I have been dreaming of riding the Denali Highway for a long time (maybe since 2016/17). It actually came about as I was dreaming riding the Oregon Timber Trail, and someone suggested to tackle something closer, less risky. Insert starting a business and these kind of dreams are put on hold.

Earlier this Spring of 2024 I was planning summer events for the shop and looking at dates and eyeing the July 4 weekend….Hmmmmm that’s a long weekend that I could plan a big adventure! And the plan was put in motion to close the shop for a few extra days to finally tackle my Denali Highway dream. At one point early in the planning I realized that my mom would be turning 100 years old this summer if she were alive. And my brain suddenly shifted to ‘I’m going to ride 100 miles to celebrate her’. I put this out to my three sisters to join me and my sister Marlene and her husband Larry immediately joined in on the adventure.  The initial plan was to meet up at the Tangle Lakes Boat Launch/Campground on July 4, camp for the night and then start pedaling on the 5th. It was to be myself and Larry pedaling and the goal was 30+ miles each day to put in 100-ish miles.

July 4, 11:43am…after the second trip back to the house for important gear, we’re off! Passing the miles with a super awesome audiobook 'Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing', by Matthew Perry on the speakers and we're making good time…until Glacierview….miles and miles of cars and people on both sides of the road to watch vehicles launch into the air and crash hundreds of feet below. Gotta admit…sorta frustrating that this is slowing me down. We hit Glenallen to refuel and re-energize with caffeine and 'hell no!' I’m not using those restrooms! 

July 4, 5:24pm… We turn onto the Denali Highway from Paxson and my excitement is building. My eyes keep going from the road to the vast vistas around us. Meanwhile the weather has changed from needing sunglasses to feeling like I need to turn a lamp on to make it brighter outside. But it’s not really raining. Just a sprinkle or mist…and it’s gonna get better right?!

July 4, 6:06pm… We pull into the Tangle Lakes campground fully expecting all the camp spots to be full…

And yet a camper has just left and a spot is open?! What?! If you have never stayed at this campground put it on your list…it’s beautiful and the facilities are sparkling! The rest of the night is filled with setting up camp and eating good food and laughing and talking about what the next few days holds for us.

July 5, 9:41am… My riding partner, Larry (my oldest brother in law, I was 10 months old when he married my sister, so he’s known me my entire life), and I set out for Day 1. The goal is 30+ miles which includes the Maclaren Summit!  Oh…and it’s raining with a headwind. I started out with my rain gear on and took one loop around the campground and immediately took the rain gear off and sacrificed being dry for comfort, knowing I would be able to change into dry clothes at the Maclaren Lodge.

I can’t go on with the details of the trip without introducing the support team…my husband Joel and my sister Marlene. They were rockstars! Literal heroes of the trip. Here’s a prime example…

 They hang back and tear down camp each morning, no small feet and usually in the rain, and then catch up to us in the climb up to the Summit. Their enthusiasm matched our own as we climbed yet another hill. And then suddenly I see the van approaching the opposite direction…’You did it!…you’re there!’ WHAT?! ‘You reached the Summit and you have a long downhill to the lodge!’ What seemed almost too simple and enjoyable was matched by extreme rain and wind…it was 43° and we were wet and cold. We stopped at the Summit, ate a snack and immediately set out to get hot water and coffee at the Maclaren Lodge. And what a sweet downhill ride that was! We opened the door to the lodge and there’s live music playing and someone asked if we were here for the BBQ, which would be ready in 30 minutes. Our support crew, Joel and Marlene, were like ‘heck yeah’. Larry and I were like ‘we have miles to go before we camp and eat big food’. Pretty sure they hung back and had some BBQ but they'll never tell. Larry and I set out.about 45 minutes later. It's 10 miles to Clearwater Creek to set up camp. And we have this!

July 5, 2:31pm….We pull into Clearwater Creek Wayside. It looks like a sweet place to rest my head after a long day in the saddle. The support crew has options for us… 1) camp here, but not sure it’s legal (and who the hell is enforcing this, I ask, cuz I’m pretty damn tired and done). 2) there’s a sweet spot down by the creek but some fishermen just came in and not moving. 3) about a mile up the road there’s a pullout and it’s tight but doable. 4) about 4 miles up the road there’s a really sweet spot with a view of a lake and it’s off the road, but there’s evidence of bear in the area, etc…

‘Hey Krys, do you have any strong thoughts about any of this…’ ‘Yeah, I have strong thoughts about four more miles’!

Ultimately we decide to go four more miles and of course I declined to put my bike in the truck. I’m riding them FFS! But when the argument was ‘is it on the left side of the road, or the right’ I interjected with ‘YOU GUYS HAVE ONE JOB’!

I realize now, and the support crew does as well, I was tired, wet, and hungry. And they were gracious to me.

Four miles later, we found them in the sweetest camp spot ever! Later after a yummy dinner of BBQ pulled pork and red beans and rice, and fresh coleslaw, Marlene and I went for a walk and found an established outhouse…which we utilized of course! We turned in early under somewhat clear skies hopeful that the next day would be sunshine and smooth riding!

Later that night….it started to pour rain and did not let up. Joel and I emerged out of the tent in the morning and made a run for the warm van for shelter to have coffee and breakfast. We huddled there for a few hours until it was inevitable that we had to start riding…regardless of the rain.

July 6, 11:45am…Larry and I start to ride in the rain…it’s not terrible. But to set the stage…the day before I had my rain gear on to start and completely disrobed the rain gear for comfort. Today, I was fully engaged with the rain gear. I was actually really impressed with how good I was feeling after being so tired the night before. And despite my lack of comfortable rain gear, I was completely enjoying the ride. The flow of the road between miles 60-80 were incomparable to any other!

SO. MUCH. FUN.

Mile 80…the Big Susitna River crossing. Despite how good I was feeling and how much fun the riding was, it’s pouring rain and I’m feeling the water drip down the back of my legs. My rain gear has failed miserably. We stop at a large pullout after the bridge on the Cantwell side. And I knew I had to call it for the day. I had dry clothes to change into but if I got those wet I had nothing dry to put on later. I was so disappointed. But I knew it was the right call…

End of riding Day 2,Big Su River….Needless to say, I was really disappointed to have to stop riding. I was miserably wet. I’m not sure about Larry, but I’m pretty sure he could have ridden further. When I called it for the day, changed into dry-ish clothes, the drive out of that valley was tough on me mentally. My mind went from ‘is this it…am I done?’ to ‘we just need to drive out if this rain and tomorrow will be better’ to ‘we’re lucky to live here and this road will always be here, I can come back’. I kept looking at the road and the vistas and was not ready to be done. Joel suggested we drive home….and I was like ‘No way…I want to camp tonight…I don’t care if it’s the Denali Highway or the Parks…we’re camping!’ At this point the rain had lifted and we could see the mountain range across the wide valley. Joel spotted a sweet camp spot and pulled in. L+M followed. The two men conversed and surveyed the land/campsite. The skies were not promising anything but they weren’t threatening either. Ultimately we decided to camp at this spot. There was a breeze and immediately the wet clothes were strewn across the landscape. Tents went up and food options were discussed. Spirits were lifted! We dined on beef tips and noodles with fresh broccoli, + wine and dark beer. And rhubarb crisp for dessert. The conversation was infused with laughter, plans for the morning, and insurance-related stories, but if you know Joel, they were not boring.

‘It was a good path to a good end’. And the dream/goal is still alive.

This evening was a gift and I will cherish it as such.

Riding Day 3…I don’t even know what day it is..

The prior evening was so great and I had high hopes to wear the tank top I had packed the next day. (Side bar…That tank top is still buried in my bag, probably damp from all my other wet clothes that I still haven’t unpacked yet. If I unzip my bag and unload it all that means it’s over. If I let it simmer in the damp bag I can still feel like I’m out on the trail. I’ll give it one more day. Don’t judge me.) We woke to really low clouds again. But little rain. I was hopeful and did not put on my rain gear to start. We had 40 miles to go. And I was feeling good!

Within 5 miles I put on my rain jacket. The light sprinkles turned into a solid rain. Knowing this was the last day and I would finish in Cantwell I was stopping often and trying to snap photos. The tangled rivers and streams were a visible manifestation of the enormous land that was out there and beyond the reach of our vision. It was beautiful and I wanted to capture every moment in my memory. The support crew broke down camp one last time and caught up to us in a fantastic downhill in that braided river/stream aesthetic. We were once again in a dark rainy place and the goal was to get to Mile 128 where we would be 10 miles out from the ultimate goal of 100 miles.

(Another side bar…I am just now realizing that Larry, my riding buddy, and Joel had the miles worked out for me to meet my goal. I had lost track along the road just pedaling. They kept me on track and I did not even realize it…until later. Just wait….)

I gotta admit…the next slightly <10 miles were really uncomfortable. I’ll get to that in the next post about reflections and gear. We made it to the next checkpoint and warmed up with hot liquids and food. I made necessary modifications to my ‘kit’ and we started out again. Larry had warned me when we stopped that there was yet another hill.

Prior to our rest stop we had a ‘stop the bike and laugh out loud moment’ when we joked that the builders of this road had sent the survey crew home and got drunk the night before and built what should have been an 8% grade to a f’ing 10%! Woof!

Turns out it was one of two final climbs before descending into Cantwell and I’m pretty delirious with excitement and exhaustion and just being pretty damn proud that I don’t care.

The journey is the destination….and in this case the destination was 100 miles and the Parks & Denali Highway convergence. And every moment of those pedaling miles was memorable. Because we’re off the grid there is sweet opportunity to get lost in my thoughts as I just kept pedaling.

The milepost signs became lifeposts - reminders of the year or numbers of years,

MP 30…I remember turning 30 - not that long ago.

MP 53…the age I am now. It’s remarkable for me to realize that my mom was still alive at age 53, but had a 7 year old child(me) at that age.

MP 59…the age she was when she died.

(It was between MP 59 & 60 that we stopped to camp after the first day riding…we had gone further than I anticipated and I was tired. But I kept thinking ‘my body can do this and I’m so grateful’)

MP 66…the year my family moved to AK

MP 69…missing of course

MP 70…the beginning of a super fun downhill and also the year I was born.

MP 80…I was 10 yo in 1980 and my dad had just been elected to the state legislature. It was also the bridge of the Big Su and the place I had to call it for not continuing to ride that day

MP 81-98…so much life happening in those years/miles…and in my mental/emotional status both in the years and mileposts as we drive past them way too easily

MP 100…I’m on my bike again and I think of a birthday celebration for my mom. What would that look like? I’d love to tell her happy birthday.

MP 101…I’m thinking of Violet, my mom’s dear friend, who just celebrated her 101st birthday . She is a precious gift.

The rest of the miles and mileposts were blurred…somewhat because of a bad chammy, and somewhat because I knew I was close to the end and just wanted to finish so I could get out of the bad chammy.

Insights and wisdom from my riding buddy...(Note: these might not be exact quotes, most likely due to my delirious recollection)

* Take whatever the wind gives you (this is where I’m going to tell you the only tailwind we had was the last 1.5 miles)

* Find your rhythm

* Stop. Get off the saddle before this uphill and rest two minutes. Then get back on and feel how strong your legs are.

* You can dream it, think it, plan for it, fantasize about it, but nothing compares to doing it

*You gotta ‘Luke 6 that’…when I said I have words for those trucks passing me at 50mph 1.5 feet away kicking up mud and rocks

*He started to tell me about November 30,1959 when he wrestled with his twin brother out of the womb…and then I dropped wayyyy back and never got the end of that story.

I am so grateful for my riding buddy. He graciously waited for me at the top of hills that I crawled up. I nicknamed him ‘Beacon’ because I could always see him up ahead of me…except when I would smoke him on some downhill sections…and if I couldn’t see him, I knew he was there because I saw his line.

Just as I was at MP80 with water dripping down the back of me legs, soaked to the core, calling it for the day, I gotta draw this long story to a close. We pulled up to the Parks Highway and realized we still needed 3 miles to reach the goal of 100 miles. So we crossed the Parks and continued to the end of the Denali Highway. It was only when we turned around and headed back to the Parks that we felt our first tailwind. And by felt, we only knew it was there because we no longer felt it on our face or blowing us sideways.

Thanks for joining me on this journey...And Happy Birthday Mom!

The Good, Bad, and the UGLY of the gear, and lessons I learned...

*I packed way too light and I didn't need to

*I underestimated how cold it could and would get

*My rain gear failed miserable. It was old and was not bike specific.

*I'm a mountain biker at heart, and my gear and bike accessories reflect it - Fenders would have been a GREAT idea!

*The chammies I used on Day 1 and 2 (two different ones) were excellent! And I carry them in the shop. In fact, I'm in the process of restocking them!

*Day 3 chammy was not so good. Not to fear, I don't carry it in the shop. I was field testing it, and it did not pass my test for a 40 mile gravel ride.

What I wore while riding...

*Alpine Fit Rendezvous Ridge top - I had two, and switched between them during the entire trip. I even slept in them.

*Smartwool sports bra.

*Wild Rye's Alyssa Chammy (Day 1), and Eleanor Chammy (Day 2), and well we won't mention the other one, because like I said I don't carry it. Let's just say I used a lot of HuHa cream and Deep Blue!

*Shredly pants and Alpine Fit Bushwhacker leggings

*Old and outdated and not technical rain gear - Fail!

*Full finger gloves (should have brought two!)

*Alpine Fit merino wool hat - my favorite!

What I wore at camp...

*Alpine Fit Backcountry Baselayer bottoms

*Versa Outfitters fleece pants and top (I actually slept in the top as well - it's so cozy around your neck and shoulders)

*Alpine Fit merino wool hat - I never took it off

What I wish I had...

*Another pair of riding gloves

*A warm pair of gloves to put on at camp

*A down puffy jacket - I actually looked at my Skhoop 600-fill poncho before I left the house and thought 'there's no way I'll need that'! I so wish I had it.

*A better Day 3 chammy

All in All, I loved every moment of this journey. I would go back again tomorrow, a whole lot smarter and with better rain gear!