I am giving up :(
Dear readers, I must admit the title is a bit of a click bait. Be honest, who of you had the initial thought that I would announce the end of the trip? While this would obviously be totally okay... I am of course not! Just crossed 20.000km the other day. Homestretch anyway, just some casual 12000km...
Day 245-246
Side-adventure day! Going to climb some vulcanos, spend my night on 4000m, watch El Fuego erupt during the night time and watch a supposedly spectacular sunrise up there [fingers crossed!]. There you go! Most people do the hike with a guided tour that provides tents in the base camp, food, camp fire...
Day 244
The night was a pain! I was camping on the lawn of a hotel in Panajachel and a crowd of street dogs were barking at me from litterally a meter next to my tent all night. I was definitly considering making use of my bear spray... On top of that, I could kick myself since the Swiss guys from yesterday...
Day 242-243
I take a full day off the bike at the lake. Morning swim at sunrise. The water shivers golden. Beautiful views of three inactive vulcanos surrounding the lake. Very pleasant scenery and the campground is away from the scene in San Marcos. I make a little walk through San Marcos and get groceries but...
Day 241
Uhm... climbing, heat, traffic, hustle, bustle, climbing, heat, traffic, hustle, bustle? Oh wait a second, gotta cut out the traffic, hustle and bustle, today. Actually also cut the heat, as we are high up this morning. So we are left with climbing, I guess. I finally leave the PanAm and take some g...
Day 240
Early start, climbing, heat, traffic, hustle, bustle, climbing, heat, traffic, hustle, bustle... The second day in Guatemala and on the PanAm continues challenging and exhausting in terms of riding. Just as yesterday I barely manage 40km until noon. Not sure if my climbing legs are completely gone o...
Day 239
I get up around 5AM to get an early start and ride at least the first few hours with pleasant temperatures. After visiting the small, non-commercial coffee plantation of Jaimes family and having a nice fresh brewed coffee coming from the very same plantation I am back in the road. I also get myself...
Day 238
Border crossing day! It has been almost three month since I´ve entered Mexico. Three month without the somewhat nerve wrecking situation that a border crossing usually entails. However, I am feeling today is not one of those days. Even though I miss my alarm and get going an hour later than I have p...
Day 237
To give my body the right time to readjust I spend a rest day in Comitan. Comitan is another Pueblo Machico but is a nice contrast to San Cristóbal as it is not all that touristy [don't spot a single western face]. One thing about Mexican towns have to be said, though. Apart from differences in loca...
Day 236
Phew, I've been stuck in San Cristóbal for 10 days! As much as I would love to tell you that I worked through all my blog posts, there was unfortunately a rather unpleasant reason for the delay. I got a proper, proper food poisoning and was basically tied to the bed for the better part of the stay....
Uhm, hi there... just rode 4000km through Mexico...
Dear readers, been fairly quite here for a while... myriad of reasons... not gonna fall back to a mode of justifying myself here. I am past that. I just flickered through my Instagram all the way back to the starting line at the Arctic Ocean in Alaska. It was the perfect reaffirmation to finally kee...
Day 176
After a frosty night with - 2 degrees, I quickly get ready in the morning. With yesterdays mishap it is very uncertain how this day is going to enfold [kind of like everyday but just that tiny bit more today]. I try to reactivate the pump without success. Without any major events but with constant w...
Day 175
I start the day at sunrise and am back on the road an hour later [that's 9AM in the new time zone which suits my preferences a bit better]. All set for what I hope to be finally a day of good progress. I want to make it into the state of Zacatecas today. There is again no car on the smooth road and...
Day 174
I did spend half the night finally uploading the last pictures from my ride through the US. Gomez Palacio was the first town so far where I had decent wifi. If you haven't noticed, make sure to check out the album Lower 48 for all the amazing landscapes in Utah and Arizona. Therefore I sleep in, do...
Day 173
6:30AM my alarm rings. It's pitch black. It is supposed to be dawn. What's wrong? It takes a while until I realize I must have switched the time zone and my phone adjusted automatically. Alright, so another hour of sleep. Good night again! Once, I've pushed Klaus out of the field full of cactus and...
Day 172
The night camping was a true retreat. It was calm and the star sky was just fantastic again. I am up early - nice and refreshed. Unfortunately there often is a trade off. Sleeping only with the inner tent allows to see the sky at night. But it also often means that the morning dew accumaltes inside...
Day 171
I still don't have a real idea where to go. However, I have to decide it here in Parral since I must chose to either go further east or south to Durango. I tried to do a bit of research [kind of a first timer here]. It appears to me that there are endless options for southern Mexico [I already have...
Day 170
Instead of having my regular breakfast oats I give the little restaurant in the basement of the hotel a visit. Coffee [hot water and a few spoons of instant coffee] and Huevos Rancheros, my favorite Mexican breakfast since Elias in Puerto Morelos treated me with it several times. Tortillas, sunny si...
Day 168 - 169
I booked two nights in Guachochie right away. I knew I had to properly fix my front tire to make it work for another 2000km [a brand new set of tires and self sealing tubes will await Klaus in Mexico City]. But there is another problem to solve... For the very first time of the trip I have absolutel...
Day 167
Apart from a few cars passing by with loud and to me funny Mexican music [to me it always sounds like a Mexican version of Oktoberfest music], it was a calm night. With 5 degrees it's chilly, though. For sleeping this was perfect but since I refuse to unpack my long cycling pants it's on the cold si...
Day 164 - 166
After Casas Grandes and Creel also being named as such, Batopilas is the first "Pueblo Magico" that is truly magical to me. Quite a few places in Mexico get that title in order to promote tourism. Batopilas is just a small village but with its beautifully colored houses, clean streets, kids playing...
Day 163
Despite sleeping basically on the road I had a good night. In the chilly morning hours I make it on top of the major climb towards Batopilas and reach the first and only road sign of the whole trip. <--- Batopilas | Urique ---> with quite a few bullet wholes in it. It appears that Mexicans lov...
Day 162
The night on top was great. There was no traffic at night, I had the viewpoint called Gallego all to myself. The nights are also fairly chilly with 0 to 5 degrees which makes for great sleeping. I slept like a baby. So the second night wild camping in Mexico was a maximum success. After watching a b...
Day 161
The first night wild camping in Mexico was so so. I think I was a bit paranoid and interpreted a bit too much in the sounds I heard. But well, since I had roughly 12 hours to get the sleep I need, I guess I got enough. I camped without the rain fly. So the light drizzle at 7:30AM kicks me out of bed...
Day 160
I leave Creel in the morning hours headed to San Rafael. Even though the climbs don't even show up as such on the elevation profile it is quite some strenuous hill riding today. I reach Divisadero de Barranca around noon and get my very, very first view of the Copper Canyons. Some Tarahumara women s...
Day 159
Creel, the gateway to Las Barrancas des Cobre [Copper Canyons], has the reputation to be rather touristy. However, I don't see a single western tourist [a plus] and it appears fairly run-down [a surprise]. I spend a rest day here for one reason only which is to figure out an interinary through the c...
Day 158
My room was facing a main street. It was a laud weekend night. Mexico is loud. Dogs, music, firecrackers... All night. The morning is the complete opposite. As I set out at 8AM and make my way out of town I can barely see a moving car or person. I am feeling good again today which reaffirms my dehyd...
Day 157
As I wake up I don't feel well for the very first time of the trip, headaches, stomach aches. Feels like dehydration despite the fact I bucketed down water and sports drinks yesterday. Seems like it was simply not enough with the sun and the climbing yesterday. I drink and try to sleep it away. As I...
Day 156
When I wake up in the morning my rear tire lost air again. After yesterday's 2 hour patching mission I don't feel like touching the bike again. It did not lose all much so I decide to just re-pump and get going. I must honestly admit that I'm losing a little bit of confidence in the tire but what ca...
Day 153 - 155
The stay in Nuevas Casas is quite uneventful, I have a few phone calls, write for my blog, eat a lot of tacos, visit the archeological site called Paquimé, that was recommended to me by the border officer... That's about it. I am sticking to the safety recommendations and ask at the reception for a...
Day 152
Qick announcement from the future: I finally reached a town with proper wifi and uploaded all the remaining pictures from Utah and Arizona make sure to check them out in the folder "Lower 48". ------- From Janos I take a very short 60km ride to Nuevas Casas Grandes today. It's the first bigger town...
Day 151
I am taking a fairly remote border crossing to Mexico, Antelope Wells. 70km from the first town in the US [Hachita], 70km to the first town in Mexico [Janos]. In that regard it is even more remote than my Alaska-Canada crossing. I initially planed to take the Nogales crossing but one thing led to an...
Day 148 - 150
Initially I planned to stay just for a night at Rons place in Portal before heading to Mexico. Well, one thing led to another and I ended up staying three nights and spending New Years with him and his equally delightful friends Greg and Jennifer from Scottsdale. I spend the first day hiking a spect...
Day 146 - 147
Still keeping a loose format here. Rather uneventful days anyway... Hitting the road feels weird for the very first time. I am not relaxed at all and constantly monitor the traffic with concerns. So these lunatics actually got to me... Fortunately drivers treat me well again today. I refuse that thi...
Day 142 - 145
So after yesterdays I promised a Merry Christmas story. Since I am already far behind and it's time to get to Mexico not only on the map but also with the posts here, bare with me on my loose format. I spend 4 relaxing days over Christmas in the cozy home of Renadé and Layla which made for some grea...
Day 141
After a warm night [with 10 degrees almost too warm, but don't want to complain] at a rest area outside of Globe, I am back on the road. It's my last day before Christmas and with just a few hills left it is going to be an easy ride of 130km to Safford today. While I am having a candy bar in the mor...
Day 140
By 7:30AM I am back on the road. With 8 degrees it feels almost warm. I feel that I had two beers last night. Klaus is happy with his brand new rear tire [he also skipped the beer...]. Roughly 120km and almost 2000m of climbing, half dirt half pavement, are on the to-do-list today. So not quite an e...
Day 139
Despite the altitude the night was indeed mild, probably somewhere around freezing, and I get an early start. The road through the forest remains incredibly bumpy and also very muddy. Klaus and I get properly mudded up on the fast downhills into Forest Lake Estates. It must have been in the Chilcoti...
Day 138
With the temperatures still beeing under - 5 at 9AM I am breaking my "early start motel rule" once again. I have a second birthday call with Ilma and her family instead and continue eating. I get going at 10:30AM. I am facing a bit of a dilemma today. The next 125km [kind of what I would ride in the...
Day 137
It was cold, really cold tonight [I know, it gets repetitive]. I took my bike computer inside to check the temperatures every now and then. -12 degrees was the minimum and that's inside... Remember when I wrote about my comfort temperatures of my set-up back in Canada? I wrote: I can sleep in great...
Day 136
The night was cold. The very first night I actually felt it unpleasantly. I have not been freezing but certainly cold, despite the fact I was wearing all my clothes. To me that's a clear sign that temperatures must have dropped below -10. My deep frosted 1.5l water bottle outside more or less confir...
Day 135
Already well before sunrise I get up and go for a nice little walk down the rim of the Gooseneck State Park. It's still very cold but I simply couldn't lay flat anymore. Do you know the sluggish feeling when you spend too long laying in bed, for example on a lazy Sunday? Well, that's quite the feeli...
Day 134
I was thinking back and forth whether I should make up for the slightly disastrous start in the Valley of the Gods with a third night or should go on. In the morning I decide to play it safe [don't want to run out of water] and slowly go on today. The better part of the morning is spend making sure...
Day 133
Well, yesterday did not really end with going to bed. Throughout the evening the wind picked up immensely. I had to go out every 30 minutes to readjust the storm lines of the tent... It's shaking like crazy. On top, everything is covered in a thick layer of red, fine sand that the wind is blowing in...
Day 132
While huffing through the rough day of yesterday I was trying to figure out why it hit me so particularly hard. I was physically well rested after three great days with Liz in Moab. I've been riding through some adverse conditions before and always [well, 99% the time] been able to keep my spirits u...
Day 131
After a nice last breakfast with Liz I leave the house by sunset. Packed with a nice lunch I am headed towards Blanding where I was lucky to get hold of warmshowers hosts Carla and Mark. It's just 130km to go. However, 130km with 1700m of elevation gain and a blazing headwind... Struggling to keep m...
Day 128 - 130
I spend three amazing days in the area around Moab with the beautiful home of Liz as my home base. Despite being super busy with her pottery studio with Christmas coming up, she is the perfect host. Treating me with delightful meals, great and very personal conversations and even with a day trip [by...
Day 127
7AM, I pull aside the curtains of my motel room. Foggy, grey, heavy sleet. After watching the mix of rain and snowflakes for a few moments I close the curtains and go back to bed. Early starts are massively over-rated... The bad weather was forecasted so it doesn't come at a surprise. Nonetheless, I...
Day 126
Summit day! With the first rays of light I sneak out of the comfy little home of Kira and dog Otis. While making my way out of Provo and towards Spanish Fork I already see a few wind turbines placed right at the entrance of the valley that will make my way up to Soldier Summit. I wonder why you woul...
Day 124 - 125
I've spent a relaxing rest day in Salt Lake City checking out the city and being fed delicious meals by Julie and Lou. I also just came in time for Julie's Christmas cookie baking operations. Thank you so much for having me! The headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day-Saints [also k...
Day 123
With 160km to go I start nice and early after a rather mild night in the salt flats of the Great Salt Lake Desert. With good conditions [slight tail wind and a dead flat road] the milage should not be a big challenge today. I am in Utah now [for some reason missed the welcome sign] and am back to Mo...
Day 122
The day starts in the middle of the night. Around 1AM horse neighing very close by. It's dark but about 20m from my tent I see the black siluetes of a few horses in front of the bright star sky. I've been hoping for this before I slept in last night. Finally I can see them close by [or at least thei...
Day 121
With -10 degrees it has been a rather frosty night which I mainly attribute to the altitude of roughly 2000m. On the flip side the warmth of the sun also seems to reach me earlier. By 8AM it's already way above freezing. Today, I will take it easy. It's my first proper off-road day since ages [so an...
Day 120
Despite my self-inflicted motel aspiration to pull out two big days I get going late-ish by 9am. I switched time zones again back to pacific time so it's about an hour after sunrise. Still freezing. I will take a bit of detour the next three days to get some off-road riding in through the remote val...
Day 119
The night was so so. Dogs barking the whole night made for lot of wake-ups. With 165km to go to Elko, the first bigger town in Nevada, I have two options today. Rocking the distance and arrive in Elko in the dark [Motel?!] or ride considerably less and camp. Camping around towns is simply not nice....
Day 118
With 95km left to the next town named Owyhee I start the remaining climb just after sunrise. The road is straight for the most part and seems endless. It disappears on the horizon in the wide landscape. The scenery is monotonous, desert-like and [appart from a gnarly headwind] has quite a meditative...
Day 117
After 3 days of being fed delicious Thanksgiving leftover meals and a wonderful time at Rachel's and Patrick's home I leave Boise just before sunrise. The two have been amazing hosts and very inspirational to me. Both met in New Zealand while travelling the world by bicycle in the early 90s. They ha...
Day 113
I get up early to leave well warmed up with the first rays of daylight. 7:30AM I start into a freezing -6 degree morning. Before hitting the road I take my time to shoot some photos in Unity that I already spotted yesterday. Despite the temperatures and coming out of a cozy warm motel I stay reasona...
Day 112
As expected the shifting doesn't work in the freezing morning. Back in the sun also Klaus warms up again and I have a nice ride through the valley of Middle Fork John Day River. I see lots of deer [also the last couple of days]. They seem to have a massive population here. I see some funny looking o...
Day 111
Instead of snow it rained half of the rather mild night of 2 degrees and continues in the morning. Since my rides on the Pacific coast I have a rather adverse relationship with rain and I struggle a bit finding my positivity this morning. I start reestablishing a healthy relationsship to rain again...
Day 110
Phew, what a day of ups and downs. I realize there is a major difference between finance [downs feel much worse than ups feel good] and bike traveling [ups feel much better than downs feel bad]. Up: Everything is dry in the morning and I am ready to go by 7:30AM Down: I am short of water and the Joh...
Day 109
In the morning everything is frozen. My water bottles are ice blocks. Based on my feeling I had colder nights before. I think it's just the fact the nights are so much longer now. Hence, more time to properly freeze my water bottles. Otherwise rather uneventful day. Back on pavement by noon. It's ha...
Day 108
After a good night at Deschutes River it's time to leave mighty Columbia River behind and disappear on the backroads. I slept at a State Park campground. Unfortunately, all facilities are closed for the season so no possibility to refill water. Luckily fellow camper John hooks me up with some water...
Day 107
After sitting out the rain in the morning I am back on the road by 9:30AM. By noon I reach The Dalles [that I keep mispronouncing "The Dallas" instead of "The Dalls"] where I have some fast food, coffee and stock up on 3-4 days' worth of calories for the next days on the backroads. I don't really ge...
Day 106
I slept quick and easy in a sheltered spot at a hiker rest area. What I didn't see last night though, were the railway tracks about 10 meters behind the shelter. So every other hour a super loud diesel lock ran through my bedroom. Still I am fresh and alert in the morning. I am also sooo cold... It'...
Day 105
The next stage of this trip will go eastwards to Idaho. Certainly one of the more unconventional routes around this time a year but I am eager to give it a shot. My initial dream would have been the Great Devide Mountain Bike Route traversing the Rocky Mountains but this would be straight out suicid...
Day 70-103
"Eat the frog first!" is what Ilma told me today on the phone while I was whining about my delay on the blog. Last night I slept 16 hours [it was raining from afternoon till 8AM in the morning]. I could have easily eaten the frog in that time, and all the other times in the past weeks when I had ple...
Day 69
I patch up Klaus in the morning and get going early. 100km to go to Vancouver. Generally not a big deal on pavement but with Klaus crumbling and still no shifting I don`t want to waste too much time. The morning is still rather easy cycling downhill to Squamish. Once in Squamish there is no doubt, I...
Day 68
After a good night [and good beer] at the Beer Farm I start into the frosty morning of Thanksgiving Monday. Rather early I reach Pemberton - back on pavement, back in proper civilization. Phew, after 10 days in the woods [and more than two month in the remote north] it hits me unexpectedly hard. I f...
Day 67
After a wet night I start into a beautiful sunny morning with spectacular mountain views. The morning also starts with a refreshing 1000m elevation gain over Hurley pass. Unfortunately my shifters give up again in the morning [no tension]. It is clearly not repaired properly and it worries me that i...
Day 66
At 3AM I wake up to incredible wind and snowfall. At least the wind quite surprises me since I am in a narrow valley surrounded by 4 large mountains. By morning however, the snow is already gone and I start into a rather mild day of 2 degrees, which also surprises me considering that I am at 1500m o...
Day 65
---- A quick announcement to my dear readers from future me before I continue with today's story: It's quite apparent that I got a bit delayed over here. Thanks for baring with me. I just have rough notes of my adventures on the back roads in the Chilcotins and took some time off afterwards. Current...
Day 64
I wake up in a rather spectacular scenery at Farewell Canyon. Yesterday I set up camp at a viewing point located on a cliff about 100m above the raging and ice blue Chilcotin River. Some yellow leaved birches made their way to the river banks. Apart from them the remaining scenary is more or less sa...
Day 63
The morning mission is clear! The mud clogging up the disc brakes combined with the many steep downhills yesterday made some brake maintenance inevitable. After more than 5000km this is totally fine. It's the first time Klaus is really longing for some attention. I decide to take the maintence break...
Day 62
The first day of the third month on this trip starts with a wet morning. It rained half the night and continues the first half of the day. Not such a big deal anymore. By now I found my routines handling everything as dry as possible in the rain and I knew it was coming. However, this morning I am q...
Day 61
It's Monday, so I call the weekend over as well and decide to slowly get going again after the easy and relaxing last days [still no kilometer counting and no highways, I promise]. Today that will mainly mean preparations to be able to really disappear on the back roads for some time. I start into a...
Day 60
It's Sunday, October 3rd, Germanys national holiday - what a bummer that it's on a Sunday this year [well for me that doesn't matter for obvious reasons but I do feel with my German readers.]! I celebrate with a proper easy Sunday morning. I take the rainfly off my tent around 8 and snooze in the su...
Day 59
I initially planned to take a two, three day rest in Prince George after that big push south and make an informed decision on my further interinary through Canada. I have two options in mind: 1. Continue east towards Jasper [a place that I really would love to visit, but around this time a year brin...
Day 57
Day 16, final day on my mission "escaping winter" with around 160km left to Prince George. I start early in a bright sunny day. I am heading east, so I have full blown sun in my face and in addition a descent tailwind. With 30km/h plus I am flying towards Prince George without much effort. Traffic i...
Day 56
Day 15 on my mission south. It set out with the ambition to cover 190km to Vanderhoof today where I would have the chance to stay with warmshowers host Felicity and see her farm. But with the strong headwind I get today and fighting it in the morning I abandon that aspiration around noon. Compared t...
Day 55
Day 14 on my mission south. After a nice last breakfast with homemade bread I suck up all the inspiration for my further travels from Deb and Lothar. Beyond the nice travel recommendations we also share some general thoughts on travel. As I do they also did not plan out everything and took things li...
Day 54
I wake up to a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and the Bulkley River and have a great breakfast with Debbie and Lothar. Debbie did bake homemade bread which tastes amazing and revives the memory of all the great bread we have in Germany [sth you really start to appreciate when away]. Aft...
Day 53
Day 12 of my mission south [or better said "escaping winter"]. I spend an easy morning at Scott's house and leave around 2PM on the 100km ride towards Smithers. It's a big premiere. I leave the remote north. From now on I will pass a supermarket more or less everyday, a huge change. I will be able t...
Day 52
I spend an easy rest day in the homely shelter of Scott's house. He came out here when he retired seeking an escape from busy Vancouver. He is the perfect host feeding me delicious homemade vegan meals and sharing a lot of interesting talks about everything and life with me. He also takes me out on...
Day 51
Day 10 on my missions south. With a long and dry night and 175km left to Carneby, where I'll stay with a warmshowers host, I am back on the bike by 7:30AM today First half of the day is still rainy, but around noon it finally clears up I pass through forests with enormous trees, I suppose the mild a...
Day 50
Day 9 on my mission south. I'll write a recab once I take a rest day and stick to the short format until then. Yesterday I pitched the tent early at Mehan Lake just outside Bell II and slept like a baby for 10 hours Over breakfast I enjoy a nice talk with Sofia from Fairbanks heading south to Washin...
Day 49
Day 8 on my mission south. Decided to not waste calories by typing so stick to yesterday's format: With the tent flapping in the heavy wind I barely slept last night, I also recklessly skipped a proper dinner [still don't want to eat in the tent in bear country, didn't want to eat in the rain storm...
Day 48
Day 7 on my mission south. After setting up my tent in the dark and in an rainstorm on top of a hill [You never set up your tent on a hill, it was just too dark] I am too exhausted by now to keep this in text form: Set out in a sunny morning Bruce overtakes me again while climbing the second hill th...
Day 47
It's day 6 on my mission to the south, king stage! I'll cross more or less the halfway mark to the next reliable super market, I will reach the highest elevation point and I will also pass my personal 4000km mark today. For the first 23km to the 4000km mark I have to work surprisingly much in terms...
Day 46
It's day 5 on my mission to the south. The day starts rather nice with a bit of sun and a few occasional mountain views that peak out above the clouds. I pass some beautiful lakes that shiver in azur blue colors almost like the caribian sea, Good Hope Lake as the most beautiful to me. I am very happ...
Day 45
The last three days did not quite went as they should in terms of riding. My mission to the south is quite a jump in terms of distance. Since the grocery offerings are very limited I should cover a decent amount of kilometers everyday to make it work. After 10 hours of sleep I am back on the bike fr...
Day 44
Last night I slept again under some sort of a shelter and thus was able to leave the tent's rain fly away. Oh what a good idea! The nights are somewhere around -4 degrees at the moment and I still sleep comfortable without my full set of warm clothes [jacket, hat etc]. However, it's usually around 2...
Day 43
It's day 2 of my mission to the south. I am rather quick in the morning since I slept without a tent. The campground had an open but roofed sitting area. To escape condensation and to save some time I decided to just sleep underneath it. Suprisingly well. It's cloudy today and without the sun power...
Day 42
Around noon it is time to say goodbye to Sofia, Dan and Josef. It has been a fantastic stay with these warm-hearted people and quite hard to leave after just two days. Thank you so much for beeing able to host me on such a last minute request and for the outstanding hospitality, guys! Nonetheless, I...
Day 40 - 41
I spend the days in Whitehorse with Sofia, Josef and Daniel as well as cat Gracie and husky Gaston. Josef and Daniel are originally from Czech Republic but after completing their bike ride from Argentina to the most northern road end in Canada, they fell in love with the country and stayed. Daniel's...
Day 39
My water bottles are sligthly frozen in the morning but overall I had a warm night. By 10:30AM I set out into the thick fog that provides roughly 100 - 200m of visibility and prevents the sun from sending its warmth towards me. The sun finally regains the power at 11:30AM and clears up the sky to a...
Day 38
I am taking an easy morning at Kluane lake. To change things up a little I have my beloved potatoe mash as my first breakfast before I hit the road around 11AM. It's rainy and the beautiful mountains are caught in the clouds. I almost forgot about this kind of weather. It's fine. I am super happy ab...
Day 37
Second try: I wake up after a good night at a beautiful location. Yesterday I pitched my tent at the beach of Kluane lake [largest lake in Yukon Territory] in Destruction Bay [name was spot on for yesterday]. Early on when I leave my tent I notice a key next to it. When I pitched, it was still light...
Day 36
Having a bit of a rough day. Not fishing for anything here so details remain undisclosed. [I am fine!] Top 3 positive affirmations of the day: It's a sunny day, I have enough water and food, I woke up after a warm night in a frozen tent to a beautiful location I crossed the 3000km mark today and con...
Day 35
Already yesterday evening I decided to take an easy day today. Since I left Valdez a week ago I covered almost 1000km with significant gravel sections and some decent elevation gains. Even more so, the whole week [working on weekends, too] I was somewhat focused on a schedule. I wanted to be in Cana...
Day 34
Around 10AM I set out to cover the remaining 85km to the border. The Wrangell range has been mainly hidden in clouds the last few days. Now the clouds are still stuck at the foothills and above I can see the mountains. With the spectacular view and the sun blasting in my face I feel incredibly good...
Day 33
I wake up in the nice and dry shelter of the little cabin and set out around 9:30AM to get my Covid test for the border crossing. When I reach the local health center I find it closed for Labour Day for the next two days. In addition I read a sign that says "No Covid testing for non essential travel...
Day 32
The day starts rather early for me at 4AM when I wake up to some loud howling of at least two wolfs [or coyotes] somewhere in the distance. Not quite the best lullaby to get back to sleep but after about half an hour they call it a howl and I sleep in again. About 10AM I am back on the bike. Whith a...
Day 31
In the morning Klaus and I take a turn to the Old Edgerton Highway, which is a little 20km short cut and let us ride on a muddy gravel road for one last time in Alaska. I pedal the section rather slowly. It's morning time, no car for the entire 20km, a sunny day and a beautiful colored forest. I lik...
Day 30
I spend a bit less than one day in McCarthy. It feels a bit short for a 300km detour but for me it's time to finally push towards Canada now. After stopping for a coffee and a last view on Root Glacier I set out back on the 100km washboard road that I came in. I don't want to lie, I am not extremely...
Day 29
I start the day with the enormous muffin at [surprisingly] beautiful Moose Lake. It was basically a pitch black hole when I arrived in the darkness last night. After some miles on McCarthy road I reach the path towards Marks house. With his directions in mind I decide to give it a go right now. Roug...
Day 28
After a good night sleep on an abandoned campground at MP65 of the Richardson Highway I make my way to the road towards McCarthy. Early on I meet a young woman on one of these small foldable bikes and a huge backpack and camping gear attached. She doesn't seem like talking but I am very impressed! I...
Day 27
It's gotime today. In the morning I still have to do my groceries, the packing and the cleaning of the house. I am quite happy that I can load the bike with 5 days worth of food without even using my backpack. I assume I slowly get better at both packing and shopping. Around 1:30PM I finally start p...
Day 25 - 26
Day 25: I have to get up early since there is an exciting adventure waiting for me today. I am going on a sea kayaking tour out to the Columbia Glacier.I do the trip with two guides from Anadyr Adventures and a group of about 20 persons. At 8AM we start with a little get together, get equipped with...
Day 21 - 24
Day 21: Eat, sleep, repeat. I had a shower, too! Day 22, 23, 24: Refreshed I set out exploring Valdez. With its steep, snow capped mountains that basically drop into the Ocean it reminds me a lot of the Lofoten in Norway which is probably one of my favorite places on earth. With its 4000 inhabitant...
Day 20
With 175km left to Valdez I start around 10AM. No rain in the morning which is a big plus while packing up and having breakfast. I pull a sharp wire out of my back tire that I must have caught at some point yesterday. No deal for Klaus, no flat tire. This morning I feel very energized. [I wonder if...
Day 19
When I wake up under the nice shelter of the roof [no, it was not smelly at all] I am instantly so happy that everything is dry even though it was a rainy night. I leave the Denali Highway in the morning and head south towards Valdez on Richardson Highway. There a nice house owned by Amanda and Tom...
Day 18
In the morning I collect wild blueberries around my camp spot. They are literally everywhere and provide a very appreciated change to my breakfast oats. The road is very bumpy today and the hunters like to pass me very quickly and leave me in a dust cloud for several minutes (there were friendly exc...
Day 17
I wake up to the sound of rain drops. I reckon that this is getting repetitive here... So by noon the forecasted sunny weather finally shows up. I certainly would have enjoyed staying a second night at Sarah's place but I feel like I should take advantage of this weather on the bike. After a good co...
Day 16
Today, I have to get up very early. Andrew and Erin plan to take the bus back from Wonder Lake at 8AM and since there are only two bike slots per bus the 6:30AM bus is my only option to get out of the wet before 4:30PM. It rained the whole night and in the morning. So everybody in the early bus is h...
Day 15
During the night it already started raining and it continues in the morning. Nonetheless, I want to start my day early to make it to Wonder Lake which is 100km down the road. Since I don't have a campground for tonight, hence no permission to spend the night in the park, I will have to make it by 6P...
Day 13 & 14
Hearing the rain still dropping on the roof when I wake up after 10 hours of sleep (the cabin is super dark inside) it quickly reinforces my yesterday's thought to sit out one rainy day here with Paul. I will have to resupply in Healy anyway for about a week of exploring Denali and beyond with limit...
Day 12
As anticipated I start with a very wet morning. I turn around in my bed again hoping to dream away the rain. Unsuccessfully. At 11AM I find my motivation to start the day. I make my way into the wet cycling clothes and stowe away the wet tent. I did manage to dry my socks over night dangling 5cm abo...
Day 9, 10 & 11
The last two days I did nothing much than sleeping, eating and maintaining my setup in the cozy environment of Amanda & Tom's house. The weather was bad so the motivation for exploring Fairbanks was low. A bit of a shame but I did bike around town a little bit this morning before heading towards the...
Day 8
After a good night sleep just next to the Elliot Highway I approach my final day. With 4 hills and about 110km left I start with a nice downhill section that I worked for on my last evening climb yesterday. The road is nicely paved. Life is good! On top of the biggest hill at mile 28 the first signs...
Day 7
Has been quite some animal traffic in the forest behind my camp spot so not too much sleep. After a rainy night in the tent that did not only provide shelter for me but also for hundreds of mosquitos it is a hustle to pack and have breakfast while trying to keep my blood with me. Back on the bike I...
Day 6
I wake up with sore muscles (like every morning) from yesterday's climbing. Luckily once I get up and going it's always gone. Today I am heading towards Yukon River. Just a few more hills and I am there. I make it to Yukon River by 4PM. Not beeing bothered to cross the bridge just now (even the brid...
DAY 5
In the morning I am finally able to pack my small backpack away which will make for more riding comfort going forward. I am more than halfway in and loose around 1KG of food weight a day. Much appreciated since the hills become steeper and longer. People in Coldfoot have warned me already - I am hea...
Day 4
I get up at 9AM (sleeping routine: check) and start into a very warm and sunny day. I ride in shorts and t-shirt today and am very happy to further work on my skin tan that I have build up in Mexico. Today's task is clear - I have to make it to Coldfoot (the halfwaypoint) by 5PM! Why? Well between 5...
Day 3
After my first cold shower in the Atigun River and checking all the important bolts on Klaus after yesterday's bumpy section, I head towards Atigun Pass around noon. It is a beautiful day. The sun shows up for the first time making my last kilometers on the North Slope quite pleasant and leaving me...
Day 2
With the first oat meal of the day in my stomach I am back on the bike by 11AM. Quite late but considering that I cycled half the night yesterday that's fine for me. The plan for today is to get as close to Atigun Pass as possible to cross the Brooks range tomorrow. After yesterday's high fly the Da...
Day 1
It is 7PM when I leave Deadhorse. The town quickly disappears out of sight in the fog and the first few miles on the Dalton Highway are just pure magic. There is nothing out here, no sound no car, nothing. Since it is becoming night temperatures drop to about zero and the wind chill makes the felt t...
Start, Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
It is 2PM, touchdown of my one hour flight from Fairbanks. I am excited but surprisingly calm. My main concerns circle around my bike (which calls by the name Klaus) and my equipment. I hope everything made it here in one piece since there is literally not much room for failure out here. Once I open...