We had been itching to hit the road again, so we were happy. What was the goal today? Get to Delta Junction–98 miles away. So 7:30am we started to peddle. We remembered right outside Fairbanks was North Pole, Alaska and word had it, there was a fun Christmas shop there. Stop there? Well Duh! So about 16 miles after leaving Fairbanks we stopped at Santa Claus House! It wasn’t quite open yet, but the decorations on the outside of the building were so beautiful that we had to at least stop for some photos. We were very happy we did, because while there we met a gentleman named James who inquired about our riding. He was stoked about our mission to raise money for underprivileged children and donated to our cause! Thanks James from Brooklyn, NY! YOU rock! What a way to start off our day!
The day was quite beautiful by the way. The weather forecast called for sunshine, a few clouds, and getting up to 60 today! How lovely. And now that we were getting into mid-late May things started to open in Alaska. Do to cold weather conditions, Alaska is very seasonal for travelers. We are starting to get into “prime time.” Well that just meant more traffic on the roads. It wasn’t a ton at the moment, but we could see the traffic growing just from the start of our trip traveling north. So we kept our heads on a swivel today.
Any one like aircraft? We do. Of course being skydivers we would have some interest in aircraft. But how about military aircraft?! We had the pleasure to stroll by Eielson Air force Base. It was so exciting. Several F-35’s were taking off and landing as we passed by. I was giddy! We couldn’t help ourselves and stayed to watch for a few minutes. Thank you for your service men and women in the Air force and all other branches of the military!
Most of this ride so far was mostly flat. Definitely a good warm up to to the 3,000 feet we were going to climb before we got to Delta Junction. Mountains were in the distance and water was starting to flow. Since the temperatures were rising the snow started to melt. The rivers and creeks had a fast flow to them too. Possibly the snow was just melting so quickly. It was nice to actually see the water ways now instead of them all iced up.
So after 38 miles we were able to stop in a little town called Salcha. There we found a gas station/convenience store where we were able to fill up on water, make some lunch, and walk Aurora. Lunch being a tuna fish sandwich and some delicious cookies. The soreness in the tush and shoulders/neck area were starting to settle in, so it felt good to rest up a bit.
So after about a 30-40 minute break we pressed on. Pressed on to find some hills, and we did a quick visit at in the Tanana Valley where there used to be mining for gold. Just a quick stop, but interesting to read about the history in the area.
The hills from here pretty much became non stop until we got near the Delta Junction. But it wasn’t too bad. Our energy was pretty high, the legs felt good, and the views became even more beautiful.
But something happened to William around the 90 mile mark. He bonked! He wasn’t staying on top of his water intake and more than likely was in a calorie deficit. Ohhhh the amount of food and water on a long ride is so important. And hitting a wall “bonked” tells you, you went wrong somewhere with your intake. These are moments where lessons are learned. But the encouragement we have for each other, got us both to our final destination safely in the Delta Junction.
We found a recreational area that allowed us to set up camp for only $15. We were both pretty tired, obviously William was even more exhausted, but it didn’t stop him from making us pasta with our Genesis Base Camp Stove by Jet Boil. Oh and thank you Big Agnes for the awesome tent that goes up in a jiffy. When your at the end of the day all you want to do is eat and get some sleep, so EASY peasy is super important! We conquered our goal for today and are looking forward to tomorrow, hoping we aren too sore to carry on another 100 miles. Wish us luck!
