Key West to Alaska (Click here to read the blog)
2006 September 26 – 2007 September 26 – Key West, FL to Montana/Canada Border completed
2013 Canada and Alaska to be completed.
The basic plan is to bike the entire way from Key West to Alaska, about 7,600 miles.
In 2006 we rode from Key West, FL to New Mexico. In the spring of 2007, we continued, riding to Antelope Wells, NM and the US-Mexico border. At that point we rode north on the Great Continental Divide Mountain Bike Route. This was a “fat tire” ride on gravel roads and trails through ranches and National Forests. Some of this required towing a “Bob” (bike trailer) which carried camping supplies. When we reached the US-Canada border we returned to our home in south Florida intending to resume the trek to Alaska in the spring of 2008. A series of deaths and other issues within the family have delayed us, but we now plan to resume the trip in April of 2013.
We like to ride on bike trails, forest service roads and secondary or side roads. I will have a mountain bike (fat tire), a hybrid and a road bike (thin tire) to choose from depending on the riding conditions. Betty likes her hybrid bike and if it is not suitable … she doesn’t ride.
This will be a self-supported ride using an RV towing a Honda CRV. Using the two vehicles we will leap-frog each day. Some days this may involve driving the day’s route north in one vehicle then biking south and driving north in the other vehicle. On past trips, I have never been able to mentally accept riding in the opposite direction of the destination. However, this method reduces the total “driven” mileage to 1/3 of what it would have been otherwise. On this trip that means each vehicle covers about 7,600 miles instead of 22,800 miles each.
Our goal is to enjoy the trip as we go. We will intentionally try to keep the daily mileage at a reasonable level so that we have more time to smell the wildflowers en route. We are estimating 40-60 miles per day once we get toughened up to the challenge of riding day after day after day.
Betty will be handling most of the logistical support and will bike when time, weather and desire permit. My intention is to bike every mile of the way. Before starting, we have agreed to stop biking if it comes to a point when it is no longer fun.