And he’s off!
Well it’s Day 2 of my stay in Anchorage and tomorrow afternoon I will be boarding a plane and headed North to Deadhorse Airport where I will be beginning my grand journey South.
So far, it has been a great stay in Anchorage thanks to my two gracious hosts, Hannah and Kevin. It has been a relaxing couple days of beer tastings, last minute purchases and various other last minute errands.
The past few days have been very interesting, beginning with a mad dash through the Central Valley of California during which my housemate Katie and I, in the span of 3 hours, managed to:
1. Wake up and depart the Yosemite area by 7 AM
2. Arrive in Merced only to find out the Greyhound station I was planning on using to get to San Diego was closed.
3. Make a mad dash to Modesto, 50 miles away. Drive around town trying to find a box big enough to package my touring bike and gear in.
4. Catch the bus with minutes to spare.
Packing my bike with minutes to spare in a Greyhound parking lot. Modesto, CA
Then it was a nice stay in San Diego with my uncle and mother and seeing a good friend.
My ride hanging out in San Diego
I wonder how long the two of us will love each other?
Then it was time for an early AM flight from San Diego to Anchorage where I have spent the past two days relaxing before my journey North.
For those interested, here is a quick shot at my gear and food provisions for the first 10-12 days of my trip.
This is the gear I brought for 70+ days of cycle touring in Alaska and Canada!
This is how much food a bike tourer with a serious inner fat kid eats over the course of 12 days.
Before leaving Anchorage though, I HAD to do something fun. After all, all work and no play makes Andy very sad. Luckily Kevin and Hannah each have an Alpacka Packraft so Kevin and I took a little float down Campbell Creek in Anchorage. Nothing crazy at all, but I am now a total convert to the doors that have been opened in wilderness exploration thanks to packrafts!
My friend Kevin after introducing me to the glory that is packrafting. This is definitely my next adventure purchase! hint hint.....
At this point I’m mentally and logistically prepared to embark. It is now time for the final bit of exhausting but neccesary travel before my trip begins.
Sometimes the most exhausting part of an adventure is the endless travel.
I will be out of communication with everyone for the next 2 weeks so my next update will come from Fairbanks once I arrive there. There will be an exciting update coming soon.
For now I shall finish my beer, think through a few more logistical items, then sleep.
adios for now.
Andy
p.s. Anyone wanna guess how many bears I will see in the next 10-12 days? I’m guessing 4.
8 comments on “And he’s off!”
Leave a reply to jonathan cruz Cancel reply
Are you a biker in the Bay Area? If so, check these guys out. Great shop in Mill Valley, CA!
andres' life 
Im sure you got the jitters, but its natural on a trip like this. be safe, keep in touch, and keep the bear spray containers both on you and on your bike at all times. Im sure you will see more than 4 bears, lots of females and little ones as well. give them their space and use your bear container at all times. love dad
I am guessing you will see at least 10. Be safe and savor the beauty that very few ever get the opportunity to enjoy. Love Mom
Good lord you are carrying a lot of stuff.
We are diggin’ the fact that we have somewhat parallel adventures going on here. Your gear spread out on the floor and even how your (same) bike is packed is like looking into a crystal ball of the near future for us…yikes! We, however, don’t expect to see any bears but should we spot Iceland’s most vicious predator, we will have our arctic fox spray close at hand…
Have a great trip Andy and I wish you the best! Cheers to the journey of a lifetime!
IM HOPING YOU SEE NO BEARS!!!!!! YES I SAID IT ZERO, ZIP, NADA!!! HA HA LOVE YOU BROTHER!!!
You will see seven and a half bears. One might be a bear but it will be so far away it will be hard for you to tell for certain. Enjoy the journey!
At this point u are immersed in ur adventure 🙂 I hope u r having a great time and enjoying the beauty in ur surroundings but also enjoying meeting adventurous souls in ur path. Well keep us posted and Handle it!!!