08/18 More fantastic mountain scenery today. Rode along the Delta River for a while and then started a slow climb up to Isabel Pass. On the way up I had a good view of Gulkana Glacier and the Rainbow Ridge mountains. Also saw a memorial dedicated to Captain Wilds P. Richardson, whom the highway is named after. Summit Lake was at the top and other than a small cluster of houses there wasn’t much here. Next stop was an overlook that lets you watch salmon swimming upstream but it was pretty quiet when I was there. No sushi tonight for me.
My morning got off to a rough start. At 9am I was still laying in my warm, cozy sleeping bag when this incredibly loud rumbling noise woke me up. At first I thought it was a landslide so I sat up really fast and looked out the rear door of the tent. It took me a second to figure out what it was but coming up the trail was a freaking bulldozer! My next thought was, ‘I hope he stops…’. Fortunately the driver must have seen my tent because he lifted the plow part back up and backed up onto the road. Then he left. The road/trail isn’t restricted, at least there were no signs, so I figured he could come back later. I got up, made breakfast and then left.
I was very happy to pull into the Paxson Lodge after a very cold day of riding into the wind. It was about 52 F not counting the wind chill. It only rained for a little bit which I was very thankful for. The jumbo chili dog and fries were gone in record time. After getting settled in I’m going to head over for a shower and dinner. They have wifi too. There’s also a little grocery store so I can add some supplies for my trip on the Denali Highway.
I’m camped across the street from the lodge at the end of an airport runway. The lady said there was a grizzly bear down here this morning so I’ll have to keep an eye out. It just started raining and I don’t think it’ll be letting up for a while so my trip back over to get a shower might have to wait. My mood for the day is going to be bad because I’m really tired of riding in conditions similar to being sprayed with a hose and then pushed into a walk-in freezer with a big fan blowing on you. Nothing much I can do about it but hurry south before it turns to snow. I never did get an actual summer this year so maybe I’m bummed because of that.
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I thought part of the reason you left Florida was because you were tired of the summer season. If it makes you feel better, when I went to lunch today it was pouring rain. When I left my house less than an hour later it was so hot outside that all the roads were already dry.
I never did mind the summer there (except hurricanes). The thing I hate the most about the rain here is that it rains non-stop for days. Almost an entire week went by before I saw the sun. Not used to that.