Charity Ride to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

[nokkusan]

On May 15, 2010, I will leave my family behind and ride for the following 6 weeks from Upstate NY to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.


"So what?" people might say. "Lot's of folks have done THAT before!" This is true - however, the reason this particular trip is special is because I am doing it in conjunction with the National Kidney Foundation in order to raise funds but more importantly raise awareness about Kidney Disease diagnosis and prevention.

The NKF and myself are contacting local and national companies to support the ride, and of course looking for folks to donate either by the mile (around 11,000!).

What I was looking for here were any suggestions for routes, tips, support, whatever! Also looking for anyone who wants to be part of the journey. I mostly likely will be filming it myself and blogging and whatever - so even a "you can do it!" now and then would be more support that you can imagine!

Thanks for reading and contact me for any details, questions or answers!



Jason

[AKBEEMER]

Jason,

I can arrange low cost housing while you are in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska. Since it is a public institution I am not able to donate the space;PM me if interested. Also, there is a new business in Fairbanks that caters to travelers; their info is below. I understand they focus on tires (changing, repair, sales or storage), oil changes, gas can rental and other services. These are all services that become overtaxed and expensive in Fairbanks during the summer. From looking at their web page they appear to be much less expensive than the local M/C shops.

Adventure Cycleworks, LLC
362 Snowy Owl Lane
Fairbanks, AK 99712
http://www.advcycleworks.com
Shawn: shawn@advcycleworks.com (907)347-4329
Dan: dans40xc@hotmail.com (907)457-4259

[nokkusan]

Jason,

I can arrange low cost housing while you are in Fairbanks at the University of Alaska. Since it is a public institution I am not able to donate the space;PM me if interested. Also, there is a new business in Fairbanks that caters to travelers; their info is below. I understand they focus on tires (changing, repair, sales or storage), oil changes, gas can rental and other services. These are all services that become overtaxed and expensive in Fairbanks during the summer. From looking at their web page they appear to be much less expensive than the local M/C shops.

Adventure Cycleworks, LLC
362 Snowy Owl Lane
Fairbanks, AK 99712
http://www.advcycleworks.com
Shawn: shawn@advcycleworks.com (907)347-4329
Dan: dans40xc@hotmail.com (907)457-4259

This is IMMENSELY helpful and I will take you up on the housing! Thanks for the link. I was thinking of going Vancouver to Dawson City to Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay and then come back to Fairbanks then to Anchorage. That's the plan anyway - would love to trade my street tires for more dirt-friendly ones in Fairbanks, so this is extremely helpful.

Here's a question - I have been reading too many articles in Alaska magazine about bears/wolves/puffins maulling hikers, etc. Do I need to get a hand-gun? Is it difficult (preliminary google searches indicate, "no")?

[AKBEEMER]

I do not recommend trying to carry a handgun. You cannot travel through Canada with a handgun. Buying one in Alaska will not be difficult, but then you will have to sell it or ship it when you are done; both those options can be difficult. I own handguns but I rarely carry on bike trips. Get a can of bear spray. Spray can be carried through Canada, so long as it is labeled as being for bears, and is effective enough. In my experience it is very rare for an encounter with wildlife to warrant the use of a firearm and spray will suffice in those rare cases. The biggest danger you'll likely face from the critters is having one run in front of you on the road.

[nokkusan]

I do not recommend trying to carry a handgun. You cannot travel through Canada with a handgun. Buying one in Alaska will not be difficult, but then you will have to sell it or ship it when you are done; both those options can be difficult. I own handguns but I rarely carry on bike trips. Get a can of bear spray. Spray can be carried through Canada, so long as it is labeled as being for bears, and is effective enough. In my experience it is very rare for an encounter with wildlife to warrant the use of a firearm and spray will suffice in those rare cases. The biggest danger you'll likely face from the critters is having one run in front of you on the road.

That's what I meant - I was going to RIDE and shoot at the same time!

Thanks for the info! I hope it's okay to hit you up for answers when questions arise!