2,925ft. +/- a few feet

Today a bike ride to Murphy Dome! The ride total was a 47 mile round trip with about a 2500ft. elevation gain. I wanted to leave in the morning while the temp was still in the 20's to try to stay cool on the strenuous climb. So i got my gear together and was on the road by 10am. I shot video at a few points along the way to show how hard the ride was and also how spectacular the views are. The climb began about an hour into the ride which is about perfect, allows the legs to get warmed up. After about 1,100ft. of climbing there is a small flat to catch ones breath then on to the top. The road itself is all gravel when the climb starts so i don't think anything but a fat tired mountain bike would make it. Fortunately there was no wind today which is typical of Fairbanks but the the other 2 times i've been on Murphy Dome the wind has been whipping pretty good. The ride from Billies to the top of Murphy Dome took 2hrs 20min. About 1 hr 30min of that was climbing a substantial grade. To put that in some type of perspective it took less than 15 min to descend the climb! Being up there during the day offers a view that literally takes your breath away. I could see countless trails heading into the bush, trails i will have to investigate with some over night trips. I could also see the Alaska Range off in the distance maybe 150 to 200 miles away. I wanted to stay for a while but i only brought enough food to get me up there and back in about 4 to 4 1/2hrs. Didn't want to run out of gas halfway home. So i hung out up there for about a half hour then made the descent. Two words summarize the descent, fast and cold. My average speed was about 40mph on the way down and that wind cut right through my boots and gloves. But when i got to the bottom and had to start working again i warmed up quickly. Well, made it back to Billies with a 4 1/2hr, 47 mile ride under my belt. And i'm ready to do it again in a heartbeat! Here are a couple pics from the top and several video clips along the way.

Murphy Dome

What can i say other than it's been another great day in Fairbanks! Since i've been putting a lot of miles on the bike it was time for some upgrades. Just important things like a front fender, starting to get sloppy in the afternoon. A rear rack, have to haul gear and groceries some how. And the most important a handlebar mounted GPS, no explanation needed. I've been making bigger and bigger circles around Fairbanks, pretty soon i'll find myself in "the bush." I do have some pics from my rides but i'm waiting for some better ones, have forgot my camera on a couple longer rides. Been spending a lot of time in the Goldstream valley, which is next to the Tanana valley where most of Fairbanks is located. When i get out there and stop for a break sometimes there is nothing but silence, no wind, no cars, no planes and sometimes no birds. I've never witnessed such utter quite. Granted i've been traveling on roads or in the ditches next to roads, when no cars are going by, WOW! Pics of the rides coming soon.

As i mentioned a couple days ago i was going to be on Northern lights watch. Well two nights ago was overcast so no Northern light viewing was possible. But last night only a few clouds obscured the sky. I was able to head up to Murphy Dome with Ralf, he had an empty seat available. I'm not sure if i said before but Murphy Dome is a jumping off spot for people heading into the bush. And when we got up there i pointed out there was a lot more vehicles up there than last time i was up there. Ralf mentioned people usually head out to there bush cabins for the weekend, i couldn't remember what day of the week it was! Ralf pointed out "ahh, your on Alaskan time now." Time of day and dates matter, not so much the day of the week. Pretty soon the time of day won't matter either!

Well the Northern lights were nothing short of fantastic! Started to get some colors other than just green. They were also very bright and dancing quite a bit! I shot a lot of pics but i'll only show you some of the best ones. I was running a 15 second exposure time and with the cold temp and the wind whipping my batteries were getting eaten up fast. Alkaline batteries not so good in those conditions but that's what i had with me. Anyway, i think i've babbled enough. It's 5:30am and i haven't gone to bed yet! Enjoy the pics!

Quick update

Been keeping very busy lately that's why i haven't got more pics up, i'm working on that. Been putting a lot of miles on the running shoes and on the bike. Working on getting my mileage up so i can plan a long trip this summer. What else is going on, looks like tonight is going to be a good night for Northern lights, if the skies stay clear and tomorrow is rated even better! Ralf, a local guide, has invited me up to Murphy Dome tomorrow night since i've been on a tour with him, if he has room in the van. That would be great now that i have my camera mostly figured out. Well going to get ready for my morning jog, still gets down to 10 below at night, gotta let it warm up a little. Then take my afternoon ride. I'll get some more pics up maybe later tonight after the Aurora show! One other thing i wanted to mention is that i haven't watched tv since i've been in Fairbanks, sure a few dvds here and there but no shows. No cable or satellite at Billies. And to tell you the truth i don't miss it at all!!

Northern Lights!

The Aurora was out over Fairbanks tonight! Not as spectacular as it can get but i'll take it. Going to take a little more practice shooting at night but i got a few decent pics. I took these shots right across the street where i was watching the dog sled races friday afternoon. Hope i can get another chance to capture the Aurora before the midnight sun!

A day of spontaneity

Thursday was a busy day and night. In the morning i was in the common area having breakfast and one of the people staying here came down and said "does anyone want to make some money today?" I figured why not and jumped at the chance to make a little cash. He needed a couple people to help move all of his possessions locked up in a storage unit into his new apartment. He is a very overweight guy that can't do any type of physical labor. I usually would have no pity for someone like that but i came here to make friends and be a better person so i bowed to his every demand, that and he was paying $15/hr cash+lunch. I was the only one to help until he had to hire someone with a pick-up to move a couch. Other than that it was eight and a half hours of going up and down 3 flights of stairs, whew what a work-out! After the job was done i made it back home around 6pm feeling really good and was pumped up to go do something. Just then Ralf, someone who sometimes stays at Billies and is a guide that does all kinds of tours came in and said he was taking a group up to Murphy Dome to view the northern lights. I thought that was perfect and said count me in. We took off at 10pm for a 45 minute drive out of the city and up above the tree line, about 2500ft. around here. We had a decent show, not too many colors but it moved quite a lot. Unfortunately i couldn't figure out how to set my shutter time so i didn't get any pics. Someone else had a nice SLR that was picking up lots of color. Wow cameras pick up so much more than the naked eye! We stayed up there until about 2:30AM when the Aurora started fading and made our way back home. What a day and night!

So today i sat down with my camera and figured out how to make the necessary adjustments for night time shots while watching more dog sled racing just across the street from Billies. I also picked up a tri-pod from someone living here at the Hostel. Tonite i might make my way out of the neighborhood and try to catch the Aurora. If i read the forecast right it looks like it may be right over Fairbanks!

The Ice Park

Wow, what a beautiful day! I think it got to 28 degrees this afternoon without a cloud in sight. I didn't think it was going to be this warm today so i was over dressed. Almost could've ridden around in just my jersey and biking shorts! Todays route took me down to the Ice Park, which is an RV park in the summer and then through downtown and back up to Farmers loop. I wanted to ride all of Farmers loop because i stopped about half way yesterday, had other places i needed to go. Farmers loop is about 8.5 miles long and has a lot of roads branching off it that head much further out off town, i'll be checking those out soon. I've got some pictures from the ice park and some video on the bike path on the Chena river and out on Farmers loop. The pics are; a full size cabin, C-130 aircraft with troops exiting the plane, dads favorite woodland animal, a 4ft. diameter lens burning a piece of plywood, a 15ft. tall Eiffel tower and a kids maze about 5 ft. tall. I have many more pics of the Ice Park but i thought these were the coolest ones. At night they have colored lights shining on all of the carvings and i bet that looks pretty cool. I'll see if i can make a trip down there in the dark before they all melt! We'll have to see what tomorrow will bring. Getting pretty comfortable with Fairbanks now so i imagine i'll start making my way further out of town. I forgot to mention that in the vid by the river you will see open water i believe this is due to the fact there is a power plant and a water treatment plant just up stream almost in the downtown area but once you get past that it's frozen pretty good.

Riding around Fairbanks

Yesterday i decided it was time to commit to a bicycle. I made my way down to Beaver Sports, the high end outfitter in Fairbanks, and bought a real nice Kona. Bikes there were on close-out in preparation for this years models so i figured now is the time to buy. I'm glad i brought my studded tires with me because at Beaver they wanted $130 a tire, YIKES! It's a pretty nice ride, a lot better than the Gary Fischer i've ridden the past 2 years during winter in Minnesota. Today i got on the bike and did a small tour of some of the bike routes around town. A lot of getting around Fairbanks by bike is done by taking side walks right next to the road. They are designated bike routes to keep bikes off the main streets. For a population of only 30,000 i'm pretty sure they're all either driving around town or at the grocery store. The sidewalks are right next to the road so it feels like your right on the road, sometimes it's hard to tell if your on the road or on the path with snow on the ground. There are some paths that get away from the traffic for instance along the Chena river that runs east to west cutting Fairbanks in half. It's not a long path but at least you can get away from the noise of the cars and trucks. I also made my way up to the Fairbanks college campus and then up Farmers Loop Rd. I know that there was a path under me during most of my ride on Farmers loop but after a while i couldn't tell if it was a path or just hard packed snow from snow machines. The weather today was overcast but a steamy 18 degrees almost too warm for winter riding in my opinion. Along the way i did stop to snap some pics. It's hard to capture Fairbanks in a few pictures because it's so large. I also rode on the Noyes Slough that's just down the road from the Hostel. It comes off the Chena river so it's kind of a fun alternative to bike paths. So i have a couple pics of that and view from the path looking south on Farmers Loop, one looking down from the UAF campus and one looking up at the UAF campus from Farmers Loop. Tomorrow i'll be on the bike again. Might head over to the ice sculpture garden, should be some great pics there. Here is a link to the web site of the Hostel i'm staying at. I'm actually thinking about staying here for a while. Billie offers a reasonable monthly rate and i really like the people here, i fit right in. www.alaskahostel.com There are some pics in the gallery of this place so you can check out where i'm staying.

Hike! Hike!

Another day of dog mushing! Today i made my way to the northern end of Fairbanks for the Limited North American Championship at Mushers Field. While there i witnessed 2 dog skijoring, 4, 6, and 8 dog sled teams. It was all sprint racing, ranging from 4.5 miles for skijoring up to 10.6 miles for the 8 dog teams. It was the nicest day since i've been in Fairbanks, temp was in the single digits but the sky turned nearly cloudless in he afternoon! What a fun day! I've got some pics and video from the day. A couple 8 dog teams in action, 2 dog skijoring, a post race snack, the lodge and a couple different dog transports. I also got a tip on a kennel that might need some help. In the next couple of days i'm going to look into that and see if it leads anywhere. For the time being i'm pretty comfortable here at the Hostel but if i find a job right away that's fantastic.

Billie's Backpackers Hostel

Made the move to a Hostel today. I wish i would have come across this place before i booked a hotel by the airport. The hotel room was nice, really nice, but to expensive. Within a couple minutes of being at Billie's i already had some leads on finding a little cabin of my own. I have high hopes that something will come up soon. Their are quite a handful of people staying here at the Hostel. That's something that i hope will work in my favor. Being able to mingle with people here for the same reason will be a great learning experience. The Hostel is a few more miles into Fairbanks just down the road from the local college, UAF. Also just down the street is an outdoor store similar to Midwest Mountaineering, with bikes. Prices there aren't bad. Freeze dried Mountain House is $6.50 a bag, the same as REI in Minnesota!Looks like i found my outdoor outfitter. I've also located some areas with local postings so i don't have to rely on just the internet now. I'm sure i'm going to be staying at the Hostel for at least a few days if not longer. A least it's fairly cheep. Tomorrow i might make my may into the downtown area and get more of a lay of the land. I'll have some more pics of the area soon.

Fairbanks

Well i've been in Fairbanks a couple of days and don't have too much to report. I've been staying in a hotel pretty close to the airport on the west side of town. Tomorrow i'm heading to a Hostel located more in the center of Fairbanks. Staying there i'm hoping to connect a little more with what's going on around town instead of just relying on the internet. I've made a couple trips to the local superstore Fred Meyers, kinda like a Walmart. It's a couple miles from where i'm staying now, pretty much the closest store. The prices aren't as bad as i thought they be. I've also noticed gas costs about $3.25 a gallon, glad i'm not driving. Down the from the Hotel where i'm staying they have a few river boats tied up for the winter season. They are named the Discovery I, Discovery II and Discovery III. They are tour boats that cruise the Chena river in the summer months. Maybe a job there, we'll see. As far as the weather goes it's still winter here. I think yesterday it got to 20 below. Hoping to get out on my snowshoes in the next couple days instead of just walking along the streets.

Race day!

At 10am saturday morning the first dog team left from 4th ave in downtown Anchorage. Saturdays event is pretty much just a parade for the race fans and no official time is kept. You will see in the pictures that teams were only running 12 dogs and towing an extra sled. This is meant to keep the speed down so everyone can get pictures and a good look at their favorite musher. The route through Anchorage began a few blocks from the hotel i was staying at on 4th ave. then made a turn on Cordova right in front of my hotel window! The streets were clear of snow until about 8pm friday night, when the city began hauling in dump truck after dump truck of snow that was then grated for a nice sled trail through the heart of downtown Anchorage. After a few miles on city streets they then took nicely groomed bike trails to Eagle River, a town to the east of Anchorage then loaded up the dogs in their trucks and hauled them to Willow for the official start of the race at 2pm sunday. I had a lot of fun seeing all of the teams i have come to recognize from t.v. coverage every year. If you would like to follow the race as i am going to do check out http://www.iditarod.com/ lots of info there.

Well i'm up in Fairbanks now, took a nice 45min. flight from Anchorage this morning. Finally got to see the Alaska Range and Denali!! It sounds like i'll have a good opportunity to see the Northern Lights here in Fairbanks, can't wait! I'm staying in a hotel really close to the Chena river that runs the center of Fairbanks for a few days. And in that time i'm hoping to secure a more permanent residence.

Big day tomorrow!

I ran into a musher participating in Iditarod today. I saw him get out of a truck with all of his dogs kenneled up in the back. We were both going into REI at the same time. I would like to say i've always thought mushers looked like the nicest people. As i approached the front door of the store he waited for me and the opened the door for me. I thought i'd strike up a conversation, asking first if he was here to race? He said yep, he has traveled here from Idaho with his dogs, but was originally from Wisconsin. I told him i was from Minnesota and here to see the the race, he was very thrilled! He thanked me so much for being here. I also found out that he'd flown up with his dogs and is using his sisters truck that lives here in Alaska. Wow, imagine the cost of that plane ticket! He said that he has driven up here before but it's a major pain in the ass. We talked for a couple minutes then shook hands and went our separate ways. While i was in REI i wanted to check out the "SPOT" device. A beacon and emergency transmitter about the size of a digital camera. I found out that they had been recalled to repair something internally and wouldn't be available until later this month. That would explain why i couldn't find one a the REI back home. I hope i'll be able to come across one when i'm in the Fairbanks area. With it you should be able to track my position on the net, when i am unable to stay in contact by phone and/or internet.

Today i have a pic from my hotel room here in Anchorage. In the foreground to the right of the green building is 4th ave. The street the Iditarod starts on! There are no parking and road closed signs sitting everywhere waiting to be put into action. They will truck in snow to cover the street all the way through town! I'm not sure when but i'm keeping my eyes peeled. Also in the background is Mt. Susitna about 35 miles away across the Cook Inlet. Just a 4400ft. peak but still a beautiful sight to see out my window.

A stroll around Anchorage

I took a few hours today to walk around town and see the sights. I made my way down to the Knik Arm coastline. There is a fantastic path, that is groomed for skiers, right on the coast. Then took another path that cuts right through the center of Anchorage. While at the James Cook monument i met a young guy from Japan that came to see the Iditarod as well. Battling through a language barrier i discovered he came here with no plan but was going to try to make it down to the Kenai Peninsula, but wasn't sure how to get there. He asked if you could hitchhike in this country. I explained how to get a ride by holding out your hand with your thumb up, i think he got the idea. He took a picture of the two of us together which i thought was pretty cool. Here are some pics starting at the James Cook monument and of the Knik Arm. Then of the Cook inlet and onto Westchester lagoon with the Chugach mountains in the background. Sorry the order of the pics is bottom to top.

First Impression

After a flight delay in Minneapolis and playing musicial gates, i got to Seattle. I had enough time to grab a bite to eat then board the plane to Anchorage. To get to the hotel i used a shuttle bus. I was the only passenger so we got to chat. I told him my story and he said "yea, you can do that." After checking in i wanted to have a look around. After a stop at gas station for some goods, just strolling down the sidewalk, there was a dog team. A musher feeding his dogs in some random parking lot in Anchorage. I feel at home already.