Steve McQueen, an Alaskan legacy?

One of the best photos at the Alaskan State Trooper Museum in Anchorage; actor Steve McQueen arrested in 1972 for reckless driving.  Love how he has a busted nose and is giving the peace sign in his mug shot....

Alaskan Pipeline Art

Cut from a piece of Trans-Alaskan pipeline; artist, Chad Dietz

Final hours in Alaska spent at Harley Davidson dealership on Spenard Road in Anchorage.

The Lucky Wishbone

Final day in Alaska and having lunch at the oldest diner in Anchorage - the Lucky Wishbone.

Established in 1955 by George and Peg Brown, who packed up the kids and dog and moved from WISCONSIN to Anchorage.  The couple bought land at the edge of town (2 miles out of town at that time; his friends said he was crazy - nobody would drive that far) - 5th and Karluk St. and built the restaurant - t's been there ever since.  The restaurant has dine-in and a drive-thru, and is known for it's fresh chicken, lean hamburgers and long-term staff.

The initial restaurant was small; there was inside seating and a drive-thru.  

George said he hated the drive-thru.  "When I bought out my partner, I was going to close it up, but then I looked at the books...well, as you can see, I kept it."

George has heavy square glasses that are tinted yellow.  It's a look that hearkens to his days in the Army Air Corps.  There's a vintage photo of George in uniform on one side of an old grandfather clock (see below) behind the waitress station.  On the other side is a 1950's photo of his wife, Peg.

Peg (L) and George (R) Brown

Owners of the Lucky Wishbone Restaurant

Originally from Wisconsin

"When I met her, I was smitten, " said George. "She died five years ago and on her headstone it says 'Beloved mother and a hell of a partner.'" The pair had been married 67 years.

George Brown (age 91)

"Came here from the small town of Hager City, Wisconsin; it's across from Red Wing, Minnesota," said George.  A green and white Hager City sign hangs on the wall across from the table where George sat, talked, was interrupted, and talked some more.  "Put the wife, kids, and dog in the car and came up the Alaskan Highway because I needed to make some money," he said.

WWII pilot Bill Brooks (97) was eating at the restaurant.

The inside of the diner is filled with memorabilia from local pilots and the neighboring Merrill Field.  George flew P-40's in WWII.  "Transport planes in the China, Burma, India theater," yelled George above the growing din.  All the tables at the Wishbone are now full.  There's a pickup in the drive-thru and a party of four waiting at the door. "Here's my good friend," said George, jumping out of his seat to greet Bill Brooks (see picture above) - a pilot in WWII.  His buddy, George, pays tribute to him with a much younger photo which he pointed out on the back wall.  Brooks is dressed in pilot leather with a white scarf in the photo, looking very Errol Flynn.

Famous Chicken from Lucky Wishbone restaurant

Made it! Over 850 miles logged! Flying home tonight....

Made it to Anchorage!  Ride2Remember has been a total of over 850 miles on bike in the great state of Alaska!

These are some of the flowers I saw along the way.

 Busy day as I pack my gear and fly back home....    THANKS to all who followed along!  Hope you had as much fun as I did!

I leave tonight, land in Denver and hit Milwaukee on Saturday afternoon, then trying to pedal home.

I'll keep you posted.  C'mon back!

Final Leg...Anchorage Bound!

View from "the office" yesterday....

Wasilla to Anchorage - the final frontier

Wasilla Radio Station - Country Legends 100.9 "Well, Hello Dolly!"

Yep, that's me!

Stopped at Country Legends 100.9 in Wasilla on my way to Palmer.

Up next...Fairbanks to Anchorage - 367 miles and counting

Day 1: Making my way 367 miles from Fairbanks to Anchorage.  I'm riding the Parks Highway; it has a good shoulder; the same route takes about six hours by car.

Today was the "hilly" day according to the locals, and they were right - it was a chain stretcher.  I covered 59 miles starting at 11 a.m. and pulled into Nenana just after 5 p.m.

The most interesting place en route was Skinny Dick's Halfway Inn - a local tavern located midway between Fairbanks and Nenana - a pretty racy atmosphere.  I refilled my water bottles, bought some postcards for 25 cents apiece, and pushed along....

I also met another bike tourist, Jan.  Jan was from the Netherlands, and had been on the road for more than a year.  He was fully loaded with gear and supplies.

Delbert and Elaine, Anchors in Anchorage

My hosts in Anchorage on Wednesday night, Delbert and Elaine Cedarburg.

Friends of my parents from a long time ago.  Delbert says he dated my Mom - maybe twice. Then he asked if I was married. When I told him "no," he told me I was an old maid.  I think my Mom made a good choice in my Dad.  ;-)

Squatter's Rights

GIRDWOOD - I have to admit, I've outgrown the camping scene. It's just a burden like an outhouse or running; you'll do it if you have to but otherwise you'd rather not.

So…day two into my Alaskan adventure and I've not had to unpack my tent.

Getting settled in I familiarize myself with the power strip for electricity, the mountain of folded blankets near the door, and I determine the interior walls have been sprayed with a white foam insulation - probably mandatory, considering this is a year-round facility.

I also notice the head pop up and look at me through the rear window.

"Oops, you caught me taking a pee," said a woman with a big unashamed grin.

It was TJ, Jim's soon to be ex-wife. She lived across the gravel driveway in a modest, wood shack with a rooster thermometer, a white Christmas wreath on the door and over the entrance, T.J.'s Cookies spelled out in sticks.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know anybody was in here," said TJ. She was perky, a free spirit, and she just showed me where the facilities were located - in the woods, behind my room.

TJ was a hippy and reminded me of someone you'd find in a reality show. In her mid-50s, shoulder-length white hair, round wire-rim glasses; she ran a cookie-making business out of her home. "I have to make 8 dozen cookies for the upcoming July 4 art fair," she said.

"You're welcome to come over later for a beer and a bowl if you like - just don't call the Federals on us," she said - again smiling and walking quickly across the driveway.

And YES, for all you smarty pants, I, too, wondered what 'kind' of cookies she'd be serving at the upcoming art fair. I'll assume it's nothing Paula Deen would ever whip up - not unless she tried to revive her career by starting another cable TV cooking  show co-hosting with Snoop Dog.

"TJ"

My Wisconsin Fashion Statement in Alaska

Prepared for an "all day" rain.....

Judy models today's latest in rain gear complete with XL Hefty garbage bag top, waterproof pants, IP booties and a husky that photo-bombed the shot. Off to Hope, AK!

Rainy day in Girdwood....to go, or not to go?

The Bake Shop, Girdwood, AK

GIRDWOOD - The community bulletin board at The Bake Shop in Girdwood had postings:  'Free couch!' and 'The Flower car is now for sale. $1,600 OBO, 1987 Chevy Celebrity wagon. 177,000 low miles.'

The message board is at the back of the small restaurant that is a Girdwood institution.  Their claim to fame? A $4 sourdough sweet roll, drizzled with white icing, slivered almonds and served with a larger-than-necessary slab of butter.

Cosmina, 22, works the front counter. "I'm from Romania and I'm here one month," she said with a thick accent, jotting down my order and then offering a reminder they only take cash or check.

The whiteboard menu features "The Summer of '76" special which includes 3 sourdough pancakes, 1 egg,  and 1 slice of bacon for $9.75. Honey and granola $6.25. Alyeska sourdough toast, butter, jam $3.50.

Mount Alyeska is the main attraction in Girdwood; it spawned the high-end Alyeska Hotel, Alyeska Resort, The Spa at Alyeska and plenty of mountain bike and ski options.

The Bake Shop sits at the foothills on Olympic Mountain Loop.

"You want me to heat these eggs back up, because your whole breakfast is getting cold," said a slim, blonde, woman in black spandex pants holding a clipboard.

It was Stefanie Flyn, the owner of The Bake Shop, and a customer care specialist.

She wasn't from here, either. "I'm an army brat that spent a lot of time in Germany," she said.

Flyn gives me a behind-the-scenes tour of the 'working end' of the bakery. Shows me the white pails full of sourdough starter. "It's a living yeast and we just feed it every day with flour and water," she said.

Stefanie with sourdough starter

"You'll notice in the historic pictures of the gold mining towns, each miner had a small silver pail at his campsite that was filled with a sourdough starter."

Flyn flags a woman in the kitchen and orders a sourdough pancake to add to my breakfast. "Just so you can try it; it's very light," she said running off to another appointment but leaving me her cell phone number and a new sticker for my water bottle, 'Better Buns at The Bake Shop.'

For breakfast I had a simple order of 2 scrambled eggs, toast and coffee in a glass mug. At the center of the table was a bottle of pure maple syrup from Michigan and a trio of glass jars filled with red rhubarb jam, a dark prune jam and a thick orange marmalade with wedges of rind.

The sourdough bread was sturdy enough to spread the jam on with a spoon. The coffee was hot and the atmosphere comfortable with walls of local art including wildlife photos, stained glass, and paintings.

Within a half hour the restaurant filled up. You bused your own table, and the growing stack of yellow and blue plates near the counter resembled the colors of Easter eggs.

$4 sourdough sweet roll at The Bake Shop in Girdwood, AK

Brooks making the famous sourdough bread at The Bake Shop

Makes me want to stay.....

The Bake Shop sweet roll was served warm on a small red saucer with a square of butter. It smelled of cinnamon and raisins and I was forced to wrap it and carry it - enjoying it during a break on my ride up to Hope.

Sidenote:

- It was a long 56 miles to Hope with an extended uphill called the Turnagain Arm. I balked at biker safety and rode into oncoming traffic because the shoulder on the other side of the road was wider. I could see traffic coming at me and because of construction on the two-lane highway I was protected in my own lane by a series of orange barrels.

- The rainy weather held on most of the day. The sun came out at 1:23 p.m. It was so significant, I checked my watch. Then it disappeared the rest of the day.

- There was a guy working a huge crane at the construction site. I glanced over and he caught my eye. He gave me a gruff hard-hat look, stalled his engine and yelled, "You're almost there!"  I waived, he was smiling. He was also lying - I still had a long ways to go.

- Took a brief break at a rest stop before the turn to Hope. I had 16 more miles ahead. Bad thing - with all the hill climbing and dressing in layers I was soaked and knew I'd have to change before completing the rest of the day. I ducked into the restroom. It was one of those where you held your breath and kept your mouth closed while you were in, and about 10 paces after you left.  

Girdwood "Hotel"

Yep, this is it!

And this is Jim.....

2 Miles North of Anchorage and...Wisconsin?

Extreme Cuisine with Rose and John - Anchorage

ANCHORAGE - Nice hospitality Saturday night from my host family, Rose and her husband John.

The pair work at Paramount Cycles in Anchorage. Rose hails from El Roy, Wisconsin.  "Yes, I know (former Wis. governor) Tommy Thompson," said Rose. "His mother was my teacher in grade school."

Rose came to Alaska more than seven years ago with her husband, who was originally from Utah.

"You'll find a lot of Midwestern transplants up here," she said.

I met Rose online while looking for a place to stay in Anchorage. (I was discouraged by the drug -and-bedbug reviews I found while researching the local youth hostels.)

Rose said they normally don't take in bikers, not a lot anyway, but she felt comfortable with the Wisconsin connection and was impressed with the tour's effort to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's.

"My mom has Alzheimer's and she's the same age as your dad," said Rose, having done some research on me by reading this blog.

"It's amazing what passes for memory care these days," said Rose, frustrated.  "We're paying for hands-on care and activities and we're just not getting it."

John and Rose live in a house at the corner of Apollo Court and Apollo Drive. "We're the only house half-covered with siding and the other with Tyvex," she laughed, referencing their ongoing fix-it project that had taken over their lives.

"It all started with a mouse our cat chased into a crack in the living room," said John. "I tore up the carpet and one thing led to another and the floor buckled and we had to jack up the wall near the foundation..."

Neither spoke negatively about the overwhelming construction; both were patient, do-it-yourselfers that knew the project would get done when they finished.

Casual conversation that evening at the kitchen table ran the gamut - mostly about biking and adventure, bears, New Zealand, and family -  in no particular order.

Rose sat with a glass of red wine; John cooked.

His presentation was amazing. A simple salad with mixed greens, halved grape tomatoes, thin wedges of avocado, fresh basil, chopped zucchini and a couple spears of cucumber with a peanut oil dressing.

Dinner was a salmon wrap. The spices forced a teary-eyed Rose to crack the window. The tight wrap was more than an inch thick and included dark beans, rice, some random vegetables and chili spices.

"My mom was not a mac-and-cheese kind of person," said John.

Salad and an "IPA."

John...  Dinner is served!

The next morning, over a hot cup of pressed coffee, John was at it again making a breakfast omelet with cubed pieces of salmon topped with a fan of avocado. There was a side of thin wheat toast and a spoon for the jar of homemade blueberry jelly.

Rose spooning up some homemade blueberry jelly.

Day two of the tour would start with a 40-mile trek to Girdwood.

Farmer's Market - Alaskan Style

Up the road from Gwennie's Restaurant in Anchorage, AK was a Saturday Farmers' Market with a beautiful array of fresh vegetables, flowers, and honey.

 

There was also homemade jellies in glass jars - the brilliant colors of sugary spread glistened in the sun; red rhubarb, a soft yellow pineapple mint and a blurry orange jar of carrot-raisin marmalade.

                                            

The corner market was also infused with a young entrepreneurial spirit. A twenty-something woman named Kate sold cucumber and rhubarb popsicles from a Franken bike which she said was designed by a friend. The lime-green three wheeler carried a small box cooler and a handmade sign that read 'Popcycle.'

                                                         

Kate selling frozen $3 treats at Popcycle.

There was also a 12-year-old boy who set up a card-table storefront at the entrance to the market. Grayson made Alaskan survival bracelets. It was a fashion statement with a safety them; think Davey Crockett meets Martha Stewart.

The bracelets were a thick red-and-black weave of style that could also be used in an emergency - say if you're lost in the cold tundra or wilderness. The clasp on the bracelet could be unhinged and a short flint used to scrape a pencil stub of metal and spark fire.

For those instances where kindling is scarce, the weave of the bracelet could be pulled apart. The shredded twine had been covered in a paraffin wax and was super flammable. 

 

Grayson Davey teaches potential customer John Paul the strategy of sparking fire with a $35 Alaskan Survivor Bracelet.

 Quail eggs $4 a dozen.

 Fresh bakery stand

Side notes:

-First day on tour I managed 34.41 miles - just getting the feel of Anchorage.

-The weather is much cooler than I anticipated, after hearing reports of a 90-degree heat wave the past few weeks.

- I wore earmuffs much of the day along with long spandex biking pants and my neck gator.

- Sunset in Alaska is 11:59.

- The terrain in the city of Anchorage is rather flat with some minor hills and you can see the mountains in the distance.

- When people ask about the ride and I get to the part about Alzheimer's, I'm surprised by how many people have their own story of a family member affected by the disease.

- A gallon of regular unleaded is $3.89.

- My plan is to head south to Homer and I have no idea on how long this will take - come on people, I'm on vacation!