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Jul 2, 2013

Ironbutt 2013, The First

This was taken before 6:00 AM ADST in Cantwell, Alaska, 8 June 2013, on the last leg of my first Ironbutt SaddleSore ride of the year.  An Ironbutt SaddleSore is 1,000 miles in less than 24 hours.  The amazing part is the mosquitos had not hatched yet.  A week later, they were massive, abundant, thick, prolific, and unmanageably present at highway speeds or at a stop. 

A stop like gassing up on Peger Road in Fairbanks.  There I am, fueling my motorcycle, minding my own business, and a deep painful bite that has not yet healed caused me to scream and swear and drop the nozzle, spilling gas and startling a police officer who had detained a customer.  His time with her was the shortest official government transaction I have ever seen. 

Apparently, Fairbanks mosquitoes are the greatest efficiency masters one has ever encountered. 

Stunning, isn't it?  It isn't even the remotely most beautiful scenery I have seen in Alaska this year; this picture is like, maybe, #99 on the list. 

Eat your heart out.