{"id":142142,"date":"2016-08-02T13:47:14","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T13:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=142142"},"modified":"2016-08-02T13:49:50","modified_gmt":"2016-08-02T13:49:50","slug":"blog-travelling-world-hera-van-willick-alaska-amazing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2016\/08\/02\/blog-travelling-world-hera-van-willick-alaska-amazing\/","title":{"rendered":"BLOG: Travelling the World with Hera van Willick: Alaska Is Amazing!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Getting ready to write my blog, sitting at my laptop at the Denali National Park entrance, all I can think is; \u2018there is so much to tell<\/em>.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The more impressions you gain and the more new things you experience the longer the timeperiod seems that went by. I remember reading that during my former biketrip in the great book \u2018Moonwalking with Einstein\u2019<\/a> by Joshua Foer. I can\u2019t say these last two weeks feel like a month but it\u2019s a fact that, as I\u2019m \u2018longer\u2019 in this trip, time loses its familiar meaning.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s so much to tell. Even though I\u2019m only about 200km away from where I wrote my last blog, at a riverside along the Denali highway.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

\"Beautiful
Beautiful weather and views from the Denali highway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here\u2019s a start. The Denali highway is not part of Denali National Park<\/em> nor Denali State Park<\/em>. To make things difficult, Alaska has; National Parks and State Parks, State Recreation Areas and State Recreation Sites. I cannot tell the difference. I only pay interest to the sign \u2018NO CAMPING<\/strong>\u2019 that provides me with all the information I need know about what is and what isn\u2019t allowed in that Park, Area or on that Site.<\/p>\n

Americans love signs. The bigger the better! Especially \u2018PRIVATE PROPERTY!<\/strong>\u2019, \u2018NO TRESPASSING<\/strong>\u2019, \u2018GET OUTTA HERE<\/strong>\u2019 and \u2018IF YOU STEP ON MY PROPERTY I WILL SHOOT YOU<\/strong>\u2019 are popular. I\u2019ve been told that they don\u2019t mean to come across as unfriendly, but it\u2019s just done to prevent thievery. Though I\u2019d be surprised to see the average American thieve scratch his head after reading such a sign, turn around and try his luck at the neighbor\u2019s house (with no sign).<\/p>\n

\"Denali
Denali Highway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along the Denali Highway<\/strong> there were little signs. In fact, there was little of anything, except trees, bears and wildlife in general.<\/p>\n

One night I was camping at a lodge. As a trade for helping with the dishes they let me camp, shower and join the \u2018all you can eat\u2019 breakfast.<\/p>\n

I got lucky, the owners were watching Tour de France (without understanding the game)! I explained them how the race works and got to witness the legendary moment that the man in yellow; Christopher Froome, after a crash that broke his bike, started running up Mont Ventoux.<\/p>\n

At the American sportschannel they showed images of the crash over and over and over, accompanied by a hysterical commentator and action movie soundtrack.<\/p>\n

\"OLYMPUS<\/p>\n

\"Some
Some fellow cyclists on the Denali highway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The only bridge on the Denali highway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Back to the bike, my bike! A lot stronger than Froome\u2019s, evidently.<\/p>\n

The Denali highway was a highlight. What a delight to ride such a quiet gravelroad through the wilderness. Passed occasionally by a pickuptruck or motorhome, but in no comparison to the main roads here.<\/p>\n

On my last night at the Denali I camped on my own in the wilderness for the first time here. Aware of the amount of bears that inhabit that area, I felt a little nervous at the start. But once I\u2019d put up my tent, had dinner, put my food far away from my tent and started a little fire I got surprisingly comfortable. Until I heard a splashing sound coming from the lake nearby, as from a big animal. From my tent I could see a big brown animal going under water and coming back up, but I couldn\u2019t tell what it was. A moose? Or a grizzly bear\u2026? Very carefully I got a little closer till I could reassure myself. A moose! A beautiful big cow moose, snacking on the waterplants in the lake. What a magical image, that big wild animal undisturbed in the middle of the water on an evening in the wilderness.<\/p>\n

\"FREEDOM!\"
FREEDOM!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"WILDERNESS\"
WILDERNESS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"My
My campspot for the night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Moose
Moose snacking in the lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Reaching
Reaching the end of the Denali highway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From the Denali highway I continued my way back south. In Willow<\/strong> I was a guest with a WarmShowers host. A 68 year old woman living alone in a big house with a beautiful view on the mountains. She\u2019s not a cyclist, but her daughter got her to become a WarmShowers host. It\u2019s her first summer hosting and she enjoys having the company and help of some cyclists around the house. Even though she\u2019s 68, has MS and rheumatism arthritis, she\u2019s active all day, working in the garden, taking care of her 14 dogs and mushing! Mushing, a type of sport where you stand on a sled that\u2019s getting pulled by dogs, riding trails. It\u2019s a popular sport in Alaska. People who race often have about 48 dogs. The biggest race is the Iditarod<\/em><\/a>, from Anchorage to Nome. 1609km without support. Every night you have to take of the shoes of about 64 dog paws, massage all those paws, melt snow to give the dogs water and prepare their food, prepare your own food, sleep a few hours, put about 64 shoes back on and start mushing again. All this far below 0 over endless snowfields. They do call it \u2018The Last Great Race on Earth\u2019 for a reason.<\/p>\n

\"Elaines
Elaines mush dogs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a beautiful ride on the Old Glenn highway<\/strong> I took a left on the dead end road along the Knik River<\/strong>. It looked like a nice ride and further down that road lives another WarmShowers host. After enjoying my solitude in Iceland, not longing for or feeling ready to meet new people, here in Alaska I do enjoy to be around people again and share stories.<\/p>\n

It turned out I arrived at the perfect place to do so. Here at Knik River I met a bicycle fanatic named Cody with whom I could have endless conversations about cycling, traveling, society, America, religion and psychology. Sometimes you don\u2019t know what you miss until it\u2019s there again. Talking to a friend. In these three days I wrote four letters, edited the video to go with this blog, did some bike maintenance, laughed, talked and had delicious food.<\/p>\n

After those days my (apparently) dying battery was fully recharged.<\/p>\n

\"Typical
Typical American mailboxes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Knik
Knik River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Off to the airport in Anchorage<\/strong>! Indeed, right where I started. Not to fly out, but to pick someone up. Company!<\/p>\n

After giving it lots of thought, doubt and consideration (I\u2019m very attached to my status as a SOLO cyclist) I gave my friend Joost \u2018thumbs up\u2019 to book a ticket to Alaska to join me for some weeks. He arrived in Anchorage accompanied by a bright Dutch-orange Santos traveler. He\u2019s an all-round sportsguy, but he\u2019s new to biketravel.<\/p>\n

After two days in Anchorage we got on our bikes heading for Hatcher pass<\/strong>. A pass famous for its beauty and infamous for its steep ascent, at least that\u2019s what I\u2019d heard. Either Alaskans have legs as weak as the coffee they make, or mine are as strong as they think we make our coffee. However, slow as a snail, but steady, I climbed the pass without a problem. What a delight! I love climbing! I may be a slow climber but I reach the top, I (always) reach the top.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the pass a beautiful green landscape and a 40km long downhill on a gravelroad<\/p>\n

Tired and hungry after a 106km ride we arrived (again) at Elaine\u2019s, the woman with the mountainview and the sleddogs.<\/p>\n

\"Heading
Heading upstream towards Hatcher pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Beautiful
Beautiful views from the climb<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Slowly
Slowly but steady climbing Hatcher pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Joost
Joost heading towards Hatcher pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From there we pedaled in three rainy days to Denali National Park<\/strong>, where we pitched out tent at the campsite near the parkentrance and that\u2019s where we are now. Time for a day off the bike, time for a blog. Tomorrow, when our legs are rested, we\u2019ll go for a hike. The day after that we\u2019ll get back on our bikes and ride the parkroad. Well, that is if the mudslide that came down yesterday and is blocking the road now gets cleared out. In contrast to many eastern European and Asian countries where I\u2019ve cycled in America there\u2019s the rule that; \u2018RULES ARE RULES<\/em>\u2019 and if they decide we cannot cross that area by bike, we cannot cross that area by bike. Even though in reality it might not be much harder than pushing your bike for 30 meters through a thin layer of mud. Rules are rules! And seen the frequency and ease with which people sue each other here, throw eachother in jail or, as they say, \u2018put a bullet\u2019 in each others \u2018head\u2019, we\u2019ll be good and play by the(ir) rules.<\/p>\n

So, no exciting cliffhanger. Rather than putting some Americans to the test we\u2019ll spend our possible extra day(s) going for a walk, making a fire, picking blueberries, toasting bread with cheese on it, roasting bears and enjoying the (now) dry but chilly weather.<\/p>\n

Oh, and here\u2019s a picture of the mudslide\u2026<\/p>\n

\"...maybe
…maybe we can\u2019t cross right now…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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