It must be a little crazy, to embark on a project such as the one for which we were about to jump on the plane.
With some butterflies in the stomach, between excitement and fear, we made our way along the bridge and took our seats in the plane. The trip was relatively long. We had a first stop in Calgary, Canada, and passed the various security posts without too much trouble. The next flight dropped us off at Seattle, where we caught our last one to Fairbanks, Alaska.
We landed at midnight, under a late afternoon sky: so far north, since the summer solstice on June 21, the sun never really goes down.
Some surprises already awaited us at the arrival: Juan’s bag decided to continue the journey alone (no way to locate it) and our bikes, which should have already arrived for a few days, were stuck somewhere at the US customs. So yes, nothing too bad of course… But a bike ride, without bicycles, sounds a bit challenging… isn’t it?
However, we were warmly welcomed by our fantastic hosts Ephy and Ryan, who prepared a comfortable bed for us. In the morning, we discovered their pretty wooden house, wedged against the forest of pines and birches in which moose come to walk in winter. The place was magical and the generosity of our new friends without limits. For three days, we transformed our Alaska’s refuge into a basecamp for the final preparation of our trip. And on Monday, we finally got Juan’s bag and the bikes arrived! The boxes were however in poor condition. There were holes everywhere, some equipment has been lost. The corners were crushed. And our bikes had suffered badly!
Our departure for the Arctic Circle was scheduled the next morning at 6am, so Juan and Ryan rushed to the bike shop for a full service and needed repairs. The hub of Juan’s bike rear wheel was wobbly and the derailleur smashed, my bike needed a complete checkup. At Goldstream, Fairbanks’ off-center specialized store, we fortunately found the local mechanic star, who worked wonders on our poor, sloppy bicycles in record time.
A few shopping later at REI to finish the equipment preparation and we were ready!
We celebrated this chaotic start with Ephy and Ryan, who we thanked with a delicious Thai dinner in a local restaurant.
Tuesday, July 30, 4:30 am: the alarm clock made us emerge from a leap. In bed at 1:30am tin order to finish buckling our bags and prepare the bikes, we did not sleep much. On tiptoes so as not to wake up our guests, we jumped on our bikes. Finally! What an excitement to ride along the empty streets in the early morning! The bluish light of the “never-setting sun” accompanied us for a moment, before disappearing behind a thick layer of black clouds. Weather was going bad… already.
We cycled under a threatening sky for 6km, before reaching our destination with the first drops. Half an hour later, we watched, from the shuttle, the rain pouring down the road while we were heading further north to our true starting point: the Arctic Circle.
