Day 116: 10.99 miles, 1:00 hours, Fairbanks (Hostel)
[ MAP ]

It's been twenty-one days since my last "serious" loaded touring and I'm nervous as hell about starting again tomorrow. I bought a $50 pair of Gore-Tex windproof/rainproof socks that are slightly too small, but I'm desperate. I also bought a $40 pair of windproof/rainproof gloves and a $20 face mask. I'm now prepared to laugh in the face of any weather that Alaska and Canada throw my way.

Day 117: 99.78 miles, 7:13 hours, Delta Junction
[ MAP ]

Today was the worst. My face, hands and feet stung with cold until about 2pm. I guess the fact that they sting is actually better than not being able to feel them at all. All my drinking water froze up very early on, even though I'd filled it with tepid water from the hostel. My new so-called "windproof" Gore-Tex socks were useless at keeping my feet warm. And the gloves are useless as well. I eventually put my old holey woollen gloves under my new so-called "windproof" gloves and then put my padded cycling gloves over that. So here I am wearing three pairs of gloves; kinda restricts me from picking my nose properly. I'll know never again to buy Alaskan winter gear from a salesgirl that spends every winter down in Southern California.

I stopped at the town of North Pole and posted a bunch of postcards at Santa's house. The rest of the day was not quite as exciting. Long, straight, flat road, pretty golden trees but pretty boring and miserably cold. I was following the list that I'd copied from the "Milepost" but so far, every water stop, grocery store and campground that I had marked down has been shut. Shut since summer ended which was the other weekend. No one told me this would happen. I had too much time to think today and I spent the time deciding I would give up riding and start hitchhiking south if I run out of water or food.

While I was fixing a flat tyre I was a bit heavy handed and I snapped the valve stem. I've got no more spare tubes so if I lose another one I'm screwed. Anyway, it mightn't be such a bad thing to run out of spares. It gives me another valid reason to abandon this madness.

It was a hundred miles from Fairbanks to the first place to camp at Delta Junction. The Australian-born lady at the RV park let me camp for free. It's bloody cold.

Day 118: 109.18 miles, 7:50 hours, Tok
[ MAP ]

Today was the worst. Colder than buggery again. All my water this morning was frozen solid, even the bottles I'd kept in the tent. At one point when I'd stopped to eat, I was checking my spokes and discovered that one rear spoke was extremely loose. I tightened it and made sure the wheel was true again. Ten minutes later I stopped to check it, only to find it had loosened again. I retightened it, and this time, wrapped some electrical tape around the nipple, hoping it would maybe hold it a little. I don't know, I didn't have any other ideas. I rode for another ten minutes and checked the spoke again. It was still tight, but to my surprise another spoke had significantly loosened. I tightened it, added the electrical tape again and set off. Ten minutes later, both of the spokes with electrical tape were fine, but to my horror, yet another spoke had come really loose. I kept going like this until nearly every spoke nipple on the rear wheel had black electrical tape on it. I decided to stop checking, ignorance is bliss, right? I tried humming loudly as I rode so I couldn't hear the rim rubbing on the brake pads. I had too much time to think again today and I spent the time deciding I would give up riding and start hitchhiking south if my back wheel falls apart.

It was another day of long, straight, flat roads, pretty golden trees and miserable cold. Later in the afternoon I got to see some mountains off in the distance, which I think are from the Wrangell Saint Elias National Park. I almost ran out of water because my planned water stop at Dot Lake, mile 60, was no longer in business. Did I mention it's bloody cold?