I stared at the side road in disbelief. What the heck?!!
I had just arrived by bike at the road to Byers Lake Campground, where I had planned to spend the night. But a closed gate across the road held a sign saying the campground was closed. And worse, the road was covered in a foot of wet snow.
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| There's still a lot of snow on the ground in mid-May |
I had reserved a public use cabin at the lake, but it was about a mile down the unplowed access road. What to do? Should I push my bike through that snow, getting my shoes and socks soaked? And then do it again the next morning when it was supposed to be raining, with temperatures near freezing? Or should I keep riding? I had already ridden 100 miles that day, 50 of them with a headwind.
It was just another problem to deal with. And I knew there would be plenty of those in my upcoming attempt at the Bike NonStop US (BNSUS) bikepacking race. I guess I could consider this problem part of my training.
Anchorage Bound
Last fall I learned that David Sedaris would be performing in Anchorage in mid-May. He writes dry humor about himself and his family. Eric and I find his books hilarious. We have listened to most of them and love them. He narrates the audiobooks with a dry delivery that complements the writing. It would be fun to see him perform live. And the timing could work out. We had planned to drive to Oregon before my race to pick up a lightweight pop-up camper for our truck. Our plan had been to leave in mid-May. We could just head to Anchorage first, then leave from there for the lower 48. So, I bought two tickets as Christmas presents for us.
Then I started thinking. Maybe I could bike to Anchorage with my fully loaded bike as a final shakedown ride and Eric could meet me with the truck. It would be perfect timing for a big ride and then I could taper for two weeks until the start of the race. I had never biked all the way to Anchorage and had always wanted to. This might be the time to do it.
The route from Fairbanks to Anchorage is straightforward, you stay on the Parks Highway until Wasilla and then switch to the Glenn Highway. It’s about 370 miles, so I could easily get it done in 3-4 days. The weather is usually good in May although it would most likely be below freezing at night. I sleep cold and was only taking a lightweight summer sleeping bag, so I really didn’t want to camp out. Plus, there was still a lot of snow on the ground from Fairbanks to Talkeetna. I decided to look for places to stay inside at night.
Using Google Maps, I looked for hotels about 100 miles apart. The first night was easy, I found a place to stay in Healy. The second night was harder. After Cantwell, 40 miles from Healy, there isn’t much until near Talkeetna, another 100 miles from Cantwell. But there are public use cabins at Byers Lake, 100 miles from Healy. One was available, so I snagged it. For night three, I rented a hotel room in Palmer, 120 miles from Byers Lake, and would then just have a 50-mile day to the Airbnb I rented in Anchorage.
Medical Issues
With logistics out of the way, I could start stressing about other things. Such as my health. I have ankylosing spondylitis, a rare type of autoimmune arthritis that mainly affects the spine. It has been under good control with my very expensive weekly injectable biologic medication. Did I have enough for our almost 3-month trip? Nope. And getting enough was a logistical nightmare. I spent hours on the phone with insurance companies trying to get a vacation override and finally got it figured out. The medication would arrive the night before Eric left Fairbanks. Whew!
(Spoiler alert – it did not work out. The day the medication was supposed to arrive, I got a call that there was a delay in shipping. Really?!!! It looks like I will have to have the medication sent to a friend’s house sometime during my race or go without for a couple of weeks. Sigh.)
Also, I have not seen a rheumatologist – a specialist in autoimmune disorders – in years. Usually, I have just seen one of my family medicine partners about getting my medication. I had been thinking about getting a rheumatologist again anyway, so I decided to see if my favorite rheumatologist, Ryan Ragle in Anchorage, would take me on. While working, I had been on the phone with him almost monthly about my own patients. Maybe he could see me while I was in Anchorage? I called and he agreed to fit me in just a few days before the David Sedaris performance.
Then over the past month I started having more problems with my thumbs. I have osteoarthritis in them, but I also started having trigger thumb, a condition where your joint locks up and it hurts and pops when you try to flex or extend the joint. Most likely it was worse due to riding drop bar handlebars on my gravel bike. What if it got worse while on my bike race? I decided to see if my favorite hand surgeon, Owen Ala in Anchorage, could also fit me in and give me steroid injections. Amazingly, he had an appointment that fit perfectly with my timing. How did I get so lucky? It probably helped that I have been a fellow physician who refers patients to these doctors frequently. You gotta take your perks where you can. Finally, with the health issues figured out, I was ready to just ride my bike.
Day One – The Hilly Day
What a great day! Lots of climbing out of Fairbanks but minimal headwinds. It was a mostly sunny day. Cool, but not too cold. I have biked between Fairbanks and Denali several times, so I knew what to expect. I made good progress and got to Healy around dinner time. Ride stats: 115 miles with 5500 feet elevation gain.
I checked into my hotel and decided to eat at the closest restaurant, the Totem Inn. I knew their burgers are good even if their service is slow. While I was waiting for the waitress to acknowledge me, my friend and family medicine partner, Cris Kaufmann, walked in the door with her nephew and another friend! They had come down for the day to bike the Denali National Park Road and were getting dinner before heading back to Fairbanks. It was fun to share stories over dinner.
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| I ran into Cris, her nephew, and her friend at the Totem Inn at dinner |
Day Two – The Long and Windy Day
I had also reached out to another friend in Healy, Patrice LaVigne, who agreed to meet me for breakfast the next morning. We met as soon as the coffee shop opened and had a leisurely breakfast talking and waiting for the sun to warm things up. It looked to be another beautiful day.
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| Patrice meets me for breakfast |
And it was, except for the headwind that continued for 50 miles until I was over Broad Pass where it thankfully turned into a tailwind. But the sky was cloudless, and the mountains were spectacular in the clear air. Denali was out in all her glory. The temperature warmed to 50 but felt warmer with the sun shining down. Once again, I made steady progress, but I as I got closer to Byers Lake at 7:30 PM, I was ready to be done for the day.
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| There aren't many services for about 90 miles after Cantwell |
So, I was thrown for a loop when I saw the road to the campground – and cabin – hadn’t been plowed. I called Eric, but cell coverage was spotty, so it was hard to communicate. I looked at Google Maps and wondered about the McKinley View Princess Hotel, which was only 15 miles further. I asked Eric to see if he could make a reservation for me while I kept biking. A few minutes later he texted that the Princess was not open yet, but he made me a reservation at the Three Bears Trapper Creek Inn at mile 115 of the Parks Highway. I thanked him for getting me a room somewhere. (Eric is the best!)
Byers Lake is at mile 150 so I would need to ride another 35 miles to get to the hotel. While I was tired, I wasn’t exhausted. I had plenty of food and water. Plus, the route was mostly trending downhill. And it was a beautiful evening. The next day was supposed to be rainy, so getting in more miles while the weather was good made sense. I turned on some good music and the miles flew by. I made it to the hotel by 9:30 PM, ate a burrito I had been carrying all day, took a quick shower, and went to bed. Ride stats: 135 miles with 4700 feet elevation.
Day Three – The Cold and Rainy Day
The next morning was cold and rainy as predicted. And it looked like it was going to rain all day. I was glad I had a reservation at a hotel in Palmer instead of camping out. But first I had to backtrack half a mile to get some breakfast at the only open restaurant at the gas station. I ate and lingered a bit, having a hard time motivating to leave.
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| Am I ready to ride in the cold rain?! |
And the day proved to be miserable. It rained all day, and the temperature never got above 45F. I had waterproof socks, but even with them, my toes got cold and wet. I put in some toe warmers and added plastic bags over my feet, which helped a little.
Between my rain gear and the dishwashing gloves I had brought along, the rest of me did fine. I stopped every 20 miles or so at a gas station to get some food and dry out a little. I put on a good audiobook, which helped the time pass. My bike got covered in grit but worked just fine. After Willow, the traffic really picked up, but fortunately there is a bike path, so I could get off the highway. I made the turn onto the Wasilla-Palmer Highway and before I knew it, I was at my hotel.
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| Pro tip - Dishwasher gloves to keep hands warm and mostly dry in the rain |
I had contacted my friend in Palmer, Carlene, and she and her husband wanted to join me for dinner. She brought me some crocs to wear so I could get out of my wet shoes and socks. And another friend, Stacey, brought over a boot drier to dry out my shoes. I felt well taken care of. And after a hot shower and some good Italian food, life was good again! I was proud of myself for maintaining a good attitude all day. And I only had 50 miles to go the next day. Stats: 85 miles with 2300 feet elevation.
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| Dinner with Carlene and her husband Pat |
Day Four – The Short Day
Both Stacey and Carlene met me for breakfast, and I was glad they did. They discussed the best way for me to get through the busy corridor between Palmer and Anchorage and how to access the bike paths. They spent a lot of time coming up with a great route and we all worked to get it on my bike navigation computer. Carlene offered to ride with me for a bit to head me in the right direction. We didn’t leave Palmer until almost noon but that gave the rain a chance to stop and the temperature to warm up. By the time we started riding, the sun was even peeking out between the clouds. Carlene ended up going about a third of the way with me before turning back. Thank you, Carlene and Stacey!
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| Carlene and Stacey figuring out a good route for me to take |
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| Crossing the old historic Knik Bridge |
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| It was great to ride with Carlene for about 15 miles |
I had only a couple of hours more to get to my Airbnb in Anchorage. It was easy riding but stressful due to all the traffic. Luckily, I was mostly on bike paths but generally they ran right next to the highway and so there was constant noise from the traffic. It made me realize how good we have it in Fairbanks for road biking.
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| A lot of the bike paths are along busy roads with lots of traffic noise |
Final thoughts
I was happy to finally get to my Airbnb. I had done 385 miles in three-and-a-half days, and I felt better than expected. This shakedown trip had a little of everything: some hills, some headwind, a lot of rain and cool temperatures but I survived them all with not too much fuss. I was tired, of course, but not exhausted. I even did a couple of fun bike rides around Anchorage in between doctor appointments. I have more confidence that I can still do long back-to-back days. Maybe I can finish this BNSUS bike race! And it was a special treat to meet up with friends every day. Thanks to everybody who shared in my journey. Now it’s time to taper while we drive out of Alaska to the race start in Astoria, Oregon.
