{"id":175,"date":"2024-06-28T04:39:05","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T04:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gisellebill.org\/bike\/?p=175"},"modified":"2024-06-28T04:39:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T04:39:05","slug":"the-denali-highway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gisellebill.org\/bike\/uncategorized\/the-denali-highway\/","title":{"rendered":"The Denali Highway!!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We rode the Denali Highway on June 24th through 26th. Almost everyone we met (all drivers or motorcyclists) thought we were crazy for attempting to cross what they described as a grueling journey across a miserably potholed road. Before we give our verdict on the route, here\u2019s an update on some of the \u201cfirsts\u201d we encountered over the past few days:<\/strong> we rode through our first torrential rain and got totally soaked, we rode through our first (small) hailstorm, we had to skip our first dinner due to it being too rainy to go outside to cook, and we encountered our first swarms of mutated super-mosquitoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, taking all that into account, what did we think of the Denali Highway? We absolutely loved it!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was probably the best three days of riding you can have on a bicycle<\/strong>. We got wet, we got dry. We got tired, we got rejuvenated. We got surrounded by mosquitoes, we just\u2026 grumbled and did the best we could. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After every tough climb we were rewarded with views like these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trumpeter swans in paradise <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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It\u2019s worth climbing in the rain to get this view as the clouds part<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was great to see other cyclists on the Denali Highway, some independent bikepackers like us, some on organized tours, and most impressively a huge group of kids from some kind of awesome adventure summer camp!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were also surprised by how many hot meals we were able to get from remote lodges along the way. Giselle had more hamburgers than she\u2019s probably had in any 3-day period in decades. Bill had\u2026 a lot of grilled cheese or whatever non-cheeseburger option was available. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we got onto the Richardson Highway, we raced a thunderstorm to Meier\u2019s Lake Roadhouse, where we were utterly surprised to be offered a free night in a cabin that the owner makes available for cyclists!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meier\u2019s Lake Roadhouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
View from our little cabin!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And most importantly, here\u2019s a new drone video for you of our ride across the Denali Highway!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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