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.
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