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Back in Alaska, 1st ride was a cool° one

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Back in Alaska, 1st ride was a cool° one

Old 04-15-19, 09:24 PM
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bogydave
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Back in Alaska, 1st ride was a cool° one

Temp° in the 40°s, 10 mph wind.
I only did 12 miles, needed another layer,
Body was cooling down instead of warming up.
SoCal made me soft...LOL
....
road the shoulders mostly
MUP in ok condition here, but most is gravel covered


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Old 04-15-19, 09:41 PM
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Did you fly from So Cal or did you drive via the Alaska Highway.
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Old 04-16-19, 04:29 AM
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WOW what a view !!
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Old 04-16-19, 06:16 AM
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Beautiful scenery, but travelling thousands of miles just to ride on a MUP? That does not compute. Surely there must be some better riding to be had locally, than that.
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Old 04-16-19, 06:29 AM
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Very nice!
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Old 04-16-19, 06:55 AM
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Looks like Anchorage area.
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Old 04-16-19, 07:34 AM
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Really beautiful scenery.

That's around the temperature we had here in Montreal on the weekend as I started my season off. You lasted longer than me, lol.
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Old 04-16-19, 12:01 PM
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IIRC, Bogydave lived in the Palmer area.
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Old 04-16-19, 06:38 PM
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Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
IIRC, Bogydave lived in the Palmer area.
Yep
pic of “Twin peaks”
....
Saw some liquid water,
small lake out back is ice free
....
Why riding these conditions:
MUPs & shoulders are all gravel covered,
street sweepers starting clean up
road shoulders , (MUPs last ) tons of sand gravel mix
spread on roads all 7 months of winter,
snow melts, not the gravel.
No trails open,
top inch of soil thawed mud, ice underneath
...
April sucks in Alaska, “Breakup”.
getting garden plants started
& Greenhouse going (cucs are up)
prep equip for fishing
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Old 04-16-19, 06:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Hondo Gravel
Did you fly from So Cal or did you drive via the Alaska Highway.
Flew
...
Drove the Alcan in 1978 when moved here, not since.
1/2 gravel back then. Mostly paved now.



Last edited by bogydave; 04-16-19 at 06:50 PM.
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Old 04-16-19, 07:35 PM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by bogydave

Flew
...
Drove the Alcan in 1978 when moved here, not since.
1/2 gravel back then. Mostly paved now.
Same here, drove Alcan - in January 1978 - with new wife. Drove home to Michigan October 1979. Between '78 and '79 it changed names from "Alcan" (Alaska-Canada Highway) to "Alaska Highway." There were only a few unpaved pieces by my return trip.
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Old 04-17-19, 12:18 AM
  #12  
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Be nice to drive it again .
problem is , snow bird travel times can
also be severe weather times.
....
4-5 days from here to SoCal ...
.hotels, food , fuel.....
cheaper to fly
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Old 04-17-19, 01:09 AM
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Originally Posted by bogydave

Flew
...
Drove the Alcan in 1978 when moved here, not since.
1/2 gravel back then. Mostly paved now.



We have been talking about a S Texas road trip all the way to Alaska. Back in 2002 we made it to Jasper NP. Logistics for such a long road trip is the challenge but we are working on it.
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Old 04-17-19, 11:06 AM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by Hondo Gravel



We have been talking about a S Texas road trip all the way to Alaska. Back in 2002 we made it to Jasper NP. Logistics for such a long road trip is the challenge but we are working on it.
Canadian border:
passport needed , no firearms
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Old 04-17-19, 05:15 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by bogydave
Temp° in the 40°s, 10 mph wind.
I only did 12 miles, needed another layer,
Body was cooling down instead of warming up.
SoCal made me soft...LOL
....
road the shoulders mostly
MUP in ok condition here, but most is gravel covered



Spring temps in Alaska must equal Winter temps in Southeast Texas.

40s to 50s is just about my favorite bicycling temp here. My nose gets a bit snotty at 40 F, but I warm up in about 5 to 10 minutes of pedaling.

Of course, I wear long pants, two t-shirts, thin fleece jacket, gloves, and a stocking cap when it's down to 40 F. Shoes and socks, too. Can't forget the shoes and socks.
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Old 04-17-19, 08:45 PM
  #16  
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Close , kinda
Well we’re still below freezing at night
Mid to high 20°s.
Lakes & rivers still frozen.
15 hours of sun, now, gaining 5-1/2mins a day
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Old 04-18-19, 06:42 AM
  #17  
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Originally Posted by bogydave
Close , kinda
Well we’re still below freezing at night
Mid to high 20°s.
Lakes & rivers still frozen.
15 hours of sun, now, gaining 5-1/2mins a day
Yeeouch. I wouldn't be riding until it warmed up to at least 40. Anything below that and it isn't fun anymore for me.

I tell you why I like riding in cool weather around here. The streets have less traffic, no matter car, bike, or pedestrian. Okay, the car traffic just seems less as everyone apparently calls it a day when the sun goes down, and the sun is setting earlier.

I can't imagine cycling in Alaska, Canada, or the northern US in the winter. Y'all are some hardy souls.
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Old 04-18-19, 12:04 PM
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Originally Posted by FiftySix
Yeeouch. I wouldn't be riding until it warmed up to at least 40. Anything below that and it isn't fun anymore for me.

I can't imagine cycling in Alaska, Canada, or the northern US in the winter. Y'all are some hardy souls.
:



10 million ducks & geese can’t be wrong ,
they leave before winter

Snow birds
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Old 04-22-19, 09:36 AM
  #19  
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Weird Spring here...
I Need/Want a Ride
Snows, melts, snows melts......
woke up to this
Snowing, 32° ,
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClic...3#.XL3hVRaIaEc



Last edited by bogydave; 04-22-19 at 09:45 AM.
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Old 04-22-19, 09:39 AM
  #20  
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Do you have a fatbike?
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Old 04-22-19, 09:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Hondo Gravel
Do you have a fatbike?
No
no studded tires either
spent $$ on plane tickets south & back

Having one of the Wettest - snowiest Springs
on record
Just venting, usually have a few hundred
Alaska miles in by now.
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Old 04-22-19, 10:09 AM
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I have 40 years experience knowing April sucks
here.
Past 5 years, much nicer Springs.
That's how long I’ve been riding,
My 1st real sucky Spring since I’ve been riding.
Good to feel the “Need” for a ride, never
knew I’d become addicted

.....
In the 90°s in SoCal, wouldn’t be
riding their
...
maybe time for a trainer, at least
gets the blood moving during “breakup”
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Old 04-23-19, 11:35 AM
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Another 3” last night

Forecast to be 18° tonight
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Old 04-23-19, 12:53 PM
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I loved Alaska, a different way of life where the mosquito is the state bird. Dividend was nice too. Drove the ALCAN highway in the winter (best time to do it) and took the ferry from Haines to Bellingham when I left. As far as the cold...."it's a dry cold" lol. The coldest I have ever been in my life was in the Yukon training area (Eielson AFB) where it reach -65F with nothing to keep me warm besides a sleeping bag when I had the opportunity to use it.
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