Fak-Q's
Where did you start and where are you going?
We started in Anchorage. From there we went north to see the highest mountain in North America, Denali. Then we took the unpaved Denali Highway 135 miles East, then north to catch the Tok cut-off, then south to Haines, where we will take a ferry to Prince Rupert, BC. Then south(ish) through British Columbia to the West coast where we will ride southward to the Baja!How many miles per day do you ride?
Most days we ride about 40, some as few as 12, some not as all, and as many as 50 or 60 on a perfect day. I figure we'll get more mileage the longer we're on the road as we get our legs. We dislike packing up and riding in the rain, and we love to hang out by a lake in the sunshine, so there are days when we don't get out of camp until 6 pm, and there are days when we leave camp by 11 am (though they are few and far between). If you offer us a bottomless cup of coffee, don't expect us to leave any time soon.
What do you eat?
It depends what we find - about 5 lbs of gorp (peanuts, dried fruit, candy, other nuts, anything else dried and snacky we can find) a week. We love mountain house meals because they're so light and easy to prepare. Packets of tuna are great, so is quinoa for its nutritional value. Tortillas are absolutely the best and we eat about a small jar of peanut butter a week. Powdered mashed potatoes are always nice, and packets of dried pasta that you can just add water to are delicious at the end of the day, when all you really care about is whether it's hot. (Hint: we divide our gorp into several bags so that we can take one out at a time each day to keep handy while we ride). When we find a place that will make us food we share a burger or a breakfast or some pizza. All of these things are pretty much always good no matter where you are, especially when you're hungry and/or cold and tired.
Where do you stay?
We stay in our cozy tent every night. We got a Big Agnes sleeping bag that fits two people and incorporates our sleeping pads - it's the closest to a real bed a sleeping bag will ever get and we love it! (Hint: to keep warm at night boil water and fill your Nalgene - put it in the bottom of your sleeping bag to keep your feet warm!) Sometimes we pop our tent in campgrounds and sometimes just on the side of the road, depending on where we are.
Are you crazy?
Crazy like a fox!
Are you carrying a gun?
No, but we keep a can of bear spray handy.
How did you decide to do this trip?
We traveled to Patagonia last year and after a very long, unpleasant and expensive bus trip we met people who had ridden their bicycles from Alaska to the tip of South America. We have both always loved bicycles, and it was obvious that there were better ways to spend our hard-earned traveling dollars than on bus trips. We decided to start North, where neither of us had been before, and head south along the beautiful west coast.
What gear did you bring?
Kristin rides a bicycle hand picked and built by Rusti. It is a Soma Groove mountain bike frame because she has very short legs that don't fit over standard touring frames. She rides 26" Schwalbe Marathon Pluses (Rusti calls them Marathon heavies) which are on wheels hand-built by Vecchios in Boulder. The wheels are 36 hole velocity VXC's with hand-tied and soldered spokes. She uses MKS touring pedals and power grips to keep her tennis shoes in place. She has flat handle bars with ergon grips. For gearing she has a Shimano 8-speed 11-32 cassette and her cranks are Sugino XD 600's. She has a XT front derailleur and the rear derailleur is an LX rapid rise which is long cage. She uses Avid BB7 disc brakes with XT levers. Her rear bags are orange Ortlieb backrollers on a Soma rack and her front bags were hand sewn by Swift Industries in Seattle and are an eclectic mix of hot pink, blue, red and brown waxcloth on a very nice Old Man Mountain cold springs front rack.
Rusti rides a Surly Long Haul Trucker and will fill out the rest of the specs on his bike at some future time.
We sleep in a wonderful Marmot Aeolus 2 person tent which never fails to keep the wind and rain out and is a very uplifting orange and red color. Our sleeping bag is a two person King Solomon from Big Agnes which incorporates our inflatable Big Agnes sleeping mats. We use a trangia stove that runs on alcohol and an MSR Blacklite cookset with aluminum bowls to eat out of and a mug each to drink our tea or instant coffee.
We wear mostly wool clothing and would love to be rid of all plastic clothing in our lives. Ibex wool underwear is the best investment you will ever make. Kristin cycles in tennis shoes, wool socks, Ibex wool leggings, a skirt, a sports bra or wool tank top, and a wool shirt with a longsleeve wool shirt to put on top if it gets cool. She also has a wool sweater and a Mont Bell thermawrap in case it gets cold. For raingear she has a Mont Bell rain jacket and REI rain pants as well as "waterproof" gloves.
Rusti cycles in cut off Carhards with wool leggings underneath if its cold, or shorts if it's not, or jeans if he feels like it. He wears Keen tennis shoes or Tevas on his feet, with wool socks. He wears a t-shirt or a patagonia capilene or a wool t-shirt with his favorite plaid wool shirt over if it's cold. He also wears a Mont Bell Thermawrap for really cold and a Mont Bell rain coat with Marmot rain paints when it's wet.
How long did it take to plan the trip?
We had the idea a year and a half before we left. Then came the time to scrape together the funds. We decided to work for a year and see if we could save enough money. We did, Rusti built Kristin's bike, and then it was time to hit the road!
Did you train before you left?
Not specifically. We both rode in our spare time, Rusti more than Kristin, but in the end the training came when we got to Alaska. Over the first week we felt the riding the most. Then we did the most difficult ride of our trip - into Denali National Park (see blog post for details). After that we felt a little better on the road. Then came the Denali highway - a longer, more spread out version of the park road in some ways. After that we have felt stronger everyday, though some definitely feel better than others!
If you have more questions please feel free to post in the comments, and we'll answer them to the best of our knowledge!
