June 24: Awe-Inspiring Route to Anchorage

Stunning! Absolutely stunning! Alaska continues to amaze me. Today’s ride from Copper Center to Anchorage was chock full of amazing vistas of mountains and rivers, making it a perfect last leg of my trip from Oregon to Alaska’s largest city. The drive was just a little over three and a half hours, giving me plenty of time to take a few pictures drop the bike off for a little TLC at the House of Harley when I arrived.

I absolutely love mountains and especially adore seeing them from a twisty road on my bike. The route west from Glennallen on highway one starts in the Talkeetna Mountains to the north and proceeds through the Chugach Mountains to the South, twisting and curving through the valleys and along much of the Matanuska River. The road hugs the cliffs and allows unobstructed views of one beautiful valley after another as well as numerous white-capped mountain peaks. There were plenty of pull-out points to take great pictures and the road was generally in good condition, making it possible to relax and really absorb the beauty around me.

I’ve had many people explain to me that Alaska roads are harder on bikes than roads elsewhere. I now have a better idea of what they mean! I could tell that My Baby had been through the wringer the last few days and decided it would be best to take him straight to the dealership when I arrived so that they could look him over and top off some of his fluids.

It turns out that my left turn signal had come loose from all the jarring and two of my phone cords were no longer functional. The dealership kindly repaired my turn signal, topped off my fluids, and re-ran one of my phone cords. The tires have been worn down substantially but should last me until I hit Calgary on my way south.

Perhaps one of the most exciting parts to the day was picking up my adventure bike from James Siegel this evening. James is renting me his Kawasaki Versys 300x through Riders Share for the next six days as I drive to Prudhoe Bay and back. He graciously offered to pick me up at the dealership to get his bike and then even followed me back to make sure we could properly secure the bags that I brought for the trip. I am so very grateful for his help as well as his trust in me and can’t wait to leave for the Arctic Ocean tomorrow!