I've Found Hope! (Alaska, that is.....)

Seaview Cafe in Hope, AK

Just pulled into Hope, AK; 58 miles in today.   Dinner tonight at the Seaview Cafe.  Secured a hotel church thanks to Pastor Scott!

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!

Girdwood "Hotel"

Yep, this is it!

And this is Jim.....

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!