bed, a bathroom with shower, and a fridge, at least a microwave, a way to heat the cabin, and are real log cabins! They all have WiFi and TV. Nothing too ostentatious. Just comfortable. This one had a nice deck in the sun.
I was thinking about this accomodation/hotel “thing” because of the changes to Alaska tourism since 1979 when I first worked in Alaska. Just a quarter-mile away from my cabin, there is a huge hotel complex, the WestMark, that was once a major accommodation facility for the cruise lines, Cunard/Holland America and Princess (the only two companies cruising back then). When I started working at Mt. McKinley National Park (name changed to Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980) cruise tourists arrived at the Park via bus and train from Anchorage or Fairbanks. Due to limited occupancy, scheduling all those people to arrive at the Park hotel during the season required a Herculean effort.
The northbound tourists used to disembark their ships in Skagway and take a bus (or train) to Whitehorse where they would spend the night. The next day (or so), they would board buses to Beaver Creek, hence the WestMark hotel I mentioned above. The next day they would continue to Tok, where another large hotel complex existed. Here they would go one of two directions: north to Fairbanks or south to Anchorage, depending on their tour package. Those going to Anchorage typically stayed a day or two and then flew back home. Those headed to Fairbanks continued on to explore that area and then boarded the train or bus to the Park. As the Anchorage folks ended their tour, a new batch of tourists arrived in Anchorage who would travel on the bus to Tok or north to Denali and Fairbanks on the train and bus. Both groups converged in Tok and continued in the reverse direction to Whitehorse and Skagway where they boarded their cruise ship and headed south. It was an intricate dance, but somehow the cruise companies made this work until a disrupter entered the scene … a cruise ship company that crossed the Gulf of Alaska and stopped in Whittier. That was a game-changer. The buses going to Beaver Creek and Tok hotels no longer continued to operate once the first cruise ship crossed the Gulf (had to use that metaphor). It was less complicated to move people who were only a few hours from Anchorage instead of days away in Skagway.
Just as I was leaving my cabin, headed to a small convenience store in Beaver Creek, I met Craig, another 50-something bicyclist on his way south. He had just completed the route (in reverse) I had intended to follow to Denali Park. However, his bike was modified so it allowed him to travel the Denali Highway gravel without breaking any teeth. It was a really nice bike. His plans included riding to Jasper so he could follow the Great Divide Mountain Bike Trail which ends at the New Mexico and Mexico border. Who are these people?
My ride to the Alaska border and border stop were uneventful. Clearing Customs took about 15 seconds. Ate my lunch there before resuming the ride on the AlCan in a northwest direction. A decent southwest wind kept knocking at my door, but I wouldn’t let it in (my head). Lots of stops for water, snacks, self-talk, and then rebooting. Not much to report about this section except that here the AlCan forms the northern border of the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge and the Wrangell-St.Elias Mountains are the southern border. This area is a mix of forest and wetlands. Today’s final destination, Lakeview Campground on Yarger Lake, is part of the refuge.
Initially, I felt like I arrived at the campground late, but there were only a few campsites occupied. I usually end my ride between 5 and 6 PM and worry a bit. I found a semi-protected site with a panoramic view of the lake and the mountains beyond. The wind settled down about sunset, or 10:30-ish. I did not expect what happened next.
The birdlife came alive! A Trumpeter swan rocked me out of my sleeping bag around midnight. Ducks, gulls, terns, Swainson’s thrushes, Varied thrushes, sparrows, you name it, all took turns luring mates. This went on until the sun came up again around 3:15. As much as I enjoyed hearing all of them, hearing all of them at once in the middle of the night didn’t help my rest. Good thing I gained an hour when I crossed into Alaska because I didn’t exit my tent until 8:30!
Writing about the people I meet is for good reason. I never initiate a conversation! My bicycle elicits so many questions from multiple people every night I stay in a campground and even when I’m not in a campground. Early in the trip, if I saw someone camping, it was rare. Now, the hoards are descending on Alaska and this campground that only had two occupied sites when I arrived, was full by the time I went to bed. My neighbors who, it turns out, were from Gig Harbor (they parked too close to my tent) and had just purchased a new AEONrv to take Prudhoe Bay. Not sure why folks want to drive up there except to say that one has done it. It’s beautiful, yes. However, if you really want to experience the North Slope, you should find a guide and spend some time exploring on foot or watercraft. Passing through in a brand new $250,000 RV ≠ Arctic experience. To each their own, I guess. More on this rant later.
On the way back from the restrooms and ostensibly to bed, a diminutive woman walking to the restroom stopped me and asked me about my bicycle tour. She said she had just started working on the road construction crew as a flagger, and was interested because she was also a bicycle tourist. The more she talked, the more I realized she was a celebrity … in my world anyway. Loretta Henderson is the author of a book, The Big WOW-Women on Wheels. Her background as a single woman bicycling and ultra running around the world spoke to my question, “Why don’t more women bicycle tour?” She gave me a quick lesson on this question and later, when I explored her online background, I was in awe. She wants to encourage women to bicycle tour more and she also wants to help women gain the skills that will allow them to confidently go where they want to ride. Check out her impressive background on her web site, https://www.lorettahenderson.com.
Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 1,509 miles (2,429 km)
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