Well, I've written my final thoughts on the trip, but I meant to include my favorite day, but couldn't make it fit it. Day 69: Grizzly Country Convience Store to Sutton.

The start of the day was an unfavorable one. It seemed like it took hours to get packed and on the road, but finally we got our wheels rolling. The day promised to be fun with plans of riding by a glacier, so we were all in a pretty good mood. We got our first rest stop, and kept on rolling to mile 40, after signs of "Be Prepared to Stop." It was Scott, P-Willy, T-Neum, and I at firstwhen we came to the construction. We were at 40, se we figured we'd wait until the vans got to us, load up in the van, then shuttle across, eat lunch, and continue on our merry way. Wrong.

We're just sitting there, watching the rock slides fall down into the construction area, when Poppendizzle and Galvan roll up. WE explain the situation, to which Pops replies "the vans are stopped a few miles back." Well, we could see the glacier, so we just figured we'd meet everyone there and get our sandwiches. Wrong. We were able to get our entrance fees donated, so let a bus pass us, and proceeded to follow along a gravel road. I at first guessed the bus would leave us quickly, but we were keeping pace easily, and it was kicking up dust, so we relaxed and let it get on down the road. Well, about 2 miles out, we see the bus stopped on a one lane wooden bridge. We roll up to it, and notice the same time this lady comes up to us that it's broken through a section (see day 69 gallery). So she asks if one of us will ride back to the front and tell them to "get some equipment or something to get them out" so, a little reluctant, I head back. 4 miles of gravel later, I see the bus again, same position, with the exception of quite a few Italian tourists off the bus calling people, and a guy with his bags out, assembling a fishing pole. After a few minutes of standing and watching, we decide to go check out the glacier, as people slowly start to line up on the glacier side to wait for the bus to be removed so they can go on thier way. Well, we did a little glacier hiking and glacier eating, then headed back. Ah, the trusty bicycle. No vans, no lunch, just us, a glacier, and a bus full of upset people. I was a little disappointed after the extra 4 miles of gravel that noone on a bus full of Italians wearing designer glasses and clothing would offer a donation, but seeing that bus still there on the way back with lines of cars on either side now comforted me a little. So now we were at the bottom of a little valley, ravenous after a day full of activity and no food, with no support, and a little upset because of it. Really, we were only fussing to fuss, but all good things end well, so after climbing the steep gravel road back to the side, we started to move in effort to get to camp and food. Day 69 would have none of it though. BOOYAH! Flat tire! We found Laura in the car miraculously, so grabbed a few more spare tubes, and behold - PROTEIN COOKIES. After devouring three (I would've gone for 4+, but I was changing a tire), Laura made sure we were OK, then took off to catch a van and tell them that we were actually behind them. Dustin, John and Scott rolled to get a little head start, and finally Paul, Tommy, and I were back on the road as well. Paul however decided to mangle his chain in an attempt to get up a hill, so again he, Tommy, and I stopped. We broke out the worst chain tool in the history of chain tools (on Crank Bros mini toolkit), and after much trouble, and a few extra links out, restored Pauls drivetrain to working order, although he was restricted to his small chainring. After all that stopping, we caught the van, Dustin, Scott, and John long gone. We decided we were gonna sit and consume all we could, wait an hour, then go, however, the Peanut Butter sandwich status was dangeresquely low, I got half the sandwich quota, fussed, ate some fruit, and then we rolled out again. The food and so much stagnant waiting kicked in, and we just started hammering, taking 18+ pulls into the wind. Slowly, riders appeared on the horizon. Zambonis. So much for waiting for the last rider. Our false sense of rage and adrenaline blew us by them like they were standing still. Grumpiness can be a powerful tool to ride with, and at the edge of town we caught Pops and Alok, and finished the day satisfied. Once more, Galvan escaped our clutches, and there would be no more redemption to be gained by catching him, but that's OK, without a villian, there is no epic story to be continued. Ice cream makes everything better, and so finished the best day of the trip, the day before Anchorage. The road to Anchorage is lined with flat tires and unexpected stops, but persistance will see you through.

-Steve