Pipeline Express

B and I initially planned to cycle the Oregon Coast, but poor smoke and fire outlook has us thinking outside the PNW. This tour was planned two weeks before it took place, but because of the one-road route, the logistics were some of the easiest we’ve ever had to deal with. We mostly took inspiration from part of this tour. Intentionally, we skirted around seeing “the big one,” since B and I aspire to see it up close some time in the next five years.

We only camped 4 nights instead of a planned 5 due to rain. Since we went quite off route (compressing 7 planned riding days into 5), I am linking the Strava tracks instead of GPS tracks.

Day (-1) — Friday, September 1

Seattle to Anchorage

Gear: Surly Long Haul Trucker, front and rear Ortlieb panniers.

B and I fly with our bikes to Anchorage in cardboard boxes. We reassemble them outside the terminal at the Anchorage airport. Since this is the second time we’ve done this, the drill feels familiar. A number of interested passersby engage us in conversation. While they marvel at our incomprehensible desire to bike for any number of days across this wild state, they themselves are off on what I perceive to be equally incomprehensible and grand adventures: to work in the fisheries or oil fields, away from family for months or seasons at a time.

We finish quickly, but it is already late and dark (around 11:30p at night). Our hotel is downtown so we bike in on a lovely waterfront trail. Along the way, we cross an at-grade plane crossing(!) and witness the aurora borealis(!!); Alaska does not disappoint.

Day 0 — Saturday, September 2

Anchorage to Valdez

We take the train from Anchorage to Whittier (filled with soon-to-be cruise passengers), and the ferry from Whittier to Valdez. This was the clearest day all trip (shame we weren’t biking) and the glaciers overwhelmed as they reached down into the Prince William Sound. We find a campsite in Valdez–lucky since they’re still overwhelmed by hunting/fishing season.

Day 1 — Sunday, September 3

Valdez to Tiekel Lodge (61.2 mi, 3497 ft)

Sadly the sun more or less abandons us, but the rain doesn’t dampen our spirits. We strike camp and strike forth on the first day of biking. It is quite wet, but high waterfalls and glimpses of glaciers keep us flying high as we climb Thompson Pass. Several segments of road are closed to traffic and the construction crews thankfully let us throw our gear on board and give us a lift.

Hilariously, B mistakenly brought M’s rain pants, so we have to do some on-the-fly pants-swapping to make things work.

We stay at Tiekel Lodge, thankfully indoors with hot showers, among baby turkeys. It’s apparently a hot spot for heli-skiing in the winters.

Day 2 — Monday, September 4

Tiekel Lodge to Glennallen (64.0 mi, 2457 ft)

The next morning it is thankfully drier. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline rears its head and accompanies us most of the rest of the way.

Day 3 — Tuesday, September 5

Beautiful views and mild weather accompany us most of the morning. Wrangell St Elias rising through the clouds seemingly on all sides as we wind our way out of Glennallen and up the Alaska Range. We originally planned to ride only 58 miles to Paxson Lake, but rain in the forecast made us push forward beyond the pass (with the expectation of going all the way to Delta Junction the following day to a warm and dry hotel room rather than camping again in wet gear).

Our gear isn’t super cooperative though, and a few flats plague us on this long but beautiful day of riding. Rain ends our day, though luckily, it only starts when we are about 2 miles from our campground. Fielding Lake is minimal with no running water or amenities, so we cook a easy hot meal before ducking in for sleep.

At this point, I am seriously impressed by how wild Alaska is. These are the longest stretches of road I’ve ridden where there is nothing and no one by the roadside, where it seems the chances of running into moose and elk are higher than running into a restaurant or house. Our gear and our selves were the only things we could depend on, and I definitely wish both of those things had been more robust…

Glennallen to Fielding Lake (77.7 mi, 3524 ft)

Day 4 — Wednesday, September 6

Fielding Lake to Delta Junction (68.7 mi, 2031 ft)

A night of rain yields to more rain, perhaps the rainiest morning of our entire trip. We do what we can with our wet gear and ride through it. We get glimpses of mountains through the downpour and some drier weather in the afternoon.

We find a nice warm hotel room in Delta Junction and line up our gear to dry.

Day 5 — Thursday, September 7

Rest day in Delta Junction

We laze, walk around, eat hot meals in restaurants, and watch TV :D

Day 6 — Friday, September 8

Delta Junction to Chena River (79.9 mi, 1860 ft)

The flat miles just fly on by. Deltas, rivers, hills in the distance. We camp some odd miles outside of Fairbanks in Chena River. The woods were ripe with porcini, and B must have been rolling his eyes every time I wanted to stop on the trail cause I saw another one.

Day 7 — Saturday, September 9

Chena River to Fairbanks (27.2 mi, 236 ft)

We make easy work of the final miles into Fairbanks and explore the city. B reserved some boxes from REI, we pack our bikes up, and make our way to the hotel. The place hosts the start of the iditarod(!), so we read up on its history. We fly back to Seattle the following morning.