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Published: August 15th 2007
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***IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MY PREVIOUS JOURNALS, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM AND CLICK ‘PREVIOUS JOURNALS’***
***PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE***
***MY PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS IS Colin.d.snowdon@hotmail.com ***
**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD MY DIARY ONTO ANYONE YOU FEEL MAY BE INTERESTED***
***PLEASE NOTE THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE PAGE OF PHOTOS - TO VIEW THE OTHER PAGES SIMPLY CLICK THE PAGE NUMBER AT THE FOOT OF THIS ENTRY***
Howdee folks. Okay, there has been an amazing amount of things happening and my head is literally spinning. I have not had access to the internet for ages, so I am going to be pounding out the diary entries to bring everyone up to date. These will not be in order, but I don’t think that this will make any difference. In addition, there was a major system crash and all my old diary entries and a few of my new drafts awaiting to be published were lost. However, these have all but been recovered now (you should be able to access these), although the pictures no longer have any of my original comments attached. If I get a chance I will add the comments back
My kind of shop
"Oh hi, can I have an orange juice, a Kit-Kat, a fluffy moose's head, some panties and hardcore please". in.
Well I finally rolled into Anchorage on the 30th July after 3,900 km. I have managed to cycle the last 500 miles in just 4 days, which taking into account my bike Diana’s weight and the mountainous terrain, I am really pleased with.
I bought some trousers in Whitehorse and they were a (baggy) 32 inches waist. I haven’t been that thin since I was about twelve years old. I have my first ever six pack! Actually, I have eight and I am not too sure if this is normal (I have only ever had a beer keg before)? It’s one of life’s ironies I suppose, you wait all your life for a six pack and then eight come along all at once.
The reason for the rush to Anchorage is that I have decided to get the 2nd August ferry down to the Queen Charlotte Islands and the next ferry down after that isn’t until the 16th, so I didn’t want to miss it and be stuck for 2 weeks.
The Queen Charlotte Islands I have been told are very beautiful and I like the idea of pitching my tent for a week
or two and just reading a book, whilst relaxing the legs and giving Diana a well earned holiday. I may also try my luck at catching a big Halibut (they can get up to about 400lbs).
I can honestly say that the first part of my adventure through Canada and Alaska has been truly, truly amazing. There have been times when I have felt like crying, although these have been few and mainly mosquito orientated. There have been many, many times where I have literally laughed out loud. Like the 80 year old woman in Prince George who kept telling me that there was nothing she would deny a man. I wouldn’t have minded so much, but we were in the library at the time (honestly) and people were listening.
Canada and Alaska are both stunningly beautiful. The scenery is as varied and changeable as the weather and you just never know what to expect next. You could be cycling passed giant mountain ranges with glacial lakes one minute and through desert tundra the next. Even though the bugs can be a test a times, seeing the wonderful, broad horizons unfold in front of your eyes is just
magical.
I have met many, many fabulous people and I thank you all for making the journey so much more than I could ever have hoped. That is with the exception of the Canadian & US custom official’s, who deliberately go out of their way to be unfriendly despite my efforts to make them smile. They should placed be on the next space shuttle to the moon.
I have lived and loved every minute, every turn of the pedals and every horrendous hill. If the rest of my trip is half as good as the first two months, then there should be plenty more happy diary blogs to follow.
San Diego is my next destination and I am looking forward to whatever that may hold in store. Bring it on!!!
Diana has mentioned that she would like to finish this part of the adventure on a song (?), and although she has a worse voice than me, I can’t really deny her that. Okay, away you go Diana………..
Sung to tune of ‘He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother’ (by The Hollies)
The road is long, with many a winding turn,
That
Whittier, Alaska
Looking very pleased with myself because I have just managed to get a lift through the 3 mile long Whittier Tunnel - thanks to Gorden & Susan leads us to who knows where, who knows where,
But I am strong, strong enough to carry him,
His panniers ain’t heavy, he’s my brother……..
So now San Diego,
His welfare is my concern,
No burden is he to bear, we’ll get there,
For I know, he wouldn't (deliberately) en-puncture me,
His panniers ain’t heavy, he’s my brother……..
If I am leaning, at all,
I am leaning ‘cause he’s packed me with badness,
That everyone’s bike, isn’t filled with a gladness,
On love, for one another……..
It’s a long, long road, from which there is no return,
While we’re on the way to there, why not share,
And the load, doesn’t way me down…at all,
His panniers ain’t heavy, he’s my brother……..
His panniers ain’t heavy….he’s my brother…..(repeat to fade).
Blimey, thanks Diana (I think I could be in there!).
***IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE MY PREVIOUS JOURNALS, PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM AND CLICK ‘PREVIOUS JOURNALS’***
***PLEASE CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE***
***MY PERSONAL EMAIL ADDRESS IS Colin.d.snowdon@hotmail.com ***
**PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD MY DIARY ONTO ANYONE YOU FEEL MAY BE INTERESTED***
***PLEASE
Whittier to Anchorage (1)
There was a 30 mph headwind along this stretch - very hard work NOTE THERE MAY BE MORE THAN ONE PAGE OF PHOTOS - TO VIEW THE OTHER PAGES SIMPLY CLICK THE PAGE NUMBER AT THE FOOT OF THIS ENTRY***
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Tim Young
non-member comment
Too exciting for words
I've experienced a range of emotions catching up with the blogs (read all of them when I opened my emails at 7am today 15 Aug) from deep envy to fear - at times I'd really like to be out there with you at others I'm so glad to be in my nice mosquito-free house in Colchester worrying about Ipswich Town and the Labour Party. You are certainly living life to the full - keep safe. Missing you a lot. Tim