June 14, 1999
Fairbanks to Arctic Circle to Yukon River
263.4 miles
5,523 miles to date
In the early morning, Fairbanks and environs were shrouded in mist. I remember this day very well because this was the day I met Art and Fuz. Just outside of Fairbanks the pavement ends. I pulled my Nighthawk into a pullout area to make a decision as to how I was going to proceed. Two other cyclists and a man in a large pickup were conversing and I joined their group. The man in the pickup was just getting ready to head for Prudhoe Bay. He was with his wife and they were just having an adventure, like we all were. The other two gentleman introduced themselves as Art and Fuz. I am friends with these two to this very day. Here is a video of our encounter —Art & Fuz
We agreed to join forces. Art & Fuz were headed to the Arctic Circle and that sounded doable to me. We followed the Alaska pipeline to the Yukon River where there was a truck stop and a place to spend the night. We had dinner together and proceeded on to the Arctic Circle. The road was gravel with some bad patches. Occasionally a huge semi would speed by, raising clouds of dust for miles. From the Yukon to the Arctic Circle was another 60 miles. The Arctic Circle marked the 1/2 point of the journey. From this point on I was heading home. This provoked a sense of melancholy.
We were very close to the summer solstice so that would mean 24 hours of daylight at and above the Arctic Circle. And it was true, we were in a 24 hour day, returning to the Yukon after midnight but still in full daylight.
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June 15, 1999
Yukon River to Healy
260.2 miles
5,783 miles to date
We headed back to Fairbanks. There were a few bad patches of wet gravel, one in particular. I remember hitting it and the advice the young man had given me at Burwash Landing. I held my feet in and burrowed through the muddy gravel, passing Fuz in the process. We both arrived at a turnoff, concerned about Art. Fuz was convinced that he would turn over in the quaqmire. But he didn’t, he came around the bend no worse for wear.
In Fairbanks we hit the post office and got rid of some items that we had picked up along the way, souveneers and such. I scooped up a handful of gravel to keep as a memory.
In the afternoon it began to rain. We pulled into Healy soaking wet but not cold, like in California. Our next big event would be Denali.
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June 15, 1999
Healy to Palmer
263 miles
6,046.2 miles to date
Today we experienced Denali. We were told, by some of the locals, that we were very fortunate to view it. About 80% of the time it is covered in clouds. Fuz, Art, and I talked about luck and the good luck we had in finding each other and how the luck seemed to follow us now. Independantly Art and Fuz had approached me and told me how lucky it was that we had joined up because I served as a buffer between these two gentlemen. It seems they had some moments on the ride out and that now, because of the third person, they couldn’t act out so much. It is hard to visualize these two guys going at each other. They were the best thing to happen to me on the trip. I learned a lot by watching how they would interact with folks we would meet. Their unabashed friendliness and genuineness was wonderful. I wanted to be more like them.
Fuz shared with me the story of how he got married. It seems his wife was married to an abusive man in Fuz’s small town in Pennsylvania. Fuz confronted him, declared love for his wife and demanded that he release her from the abusive relationship. And he did, and Fuz married her. Remarkable stuff, like reading it in a book.
Art was a retired truck driver. Evidently, he became interested in motorcycling through Fuz and this trip of their’s was planned by Fuz. Fuz has traveled extensively in Eastern Canada and in a phone conversation with him a few years later, he told me about a completed trip to Yellowknife in Canada. What a wonderful destination-the north shore of the Great Slave Lake. I read a Michener book about Canada and Alaska ( Journey) and his description of the Great Slave Lake area and climate was frightening. I believe it took Fuz two tries to achieve his goal. Fuz plans cool adventures.
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June 17, 1999
Palmer to Tok
280.4 miles
6,326.6 miles to date
Palmer to Tok was a wet slog. My legs were completely soaked as we trudged toward Glenallen where the weather broke into a glorious blue sky. From there to Tok we dried out just fine. Tok was bittersweet because in the morning we would part ways. Art and Fuz were heading south to catch a boat to Prince Rupert where they would continue on cycling to Pennsylvania. I was heading North on the Taylor Highway to Dawson, then down through the heart of the Yukon to the Alaska Highway where I would continue on to Alberta.
We shared a good meal together, told some more stories well into the night. This was the very day that the San Antonio Spurs won their first NBA championship (411 factoid).
