2009 Alaska to Mexico by Bicycle

2009 Alaska to Mexico by Bicycle

May 2009 – Leaving UK

Starting to take bike apart & hoping I know what I'm doing...
Still hoping I know what I'm doing...
Its too late now!
Handing bike over for the flight...

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Part 1 – Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks, AK, USA (May-June 2009)

Prudhoe Bay, hotel room - Have I remembered all the bits of the bike? Can I rebuild him...?
Musk Ox chilling, North Slope, Arctic - Down with the homies
Mummy Musk Ox giving little one a feed
Prudhoe Bay, Arctic Ocean "wheel dip" - Ok its frozen but that thar is the Arctic Ocean (just finished rebuilding Charles 5 mins before)
Prudhoe Bay, hotel car park, packed, ready...? - OMG that bike weighs A TON!
Prudhoe Bay, hotel car park, packed, ready...? - Salubrious surroundings of the Costa del Prudhoe
Dalton Highway mile zero - now or never (Well its a bit late to turn back now!)
Bike parking, Arctic-style - Who says I can`t park that there?
Well 250 miles into Arctic Circle, alone, on a bicycle, you might consider it!...but no, he ploughed (?) onwards...must get that ploughing attachment for the bike
Arctic Tundra, nice - Seriously, beautiful :)
My friend the road for 13 days - " `ello mate!" - "Rollin` rollin` rollin`, rollin` rollin` rollin` get them wagons rollin`, rawhide". "Excuse me! I seem to have lost my wagon. My hide may be getting a bit raw over the next 13 days tho..."
Helpful bike stand / marker post - Hmmm
30 cm snow, -10c, `ave some of that...Jeepers it was cold at night - when eating, away from tent due to bear risk, had to get up and run around every 5 mins to keep warm
The view that welcomed me in the morn - Whilst the morning did "broken", I didn`t hear any blackbirds speaking like the first bird. Nice tho, if a bit cold.
3 hats Slade - 3 layers of trousers too
Ok road, pose, flaunt it, thats it, get those lines in, oh thats good baby - David Bailey never had to work with tarmac
Baybee Caribou - Lovely
He`s gonna be in movies you know - Look at that pout - "Blue Steel!"
Merci beaucoup a Nelly et Claude - Bon chance, bon voyage et enchante
Brooks Range sighted...Ooh, they`re a bit big aren`t they? Whats all that white stuff? We`re going over them you say? Really? On a bicycle? Absurd!

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Side Trip – Southern Alaska, USA BY CAR! (Jun 2009)

Seward Glacier Cruise - my very own "gin palace"
Seward Glacier Cruise - we scare a rival boat away with our horde of gin
Seward Glacier Cruise - man gets freezer burn on head & becomes attached to Glacier
Seward Glacier Cruise - cloud, GSOH, seeks silver lining for fun, friendship & maybe more
Seward Glacier Cruise - "number 9", seeks cloud for warm cosy nights by fire, scrabble & twister; must like poodles
Seward Glacier Cruise - Freya scans her domain
Seward Glacier Cruise - I like this picture (really!)
Seward Glacier Cruise - ITS AN ORCA (ok, small I know but it really is)
Seward Glacier Cruise - ITS A HUMPBACK WHALE!
Seward Glacier Cruise - languid, elegant strato cumulus seeks cheeky meteorological trough for barometric hi-jinx
Seward Glacier Cruise - Head. Land.
Seward - Seagull Stag Do
Seward - Tarka lives
Harding Ice Field nr Seward - man attempts world`s highest "catalogue pose" once perfected "Jockey Y-Fronts" ready to model
Harding Ice Field nr Seward -
Kenai River - those Salmon are "a jumpin"; yee haa
Harding Ice Field nr Seward - NOT MEN IN SUITS
Homer Spit (no, nothing to do with the Simpsons) - boat having a rest
Homer Spit - Oi! Baldy!
Homer Spit - Ok, ok I didn`t mean it, you`re wonderfully hirsute & very handsome

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Part 2 – Fairbanks, AK, US to Whitehorse, YT, Canada (June-July 2009)

Delta Junction, AK, US - Roadside views abound
Tok, AK, US - Endless straights, crazy clouds (look closely for the stripes!)
Dot Lake, AK, US - "I`m not scared of you, nope"
Dot Lake, AK, US -
Dot Lake, AK, US - Shampoo Advert for Moose
Dot Lake, AK, US -
Dot Lake, AK, US -
Dot Lake, AK, US - He`s got his hat on...hip hip hip hip hoooray...
Dot Lake, AK, US - Sun with bigger hat
Tok, AK, US - Not yellow and not made of brick, but, I am following it
Northway Junction, AK, US - They have a rubber duck race here in summer
Northway Junction, AK, US - make sure you turn the right way when you get up in the morning!
Northway Junction, AK, US - Refuge (night of "Goldie")
Northway Junction, AK, US - Endless sunsets (at 2am!!)
Northway Junction, AK, US - Camera-shy "Goldie"
Approaching US-Canadian border - nice lense
Ducks (not rubber)
Burwash Landing, YT, Canada - No, that will not fit on my bike...
Burwash Landing, YT, Canada - not sure Orwell used this for inspiration. Not in Wigan.
Kluane Lake, YT, Canada - RV, biker & cyclists heaven

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Part 3 – Whitehorse, YT to Dawson Creek, BC, Canada (July 2009)

Hello Bison
Sometimes this is as exciting as it gets! :)
Nr Whitehorse, YT, Canada - Water is Nectar in the heat (pic courtesy of the Budwegs)
Nr Whitehorse, YT, Canada - Windbreak for cooking (pic courtesy of the Budwegs)
Nr Whitehorse, YT, Canada - Rainbow tans on show (pic courtesy of the Budwegs)
6000 cals per day - this is breakfast (porridge and a large cake and I`ll eat again within an hour!)
Whitehorse, YT, Canada - Original rear rim cracked! After 1000 miles...admittedly carrying approx 350lbs for 500 of those, oh, & then there was the gravel, and the jumps & racing the motorbikers downhill...hmmmm
Whitehorse, YT, Canada - Bar ends added with "spidey" grip-ability
Somewhere in YT, Canada - Ward, fishin`
Teslin, YT, Canada -
Teslin, YT, Canada - B-Movie extra attempts to "stowaway" aboard Charles
Somewhere in YT, Canada - Ward to Jon
Continental Divide nr Ranchiera Lodge, YT, Canada - 2nd time across!
Watson Lake, YT, Canada - 2nd broken wheel! Lift on back of semi / articulated lorry
Watson Lake, YT, Canada - Me on Ward`s bike having just picked up 2 new wheels (in box) from bus station 2 miles up road...did well not to crash on way back I thought! (pic courtesy of the Budwegs)
Watson Lake, YT, Canada - Who needs Newton, gravity, pah! (pic courtesy of the Budwegs)
Fireside, YT, Canada - improvised cooking table
Nr Liard Hot Springs, YT, Canada - Ward & Jacky on the "3-bear day"
Liard Hot Springs, YT, Canada - its good for my hair apparently
Nr Laird Hot Springs, YT, Canada - oooh moontin

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Part 4 – Dawson Creek, BC, Canada to Helena, MT, USA (August 2009)

Nr Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada - crossing from BC en route from Dawson Creek
Even Road Intersections need a little bit of appreciation every now & then ("Now come on Junction 268, you`re just as special as 272")
Grand Cache, Alberta, Canada - just a little something I use to run down to the shops
Nr Grand Cache, Alberta, Canada - Rick says hello! Thanks for the chat & the food guys
Nr Jasper, Alberta, Canada - Palisade Mountains I believe...
Nr Jasper, Alberta, Canada - Sublime light on a sublime tailwind day (42 miles in 3 hours!)
Jasper, Alberta, Canada - `Ello Jasper
Maligne Canyon, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - Caged Wilderness...
Maligne Canyon, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - Oh dear, `e`s off with `is arty stuff again...
Maligne Canyon, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - ...and again!
Maligne Canyon, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - You can`t really make it out on this scale but trust me the price tag actually says 1 MILLION DOLLARS! (it`s solid Jade, about 3 feet long, must weigh around a tonne - yup, there`s a bit of money in the Jasper / Banff area!)
Nr Maligne Lake, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - Alvin gives us a turn...
Maligne Lake, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - Hello Duck(y)
Nr Maligne Lake, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - Elk, bit close!
Nr Maligne Lake, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - This was one BIIIIG boy Elk (taken on zoom from 30 feet)
Nr Maligne Lake, Jasper Nat Pk, Alberta, Canada - Covert Elk watching
Nr Jasper, Alberta, Canada - From top of "Jasper Gondola" (no swarthy singing italian lotharios with sticks in sight however)
Jasper, Alberta, Canada - Thinking of you Eena & of course Em :)
Nr Jasper, Alberta, Canada - NOT the moon. No.
Nr Jasper, Alberta, Canada - David Bailey will you stop it please!

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Part 5 – Helena, MT to Denver, CO, USA (September 2009)

Three Forks, MT, USA - I am keeping right, I am!
Nr Norris, MT, USA - "I`m afraid there`s not much we can do with it sir, you seem to have a tree growing inside your vehicle - maybe you could speak to Honda about a new `Green idea` "
Nr West Yellowstone, MT, USA -"Crater Lake" formed after an earthquake hence the "ghost trees"...
Nr West Yellowstone, MT, USA - Hawks` nest (those look a bit big to be babies don`t they? Kids! They1re all the same, think you`ve got rid of them and they1re back, treating this nest like a hotel!")
West Yellowstone, MT, USA - After a ride into town & lunch with Trevor & Nick, doing the "Trans-Am"
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - "Lower Falls"
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Ooh, pardon me
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Interesting thing this light
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Bison in "tree-perm" catastrophe
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Ey! Not so much of the "geyser" thank you!
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Now, yes, I have been on the road for a while but is it just me or does that "spurt" on the right look just like an arm reaching out with palm half open? Ok, just me!
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Park-pass? Check! Bicycle? Check! Luggage? Check! Rider ready to cross Continental Divide 3 times in next 100 miles? Errrr, errrr
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Cowboys live here oh yes
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - "Grand Prismatic" v pretty, hiked up after some off-roading with the bike to get this view
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Continental Divide crossing no. 5 (1st of 2 that day!)
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Continental Divide crossing no. 6 (2nd of 2 that day!)
Yellowstone Nat Pk, WY, USA - Continental Divide crossing no. 7 (3rd of 3 in last 2 days!)
Grand Teton Nat Pk, WY, USA - I want one styled like and RV to tow behind my bike ;)
Grand Teton Nat Pk, WY, USA - Biblically proportioned storm approaches...now starts the race to get to the campsite (15 miles) & pitch the tent before the impending maelstrom
Grand Teton Nat Pk, WY, USA - Biblically proportioned storm building in front of my very eyes...eek! Pedal faster!

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Sidetrip – LA, CA & Denver, CO, USA (October 2009)

Yes, I am 5 years old, taking pictures from the plane to LA (oooh look, you can see the curve of the earth!)
Westlake Village, LA, CA, USA - David, getting this as a hire car was awesome mate!
Pacific Coast Hwy, LA, CA, USA - I am living \'Baywatch\'
Pacific Coast Hwy, LA, CA, USA - Seagulls have fog-radar
Hollywood, LA, CA , USA - After many years I finally get to watch a film at Grauman\'s Chinese Theatre (that of the Premieres)...I just know I sat on the same seat as Nicole Kidman, yup
Hollywood, LA, CA, USA - Kenny, Anthony & James / David leave their mark...gosh I\'m a Star Wars geek
Westlake Village, LA, CA, USA - I can bit dream...sorry Charles you\'re great really
Stapleton, Denver, USA - Arrival at Ethan & April\'s place (amazing feeling!)
Nr Boulder, CO, USA - Just about to set out Mountain Biking with Ethan & Jeff (yes, I know, I was meant to be having a rest from the biking!)
Nr Boulder, CO, USA - Jeff, ready to get on his lurvly loan bike!
Nr Boulder, CO, USA - Ethan approaching a pipe
Nr Boulder, CO, USA - Returning to the car after giving my hire bike a good thrashing (sorry Trek Store, Boulder!)
Boulder, USA - A night at the Fox Theatre watching one of my favourite 90s Dance acts (Drum \'n\' Bass) \'LTJ Bukem\' with MC Conrad...oooh I\'m feeling a bit old!
Boulder, USA - MC Conrad doing his thang
Nr Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat Pk, CO, USA - Spooky trees
Nr Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat Pk, CO, USA - Its getting chilly...
Nr Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat Pk, CO, USA - Hiking up expecting to see mule-trains
Nr Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat Pk, CO, USA - That lake is frozen!
Nr Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat Pk, CO, USA - Pretty stunning
Nr Bear Lake, Rocky Mtn Nat Pk, CO, USA - Jon doing hs \'framing\' again!

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Part 6 – Denver, CO, USA (via NM & TX) to Monterrey, NL, Mexico (Oct-Nov 2009)

Nr Bailey, CO, USA - with Rose & Miki at their place, thanks again guys :)
Nr Bailey, CO, USA - hossies brave the cool morning
"South Park", CO, USA - As it says :)
Fairplay, CO, USA - the view from my highest camp of the trip so far, at 10,000 ft!
Fairplay, CO, USA - wobbly self portrait!
Nr Fairplay, CO, USA - 5 of passes over 9,000 ft over 3 days, ouch!
Nr Buena Vista, CO, USA - after a hail sqall in the early morning the clouds cleared to reveal the "Collegiate Peaks" all "14,000-ers" (ft)
Nr Buena Vista, CO, USA - as I set off in the morning & with "shuffle" on my mp3, Bruce Springsteen`s "Born to run" came on & with this view greeting me, I felt quite the plastic American & got a bit teary!
Nr Nathrop, CO, USA - the Aspens were just stunning
Poncha Pass, CO, USA - the watershed of the might Rio Grande
Poncha Pass, CO, USA - Derek trying to be all arty
Villa Grove, CO, USA - Alpenglow abounds
Villa Grove, CO, USA - my morning view
Nr Hooper, CO, USA - no Dorothy you are not in Kansas (although this "Park" is a bit flat between these mountains)
Nr Alamosa, CO, USA - Priddy priddy
Nr Alamosa, CO, USA - dems some big hills yup
Nr Alamosa, CO, USA - after washing up (but not drying up) the night before and storing my pans in paniers outside, they`d stuck together with the ice that had formed!
Nr Bountiful, CO, USA - getting ready to say gbye to the CO Rockies (but there are some New Mexican ones to come!)
CO-NM border, USA - Gbye Colorado! Part of a ~100 mile day to push away from bad weather in Rockies
Ojo Caliente, NM, USA - plush plush hot springs resort (50% discount as I was camping so I had to try it!)

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Epilogue – Monterrey, NL, Mexico & Maldon, Essex, UK

Nr Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - Ducks by the canal
Nr Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - Dead calm
Nr Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - ... still calm
Nr Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - The view across to the Royal town of Maldon, which dates back over 1,000 years ...
Nr Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - Maldon on its head
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - Woodpecker feeding
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - by the edge of the Blackater estuary during a 'cold snap'
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - daytime thaw at the 'Old Ship' pub
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - the locks at the 'Chelmer & Blackwter Navigation' (canal)
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - boats moored on the canal for the winter
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - Sr. Loco con familia, mi madre y padre :-)
Heybridge Basin, Essex, UK - No red ones here sadly
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - L to R: Richard (Ricardo), Sergio & I
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - Sra. a hostal
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - the city in its impressive setting
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - 3.5 million people and growing ...
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - IS IT A COUGAR???!!!! Er, no, its a domestic cat
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - Notice the car in the sign ... it has no front wheel! (it hadn't been vandalised it actually looked like it had been made that way!)
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - On the edge of the main shopping area, Hitchcock's pigeons launch their attack
Monterrey, NL, Mexico - Even human-statues need to make a call every now and then

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