A Night and Day Difference

Alas, ALASKA!!!!

It's amazing how things can change just like that,.....with the turn of a pedal. I had made it to Alaska, finally! After seeing signs for the last frontier three weeks on end, some 2,000km (1,200mi.) later, after listening to 6 audiobooks, approximately 50 podcasts, countless replays of the “Pedal Power” playlist on my ipod, and doing lots of humming and silent meditation, I had arrived!!! I had built up the 49^th state so much the arrival was climatic and emotional!

One more hour of daylight to pedal!

No people running this border!

Not even the countless motorhomes I saw high tailing it south could discourage me from arriving to Alaska. Everyone who asked me where I was going was adament on laughing while saying “You're headed north? You are awfully late!” Thanks for the motivation! Obviously I ignored them, semdom do I take people with motors seriously! When I reached the historical marker at the border, I was alone, and took my time getting just the right pictures with the signs and making a few videos. What a great feeling of accomplishment! I had arrived!! Scenery wise, things looked the same in Alaska as they did the Yukon, so if it hadn't been for the fresh stretch of tarmac (I warmly welcomed after Yukon's beat up roads) and the signs that read, “Welcome to Alaska,” and “Entering Alaska Time Zone” I would have never known I had crossed the border. Oh, there is of course an border crossing with US Customs, unlike Hyder, AK. I had all the right answers for the customs officer and didn't even have to lie about having fresh fruits and veggies because I hadn't seen any of those commodities since Whitehorse!

Cars must laugh when they have to wait for a bicycle to go across the border!

After so much build up and soooo many kilometers, I had reached the last of my far fetched destinations before heading south to Oregon. I was motivated and excited to be in Alaska; the homestretch of my trip, well almost! I was headed to Homer via Valdez, but Tok was my destination for that day. I had already pedaled 20 miles and had 80 miles before arriving in Tok, another big day indeed! I had gained an hour of light with the time difference and again there was “nothing” on the road to distract me. I had the whole day ahead of me to pedal! I'll admit that I had heard of an RV park in Tok with a famous “all-you-can-eat” pancake breakfast, which of course is enough to motivate me to pedal any distance! I crossed the border feeling like I was on top of the world, literally, but unfortunately it only went downhill from there, well, everything except the road!

Fall has arrived in  The Yukon and Alaska

This is the reason why you head north when everyone else is going south!

Head wind? What's this? Hills? Where did they come from? I had pedaled with a tail wind basically since I left Watson Lake. Of course you never notice a tail wind because you just don't hear anything. With a tail wind and minor downhill grade, you pedal like a rock star! But today I was differently not going to feel like a rock star! After a year on the road, I'm still not sure if headwind is worse than rain, but let's just say that if there is one thing I hate, it is a head wind, and of course a “false flat”. There is nothing that demoralizes a rider carrying 100 pounds than the continual deception of a climb, that although it looks as though it is flat or even downhill, goes up and up! I was in for a challenge with the terrain, and it looked as though it was relentless all the way to Tok. Looking on the bright side, the temperature didn't bother me because I was working up quite a sweat, and the rain seemed to hold off.

The scenery was pretty, but it is hard to appreciate with the howling wind

I say it is better than the colors in New England with the green mixed in

I was making incredibly slow progress and could hardly hear myself think with all the wind. I did the math and realized it was going to be 10:30 pm before I hit Tok. I could do it, but I was loosing motivation, I couldn't cope! It was just too frustrating to cycle in these conditions. At my last pit stop, a gas station and convenience store 50 miles from Tok, I made sure to eat a warm meal in case I didn't make it to Tok. I asked if there was a campground or a cafe along the road, but they told me there was nothing, not even at the junction town that appeared on my map. Normal people would have probably stopped there, where I could have camped, taken a hot shower, and even washed laundry, but I decided to continue pedaling, there was a wee bit of hope left inside me that I could make it to Tok.

Bad decision. Occasionally I have a few of these. It was getting dark and cold, and I was out of gas! I started looking for places to pull over on the road, but there weren't any rest stops, no litter stops with bear bins, so I pedaled to the road junction where they might have an old abandoned gas station or cafe. The road junction was my saving grace. It was about 9pm and a rain or sleet storm was looming and there were several abandoned buildings scattered where I could take shelter and not have to pack up my tent wet in the morning. I was 15 miles from Tok, which was doable bright and early, still in time for the pancake breakfast. I choose an old garage, a ways back from the road with the door opened. There wasn't anything but an old beat-up pick-up inside all the doors opened and a fruit stand sign. One of the garage doors was open so I went in, closed it, and shut up the other door with the fruit stand sign thinking this would keep me protected from bears, although I hadn't seen signs of them in the area for weeks!

I thought this would be the perfect place to camp.....

I set up my tent, gave myself a quick washing with baby wipes, and got cozy in my sleeping bag. I needed to sleep, I was exhausted! I went to bed listening to the sound of the wind howl outside and rain pelt down. If I was lucky, it would stop by morning time. That was the last thought on my mind until at some time in the middle of the night I heard a loud, BOOM! It sounded like the wind had blown down the fruit sign blocking the door, I convinced myself that was all it had been, eager to continue sleeping. Shortly after I heard another sound, the garage door, being pushed open. This time, the wind wasn't responsible. My heart started to pound faster than it had even on the hardest days on my bike! What was that? Who was that? Stay calm I thought, you need to sleep. I was a bit disoriented and didn't know what was going on, but decided to pop my head out of the tent and shout. The garage door was up, the mop, that had been on the floor placed nicely against the wall and there was a truck with it's red lights pulling away. No way! How did someone find me? How did they know I was here? Did they see me? Did they take anything off my bike? I was scared, startled, and unsettled. But thankfully I was so tired and knew that I needed my sleep, so eventually I was able to convince myself whoever had come was “innocent” and didn't take anything so I went back to bed again.

The early bird only catches cold here in Alaska pedaling at the crack of dawn, not a wise decision!

Sunrise just outside of Tok, AK 30F (-1C)

I managed to sleep until the wee hours of the morning when I awoke to confirm that the garage door was still open and that what had happened wasn't just a dream. I've never packed up my gear faster than I did that morning and was on my bike at 6am, pedaling as fast I could to Tok. The sun wasn't out, temperatures were below freezing and my confidence was all shook up. Whoever had come last night could have done anything to me and no one would have ever known.....Reality sunk in. What the hell am I doing up here in Alaska? I'm not prepared for this? I don't have what it takes to survive out here in the cold wet weather. Services are limited, I still have a good 600 miles to pedal to the ferry......

Tillamook yogurt in Alaska, now that was treat and so were the 2 donuts I ate in the back of the supermarket!

Along with the temperatures, I had hit an an all time low! I'm always positive, optimistic, try not to over think situations, and just pedal. Up until now, that had gotten me through 4 continents and 26 countries, but now I was starting to doubt my ability to take on Alaska. I needed some comfort, some reassurance.....Fresh fruit, donuts, warm coffee, that helped. I sat in the back of the supermarket charging my appliances contemplating my options. Just then, after not having cell service for about a week, three of my teaching partners from Barcelona Skyped me. The timing of their call was critical, it helped distract me. They were all together in Barcelona for a baby shower and wanted to know where I was. They laughed when I showed them the storage room and the apple fritters I was devouring! After we hung up, I decided to call my sister, another great distraction. She and I have such different lives right now, it makes for a great source of entertainment just to hear about her weekly activities with her husband and kids.

To put a picture with the voice that said, "But you CAN'T Aunt Melissa......and little brother Peter protesting the picture

This picture is worth 1,000 km of pedaled roads!  My daily kph goes up when I look at this picture! Can't wait to meet my new nephew Owen

I can confide in her and know she won't freak out. I told her I was having a tough morning, which is when she put my niece, Gwyneth, on the phone. She couldn't stop talking about the bear postcard I had recently sent. Then I heard Jenny in the background coach her to say, “tell Aunt Melissa she can do it!” Gwyneth has a mind of her own and obviously the bear really impacted her because she kept repeating, “But she CAN'T do it! She can't!” At my end of the phone, my jaw dropped!  That is NOT what I wanted to hear, but then again those were words of encouragement coming out of the mouth of a 6 year old,....I had to laugh. Kids, they tell you the truth and Gwyneth was right in one regard.  Alaska was going to be the most challenging part of my trip.  After a few good hours to regroup my thoughts, do a bit more research for the upcoming days, and finishing up my conversation with my sister, I was determined Alaska was not going to get the best of me!

You only talk for a couple of minutes to other cyclists on the road, but in that short time, your feel like you've found a lifelong friend after many years of separation

The road out of Tok, mountains galore!

I started pedaling on the road towards Anchorage.  I was basically alone, very few cars, but within minutes came across another cyclist. He was the Chinese cyclist I was expecting to see at some point.  My hosts had told me about him way back in Haines Junction.  Yung brightened my spirits even more telling me about his past few days.  He had been cycling all around the world and was on the last leg of his trip, Alaska to Argentina. Yung told me he had started camping in people's yards since the cold weather set in and campgrounds were closing.  He had a great story about shooting guns with the people he stayed with that past night and kept saying, "in America many guns!".   Yung, just wait until you get to Arizona!  I set off to pedal even more refreshed and optimistic!

Fresh snow dusted all the mountain tops

The road had quite a bit of downhill which is why I made great time that day, and I had a tail wind

The map shows a lake or two, but really they are everywhere!

The scenery changed drastically and all of a sudden I was in the middle of mountains, surrounding me in every possible direction. There were glaciers, lakes, rivers, peaks lost in the top of clouds, and no rain! I had made a little pact with mother nature when I hit bottom and she was listening! I was entertained by the scenery and making such good time, I arrived at the campground where I planned on staying so early I decided to keep rolling. This time, I made a rule, come 8 pm start looking for a mailbox and house to take refuge. The next town of Chistochina was way too far,...or wasn't it?!?! I was so motivated it's like I had never hit bottom that same morning, in fact, I was so motivated that I ended up arriving in Chistochina, 105 miles from where I started pedaling that morning at 6am!

Fall and winter battling it out for a more dominant presence

Another massive river with mountains in the background

The sun going down shortly before arriving in Chistochina

I spotted the lodge because of the huge bon fire on the front lawn. Judy approached me and I asked her if I could hide my tent behind her lodge. I knew there was a lodge in Chistochina, what I didn't know was that they allowed camping in their front yard. She told me I could camp there and had the option of having her amazing breakfast the next morning, plus there was unlimited hot water! I was so delighted to head this that that I gave her what she later described as the “most heart-filled hug she'd received in a long time!” I had hit the jack pot too because there was another French cyclist, Tomás, camping AND they were having a huge BBQ which I was invited to join. I had delightful company that night and learned a lot about the local Alaskan way of life.

The Red Eagle Lodge.....a huge bon fire, delicious food and wonderful company

Here I was roasting hot dogs indulging in fresh veggies, baked beans, roasting marshmallows to make s'mores, topping it all off with delicious homemade carrot cake, my favorite with chunky grated carrots, nuts, and raisins! Judy said the magic words, “I don't want any left overs!” and abided going back for second thirds, and fourths. I finally had to stop when I sat down to roast my last marshmallow and all of a sudden my top pant button popped. I had reached my limit, that or I needed to change into my stretchy leggings!

Judy, the owner of The Red Lodge and Tomás the French cyclist

What a difference between the night and day upon arriving in Alaska. I had gone from hitting an all time low of my trip, my confidence had been completely shaken, doubting my ability to cycle the Alaskan frontier as winter approaches to feeling like nothing could stop me in just 24 hours! I even got my delicious pancake breakfast, one day late, but it was well worth the wait. They stacked them high on both my plate and Tomás'. In fact, I needed a few hours to digest before riding, so I decided to hang out and keep cozy inside using the internet in the meantime.

The s'mores took priority over the hot shower....

Judy preparing an amazing breakfast the next morning to help get some "meat on my bones" as they all say!

Tomás and I posing with the advertisement for the Red Eagle Lodge at the Glenallen visitor center.  We LOVED this place!

Mother Nature is keeping her end of the deal and I'm holding mine. I don't mind the cold, the rain doesn't bother me that much, but the combination of the two, camping in the wilderness is not particularly my favorite way to spend a night. It looks as though my itinerary brings me through the next several days with “good” weather and I can't complain. I'm prepared now, both mentally and physically, for whatever comes my way in the last frontier!

The Art of Eating at an All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet

The scene of the crime, Bell 2 Lodge on the Stewart Cassiar Highway, 92km north of Meziadin Junction, CA

I'm sure many of you are snickering just reading the title of this post, I salivated while remembering my experience at Bell 2 Lodge's breakfast buffet just brainstorming how I wanted to express myself in this post. You see, I've started listening to an animated podcast about food, called Sporkful. The announcer, Dan Pashman, advertises his podcast saying “It's not for foodies, it's for eaters,” using the motto: Eat More, Eat Better!” I have to admit, I have a love-hate relationship with his podcast. I enjoy learning about food and hearing his commentary, but at the same time I find myself whipping way the drool rolling down my chin as he talks about things like S'mores, the perfect bite composition, preparing burgers, and Thanksgiving feasts. As a tour cyclists, I fall into the category of an eater, who takes the motto, “Eat More, Eat Better” to a new level! In fact one of my host's kids back in the Denver area was very impressed “for my enthusiasm for eating,” as they put it! Therefore, it might be rather shocking to know that I haven't visited an all-you-can eat-buffet for about 10 or 15 years. Yes, I've stayed at hotels with complimentary buffet breakfasts, but that doesn't count. It is included in the price of your room. I do have to admit, that the “stuff-yourself-to-the-brim” philosophy isn't an eating experience that I seek out. I don't think it is particularly healthy and the image that comes to my mind are obese people with huge plates in front of them overflowing with heaps of processed, low-quality food items, eating way more than they actually need or want! Ever since moving to Europe, I'm all about quality over quantity.

A deliciously entertaining podcast for serious eaters

You might say I was inspired by Dan and his podcast, or the fact that I hadn't been to buffet for years, but to tell you the truth, when you hear about a restaurant for 400 kilometer from cyclist after cyclist that you pass on the road, by the time I arrived at the Bell 2 Lodge, there was no way I was going to miss out on this food experience! upon my recent visit to the Bell 2 Lodge on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. It was his podcast and my visit to the Bell 2 Lodge Breakfast buffet that inspired me to write this post, and to tell you the truth, I could probably write a dozen posts about all my wonderful meal experiences on the road! Food and eating consumes about a fourth of my day, sleeping the other fourth, and pedaling the other half!

Eating in action: YUMM!!!!!

My recent experience at Bell 2 Lodge was my first “all-you-can-eat” buffet experiences in probably 10 to 15 years! Hard to believe? The Ever since waitressing at a typical diner in York, PA, and living in Europe where quality resides above quantity, buffet eating never crossed my mind as an appetizing experience! Most tour cyclists don't turn down an offer to eat at a buffet because of the value of the meal. Thinking of an all-you-can-eat buffet, I'm reminded of two cyclists I met in rural Utah. They shared with me their experience at the Pizza Hut buffet and I couldn't stop laughing. They had been living off of tuna fish and peanut butter for weeks and all of a sudden they pedaled upon a Pizza Hut and decided to stuff their faces full of greasy pizza, wings, pasta, and tons of other processed foods. Their body went into complete shock and it took them a good 5 hours to digest their meal on the grass in front of the Pizza Hut, incapable of pedaling another mile. Yuk!

A pleasant atmosphere inside the Bell 2 Lodge

A rustic elegant log cabin style interior

However, the breakfast buffet at Bell 2 Lodge, is in a totally different category of restaurants, it's fine dining, not fast food, and my experience there was absolutely delightful, nothing I regret, in fact, I'd cycle back there tomorrow, if it were on the way, just to repeat it! As I mentioned, cyclist after cyclist I passed, a dozen to be precise, heading south from Alaska, raved about the breakfast at this lodge. They had all camped at the tenting site at Bell 2, which has an RV park as well as cabins and rooms, and visited the buffet the following morning. I'm not one to follow the masses, but when the masses are tour cyclists, pedaling passionately and love their food as much as their cycling, I take their advice to heart!

The first customer is parked outside eagerly waiting for breakfast

I rarely arrive places early, but this was a special occasion

In order to make the most of my buffet experience, I did some research prior to my visit. It's important to know key information like what time the buffet opens, prices, and must-try dishes. Bell 2 Lodge is about 150 km from Stewart, making for a long day of pedaling, but with the incentive of a delicious breakfast the following morning, 250 km would have been possible! I arrived at their lodge just shy of 10pm, a long day indeed, but I was glad to be at a proper campground. I had seen a lot of bears that evening alongside the road, so free camping was out of the question. I wanted to eat breakfast, not be eaten for breakfast!

Food warmers with savory treats inside, soon to be visited 

The Bell 2 Lodge Restaurant, is like an oasis, in the middle of nowhere. It's a beautiful log cabin style lodge that has been recently renovated with additional Alp-like chalets on a wide open lot that backs up to one of the many lakes in the area, and the Bell River (hence the name). All the RV guests were shocked to see me roll in so late with my head torch on, but they welcomed me and were excited to learn of my travels and enthusiasm for the breakfast buffet. It was too late to check in at the front desk, but luckily there was another cyclist camped out, Cress, from Smithers, BC, who was just headed off to bed. He let me share his site. I set up camp, took a warm shower, left my food in the campground bathroom, and went to bed. I was too tired to prepare dinner, and settled for dried fruit and yogurt, which I had bought in Stewart that morning. I set my alarm for 6am, thinking it would be plenty of time to pack-up and be the first at the door for the buffet.

Wouldn't you know, I was the first one at the door, in fact, I got to the lodge restaurant 5 minutes before they opened. You see, I had been told that they don't replenish the buffet once they run out of food, but actually this isn't true either. Krysten, my young waitress from Smithers, BC welcomed me and helped me find a strategic seat, close to the buffet with an electrical plug to charge all my technology. Like I said, I hadn't been to a buffet in years, so I was overwhelmed upon my arrival. I decided to assess the situation first; I did a “dry run” or so you could say, walking through the buffet to assess my options. At the start of the long buffet table there was yogurt, cereal, milk, and fruit. Following these cold items, there were three large warmers. The first was filled with what looked to be french toast, the second with potatoes, bacon, and sausages, and the third with an egg breakfast sandwich. At the end of the buffet table there was a variety of juices, followed by coffee and tea. I should preface my buffet experience by admitting that I'm a Libra, a sign known for being creative and indecisive, two traits that strongly characterize my personality, both an asset and hindrance to a buffet experience. Although I'm not obsessed with horoscopes and such, I'm typically have a hard time making decisions when faced with a million choices. Breakfast, however, is not so overwhelming, because I know myself well and my eating preferences, even when I'm ravenous! My rules are simple: I have to eat sweets before savory items, cold items prior to warm ones, and along those same lines, juice before coffee.

Plate, bowl, number one: Fruit, cottage cheese, granola and honey on top

Hence, I started with yogurt, cereal, and fruit, plate (bowl) number one! They had yogurt and cottage cheese, both good choices to top fresh fruit. Cottage cheese took precedence, it's become an obsession on my trip, ever since I landed in North America. Cottage Cheese doesn't exist in Spain and it is a delicious dairy product filled with protein that can be prepared to satisfy a sweet tooth or a savory craving. I first loaded my bowl with fruit, piled the cottage cheese of top, sprinkled it with granola, and poured honey over it all! I accompanied this with a glass of orange juice and prepared a cup of coffee for when I finished off the juice. Had this been any other day on my trip, my first trip through the Bell 2 buffet would have been plenty a breakfast for myself, at least to hold me a few hours 

pedaling. However, with all the gourmet items to choose from for breakfast, this was just my appetizer.

My favorite dish by far, cinnamon roll French toast, a brilliant invention!

My second trip through was my favorite. I love French toast, especially when you can top it with yogurt and fresh fruit. Bell 2 had all of the above, but of noteworthy mention was their French toast, made from none other than cinnamon rolls. What an invention, their chef is a genius! I had a generous portion of French toast smothered in syrup, vanilla yogurt, and fresh fruit. Yes, I have an intense sweet tooth! By far this plate was my favorite of the five I ended up eating; you just can't top cinnamon French toast! Trip three, stands out as being my only entirely savory plate and therefore deserves an honorable mention. It was a combo plate with a breakfast egg sandwich on an English muffin, topped with cheese and a tomato, which I then accompanied with flavorful sausage, home fries, and bacon. I quickly opened the breakfast sandwich and placed the bacon on top, to make a heartier sandwich, a brilliant decision!

Multi-tasking galore: eating, blogging, chatting, and charging......

I snuck a bit more cottage cheese on plate #3

By the third plate, needless to say, my hunger had dissipated. I also had company at my table, distracting me for focusing all my energy on the food. Cress joined me and my pace slowed, talking between bites, but his company was welcomed. By the time I was ready for plate four, we also had 2 other cyclists join us. I didn't realize there were so many other cyclists at the lodge when I rolled in the previous night, but like I said, the Bell 2 Lodge is famous in the world of tour cyclists. When there is delicious food en route, word travels fast, far, and furiously! Mark was cycling with Allan, who was driving a SAG van behind him. They had started in Anchorage and were making their way south from to their hometown of Cheyenne, Wyoming. They were they shocked to hear that I had been through Cheyenne about 2 months ago, starting my trip in Spain, originally. Mark, Allan, and Cress visited the buffet twice. They must be weathered buffet participants, with more self control. I went back for a fourth, and what I thought was my final plate while sitting with them. As they say, when in good company, eat good food, or at least that is what I say!

Still smiling and still eating!

The cyclists at Bell 2 Lodge for breakfast, fun company

By this time, Krysten, my waitress was laughing, but not at all shocked by my fourth trip. She told me they get on average at least a dozen cyclists a week during the biking season and is now not surprised by our appetite! She was ready with the camera once again, to document plate number 4, which was another combo plate: sweet and savory. I forgot to mention that after savory, I also like a bit of sweet. Plate four consisted of another piece of French toast, yogurt and fruit, and potatoes topped with bacon, YUMMM!!!!! Was I really hungry at this point? I don't remember.....which brings up the subject of buffets and healthy eating. The “not-so-healthy” component of participating in an all-you-can-eat buffet is that you always end up eating more than you want or need. But is there really such thing as eating too much when you are riding your bike 8 hours a day, day after day, week after week? The long answer would require visiting more buffets, but the short answer is NO! Which is why I had no problem going back for plate number four. I must admit that after this plate, I had reached the right amount of fullness, you know where you are satisfied and content, but don't have to unbotton your pants to be more comfortable. I could actually sip and enjoy my coffee and catch up on emails after saying goodbye to my cycling companions.

It's a pathetic plate, but it still counts, and I enjoyed it equally: Plate #5

I hung around another hour or so, while several other clients came and went. Krysten kept the buffet plenty stocked for all their guests up until closing at 11am. Just before then, I couldn't resist just one more plate, plate number 5. They had replaced the French toast with pancakes, so of course I had to try them. It was a rather pathetic plate in comparison to number 2 or 3, but I topped up on sweets with a couple of pancakes, granola, and fruit! By then I was the last guests, after being the first to arrive, living the buffet experience to the fullest: 4 hours of fun filled with delicious food, enjoyable company, and wonderful service! Krysten went about cleaning everything up and let me chill out in the restaurant finishing up a couple of things on my computer. The kitchen staff was still around, so I introduced myself, told them their food had become renown among tour cyclists.

In the kitchen with head chef James, at Bell 2 Lodge

I started pedaling around noon. By then the clouds had rolled in and it was starting to drizzle, but I couldn't be bothered by a little rain, I had left Bell 2 content, with a full tummy, and plenty of nutrients to tide me over the 120km to my next campsite. Wouldn't you know, Cress was there waiting for me there and had left overs from the dinner he cooked a few hours back. Hard to believe, but I was actually hungry by the time I arrived! The next morning I came to another lodge north on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway. I was disappointed to find out that there was no breakfast buffet option, but I did manage to do a magic trick, one of my favorites called “The Disappearing Jumbo Cinnamon Bun” following the vanishing fried eggs, toast, and bacon trick!

Disappearing jumbo cinnamon bun: now you see it.....

Now you don't!

 And so I concluded, reminded of one of Dan's guests on Sporkful, the nation's third ranked competitive eater. He earns a living in a profession I never knew existed and won his first competition eating 2 gallons of chili in 6 minutes. Gee,......I might have just found my new profession, “Hi, I'm Melissa, I'm a competitive eater riding my bike around the world, nice to meet you!” Finding hosts for this trip might become problematic!

A special thanks to the Bell 2 Lodge for giving me a complimentary night's stay at their lodge campsite. They also wanted to give me a discount on the buffet, however, Mark and his cycling pal Allan, paid for me without me realizing. What can I say....People around the world continue to take good care of me! Thank you! If you are ever on the Stewart-Cassiar Highway headed north or south, don't miss stopping at The Bell 2 Lodge. I hear their dinner buffet is equally as delicious featuring fresh fish and wild game from the area!

Being Resourceful Is My Middle Name

Yes, it is the more scenic route, but without many, or any Warmshowers hosts, one had to be creative for sleeping options!

As I continue to pedal on my loong way home and accumulate miles, I think I’m actually getting wiser! Although my friend Rob back in Tasmania, might just say I’ve become an even more professional “Freddie the Freeloader”.  But I’d like to think that I’ve become more resourceful as my trip continues.  At the start of my trip I stayed only in “official campsites” mostly, private, as Europe doesn’t really have public or government run campgrounds.  I also did my fair share of hostels, after all, for about 18 or 20 euros a night I could get a room, hot shower, and sometimes even breakfast.  Now I imagine paying 20 dollars for a room and I consider it highway robbery.  In fact, most of you would be shocked to know, that since I started pedaling in the states, I’ve only spent $20 on accommodation, $18,50 to be precise.  You might think I’m cheap, go ahead, say it, but to tell you the truth, I can’t be bothered with paying for a place to put my tent and take shelter.  You see, I’d rather spend my money on food.  For the same amount or less than a campsite I could buy a delicious steak or fresh fruit and veggies and have a high class meal.  So now, on my journey, it has become a fun challenge to find places to take shelter every night that are free!  It makes me be more creative, think a bit harder, and be even more resourceful than I have been in the past.

This week has been a great example of just how resourceful I have become.  I left Gillette without any hosts lined up on the way to Yellowstone.  I wanted to take the most scenic route possible, but this was also the route that had no Warmshowers hosts.  While I was with Mary and Steve in Gillette, they mentioned that a past guest was a mayor and he was hitting up a lot of the mayor offices on his cross country tour, since almost all towns have a mayor’s office.  That felt a bit out of my comfort zone, but it did bring to mind the fact that almost all towns have Rotary Clubs, and since I was an Ambassadorial Rotary Scholar recipient back in 2002/03, I thought I contact local clubs and asked the president if any of the member’s would let me camp in their yard.  I sent a few emails out before leaving Gillette contacting clubs on the road to Yellowstone. 

Just to change things up, I had a strong head wind heading into Buffalo, WY

My first night on the road, I hadn’t heard anything when I rolled into Buffalo, Wyoming, so I went to the local information office and got a town map and saw they had a public swimming pool that was labeled “FREE”.  Perfect, that would be my shower, now I just needed to find the fire station or elementary school for camping.  The nice elderly man working there could tell what I was onto and so he told me, “If I were going to put my tent somewhere in town, I’d go here!” and he pointed to a field on the map that was close to the running path, but tucked out of the way.   On the way to the swim pool, I stopped at the Subway to see if they had Wifi, which is when my message from Brian Cotant, a local Buffalo Rotarian, hit my inbox.  He told me that if I still needed a place to stay, I could come to his house.  I called him and was delighted to hear they had a spare bedroom and that dinner was already in the oven! 

Brian and Becky were a delightful young energetic couple who had a dentist practice in town and two small children.  Becky reminded me of my sister, multi-tasking galore to prepare dinner for now 5 people, she was making cookies, washing laundry, and taking care of the kids.  I’m always so impressed with parents who seem about my age because our lives are so dramatically different! I have a hard time taking care of myself at times and getting my basic needs and here Brian and Becky are constantly on the go taking care of their kids both under the age of 6!

The Cotant family in Buffalo, Wyoming, exception hosts are Brian and Becky active, active parents!

The view from their backyard at sunset, the mountains awaited me.  I couldn't have been happier with this evening view

They had some neat food contraptions including the Nutribullet smoothie maker and a neat tea maker that steeps different teas at their appropriate temperature and time.  I can attest both are ingenious inventions, I couldn’t resist in trying both. The Cotant’s hosue overlooked the mountains I was going to be climbing the next day.  They asked me my route and offered to set me up with friends in a few towns.  They knew dentists in 3 other towns along my route, giving me some flexibility depending on where I made it each day. Who would have thought the world of Rotary would open the door for so many hosting opportunities in central Wyoming?

A road has officially been named after me (it's just missing the word stubborn in there)



By far my longest pass of the trip, but not the highest



I left Buffalo rather early knowing I had a massive climb ahead of me.  It was 35 miles, almost 8,500 ft. of climbing and took me just over 5,5 hours.  Luckily Becky sent me some of her freshly made “energy bites” and waiting for me on the other side of the pass were Carl and Kamme Jeffries, dentists in Worland and sports enthusiasts.  They had 3 kids who I also met, older than Brian and Becky’s kids, and all pretty independent during the summer months.  Their daughter was applying for a Rotary youth exchange, so I talked to her about my experience abroad.  They were able to give me a few pointers on my route for the following day and I hung around a bit longer that morning, knowing I didn’t have such a difficult day now that I was on the other side of the mountain. 

With every good climb comes a nice reward

No one told me just how amazing Wind River Canyon was going to be, what a pleasant surprise

I didn’t factor in the heat, and when temperatures got up to 108F I had to take shelter at the best air-conditioned place I could find, McDonald’s no less.  When ice cream cones are a dollar and there are unlimited refills on soda and temperatures are scorching outside, the golden arches are paradise!   A Warmshowers hosts had gotten back to me in Riverton, my destination for the day, but I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make it in the heat.  I had to make a second long stop in a gas station 20 miles away and downed two milkshakes back-to-back.  Gas stations in this area, I’m finding, have these totally artificial and processed freezes.  You insert them into a special machine and they thaw a bit to the thickness you desire.   A brilliant invention on days like these!  I called Dan, my host, in Riverton to let him know I was going to make it, but would arrive on the later side.  He offered to come rescue me, but of course I declined.  Before leaving the gas station I drank a drank a 5-hour energy shot, which I had never tried before.  I don’t know if it was that shot or the two milkshakes, but I made it to Riverton in pretty good time.  Without even taking a shower, Dan took me out to dinner at a local Italian restaurant, which hit the spot after a long day’s ride.  Dan admitted that he rarely hosts cyclists now because of his odd work hours, but when my email came through and he saw my website, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet me.  I had a good chuckle when he told me, “Melissa, I have never met anyone who comes even remotely close to you and what you are doing.  The last guy I hosted had a really difficult time just going over Towghatee Pass! You’ll make that no problem”  I find it really funny that people are so impressed by my trip where as I’m just so thankful for their hospitality and genuine interest to take care of me!

I actually spent the following day at Dan’s resting and making a birthday gift for my niece. Riverton isn’t a touristy place, which for me is ideal, because I basically was a hermit all day in Dan’s apartment. Talk about resourceful, I put together a homemade photo album of my niece’s first five years and personalized it with stickers and captions, all in one afternoon.  Thank goodness for Walgreens, Snapfish, and the US Postal service!

Free food BABY!! I had to be choosy about what I took, but it all looked good, but that would have been like 25 extra lbs.

I left Dan’s and made my way to Dubois, the base of the Towgotee Pass that would take me into the Tetons and Yellowstone.  He told me there was a church in town there that lets cyclists stay the night.  It sounded perfect, since there was no Rotary Club, nor a dentist friend to host me.  I arrived on the early side and sure enough saw the St. Thomas Episcopal Church on the right had side of the road just as I entered town.  Just as I found the office and was knocking at the door, Mary Ellen in her minivan pulled up and honked at me.  She indeed confirmed the fact that the church opens their doors to cyclists, individual cyclists, couples, and big groups.  That isn’t the only thing they open…..They have a huge selection of warm drinks, a fully equipped kitchen, and a fridge full of food leftover from different church events.  It was my lucky day because the church had just had an ice cream sale the past weekend and guess what was leftover in the freezer?  At this point in my trip, I have absolutely no self-control and will eat anything that seems remotely appetizing that crosses my path…...Sorry! 

Did you really have to leave that 3 gallon bucket of ice cream in the freezer?

Mary Ellen with the church dog.  She was the nicest older women at the Episcopal church

Mary Ellen told me another cycling couple had called ahead and would be coming to spend the night as well.  Sure enough Claire and Andy showed up about an hour after me.  They were cycling across the country from North Carolina to San Fransisco, but making a detour to hit Yellowstone and Glacier.  This couple was a lot of fun and we ended up making dinner, eating on the kitchen floor and talking for a good three or four hours sharing stories.  Like me, they also prefer to camp in places where they don’t have to pay and shared with me a few pointers that hadn’t crossed my mind yet.  The church house was so big, I gave them the big family room and went and slept on the living room floor. 

Imagine, all that stuff is on their bikes.  They carried just a little more weight than me

The three cyclists at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Notice someone else has beautiful sandal tan lines....

I saw the sign advertising "Take your picture with the largest jackalobe" and I just couldn't resist!  

The next morning we helped ourselves to the bacon in the freezer, and made ourselves a good hearty breakfast before starting out.  The pass wasn’t actually as long as I expected, nor as difficult.  The Powder River Pass had toughened me up, and to date, it is the longest pass I’ve been over except maybe some of those crazy mountain passes in Northern Vietnam and Laos that were never ending and intensely steep!  Once over Towgotee, it was pretty much all downhill with spectacular view of The Tetons, plus I just managed to bypass the thunderstorms.  I had plans to meet my friend Newt the following night, but needed a campsite for that night.  I headed to the little village in Tetons that had shower facilities.  I needed to charge some of my electronics, so I plopped myself down at a table where there were plenty of outlets. What a set-up we had!  Talk about being resourceful with making the most of our outlets.  Wouldn’t you know by the time everything was all charged I had made friends with the guys hanging around the table?  Visitors at National Parks are always nice.  How can you be in a bad mood when you are surrounded by such natural beauty? 

I did it! A piece of cake compared to Powder River Pass

It rained everywhere except over my head that day

Ok, this picture makes it obvious.  Can you pick the out odd ball? I admit, sometimes I'm just too trusting!

Kenny was born and raised in Oregon.  He and his wife had bought a new car in Oregon to get the no sales tax perk, and were driving it across country to their home in Memphis, Tennessee with their high school son Reeves.  To me, Reeves seemed much more mature than high school.  He was looking into Reed College, so we had a nice talk about the Portland area, which he loved.  Tom the other gentleman was on a cross-country trip from Gainesville, Florida, a part of Florida that he described as “the blue in a sea of red”.  He was visiting different places and family members along the way.  I probably should have asked the fellow Oregonians if I could setup camp with them, but since they had rented a cabin, I didn’t think that was appropriate, so I chose to ask Tom. I think I caught him off guard, because at first he hesitated, but then said it was no problem.  Now that I look back, he was probably wondering, “Really, this nice young lady wants to set up her tent at my site?”  I say that because Tom was probably my only really bad judge of character I’ve had on my trip.  Not that he seemed dangerous or anything, but he was just a bit “different”.  I later realized he didn’t really have a verbal censor and some of the comments he made were a bit awkward.  Thankfully I slept in my tent, he stayed in his, and I got a good night sleep.  I went for a hike the next morning and said good-bye.  When I got back he’d left me a long detailed note with a few inappropriate comments.  Yes, I was resourceful in finding a place to stay that night, but I didn’t have the best judge of character.  But one sketchy host out of 150, those aren’t bad odds!

It’s good to know that when I’m in more remote areas, I can use my creativity, resources, (and charm) to get by, and in luxury, by my standards, of course!  My resourcefulness is about to be put to the test as I head north.  I have decided to travel up the Alaska Highway through Alberta, British Columbia, and The Yukon to Alaska.  I still have time, the weather should hold out, and the Alaska wilderness has sparked my curiosity!  I can’t help myself.  It will probably one of the most remote and difficult areas I’ve cycled because of the weather and the wilderness, but I’m ready for the challenge!