Final fundraising figures

Thanks to very generous contributions from Deya Nolan, Judy Maleng, and the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society (NOTIS) received while I was pedaling up all those mountains, my fundraising for American Lung Association Big Ride Alaska reached $5913.48 making me the top fundraiser for this ride! Thanks once again to everyone who contributed over the last year. 

As a group, Big Ride Alaska raised a total of just over $40,500 for the good work of the American Lung Association!

I am back in Seattle now and will post a summary of my ride as soon as I have a chance. In the meantime, take a look at the Big Ride Alaska slide show on the right. You might also want to see fellow rider Brian Jacobson's blog for more pictures and details about our adventure. 

Day 10 -- Tiekel River to Valdez

61 miles
Thompson Pass (2678 ft)

Headwinds climbing to the pass and pedaling through Keystone Canyon
didn't even matter because the scenery was so extraordinary. It was a
tough ride for some of us but worth it.

Day 9 -- Tolsana to Tiekel River

77 miles
Climbed 2023 ft
Descended 2866 ft

Keeping the next few postings short because of low battery. Watch for
new photos over the next few days.

Tail winds for first 20, headwinds for last 20.

Spectacular scenery the whole way.

Day 8 -- Matanuska to Tolsona

63 miles
4 hours 49 minutes
Avg 12.7
Ascent: 2441
Descent: 3246

None of the above matters at all because everything came together
today to make it one of my best rides ever! The weather was cool and
sunny. There were bathrooms available when we needed them. We rode by
lakes, miles of tundra and more glaciers. I stopped to watch an eagle
being harrassed by a smaller bird.
And we had TAILWIND the whole day! After the first hour I got a surge
of energy that lasted for the rest of the ride, and I arrived in camp
with energy to spare. Everyone felt it was a one of those spectacular
days of riding that we will remember for a long time.

We have seen the wildlife, and it is us

Diane (CA), Carol, and Eric

Matanuska Glacier

Day 7 -- Palmer to Matanuska

The best day yet!

55 miles (not counting 5 hair-raising miles on a flatbed with Carol,
Tom, Bell, Eric and three of our bikes)
Approx 6 hours on the bike
Climbed approx 4000 feet (much of it 7-12% grade for extended climbs
with narrow shoulders and traffic)
Descended approx 2000 feet

Spectacular views all day of mountains, rivers, and the massive
Matanuska Glacier. I'm planning to take an early morning walk and will
post a photo of our view from the campsite.

Day 6 -- Talkeetna to Palmer

Getting used to headwinds:

82.74 miles
Average: 11.1
Max: 27.9
Time: 7 hrs 28 minutes
Ascent: 1758 ft
Descent: 2184

Rode alone most of the day and enjoyed it. Felt strong in spite of
headwinds. Much of ride was on bike paths running along side major
highway with lots of Friday traffic. Overcast with occasional glimpses
of spectacular mountains. Quite cool. Staying in funky hotel in
Palmer. No readily available computer and too tired to upload photos
anyway.

Thanks very much to Sandra and Bob Thomsen and Maria Paget for your
donations to the American Lung Association.

Tom from Ohio, Ivan from Alaska, Katie from Michigan, Cheryl from PA

Day 5 -- Denali State Park to Talkeetna

63 miles
No stats today as there was no opportunity to charge the bike computer

Great ride. More tomorrow when iPhone is recharged.

Carol & Courtney making the best of campsite on day 4

Day 4 -- there goes Brian

More about day four...

This was a tough ride, again because of very strong headwinds for the
first 60 miles. This made it cooler than some of us expected too.
Scenery was great -- green forests, mountains ribboned with mist,
rivers, lakes, and gorges. (I'll add pictures to slideshow soon.)

Pulling into the camp, we were greeted by swarms of mosquitos. We did
our best to fight them off and most of us retreated to our
mosquitoless tents after dinner -- well fed, tired and dirty (no
showers at this site).

Day 4 -- Denali National Park to Denali State Park

Another day on the bike:
91.2 miles (60 miles of headwinds again & no drafting this time)
Time: 8 hrs 23 minutes
Average: 10.9 mph
Max: 30.2
Ascent: 2841
Descent: 4194

Sent from my iPhone.

Bell from Vermont

Big Rider John

Sandy & Rick from Ohio

Why Day 2 sucked (or perhaps a better word is "blew")

A small sampling of what Mother Nature threw at us on Day 2.

Erin from Vermont

Eric from WA & Liz from Vermont

Day 3 -- Rest day in Denali

We awoke to pouring rain at 3 AM which stopped a few hours later. Amazingly, my tent stayed dry.

After our full day of headwind yesterday, many of us are taking "rest day" literally today, hanging out at a cafe town after a short hike into town. Others are white-water rafting or touring Denali on buses.

Thanks to former Big Riders for your comments. Brian says to tell you, "Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here." And some other choice words which I won't put in print.
And thanks too for comments from friends of fellow riders. I'm passing them on. I'll try to post a picture of everyone on the ride at some point.

See more pictures at Big Ride Alaska Slide Show on the right (click on photo for details and larger view). All of the best scenery yesterday was on descents where I couldn't stop to photograph, but I'm sure this is just the beginning. I'll add to the slide show when we have computer access again and will continue posting random pictures from my iPhone as long as we have cell service.

Day 2 -- Nenana to Denali National Park

Just the facts:
68.5 miles
6 hrs 39 min in the saddle
Average speed: 10.3 (drafting off of Brian the whole way!)
Max speed 28.3
Climbed only 1900 feet
Descended 1241 feet
Strong headwinds for 60 miles made it a very hard day, but everyone
made it!

Details to follow. Rest day and computer access tomorrow, so I'll post
pictures from camera.

Sent from my iPhone.

Big Riders Alice From NJ & Carol from Vermont -- ready to ride

Hail from last night's storm

Rainbow @ camp just before hail started

Day 1 -- Fairbanks to Nenana

Short & sweet:
54.96 miles
Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
Climbed 3201 feet
Descended 3696 feet
Average: 11.4 mph
Max speed 37.3
Arrived in camp at 3:42
Now sitting in tent with hail storm and thunder raging outside. Also
rainbow and sunshine!
More later.

Courtney
Sent from my iPhone.

Getting ready