Happy Saturday frans, I’m here with a short update on some long distances covered by Ryan over the last few days!
Ryan left the Kaltag school just before noon, a solid 18 hours (roughly 6 more than he's been getting yay!) after he had his way with the Mighty Yukon ;-) It was a bit of a shakeout ride to see how the legs felt…with two shelter cabins spread along the 77 miles from Kaltag to Unalakleet, daily mileage goals could be flexible. When asked if he would stop at Tripod Flats or Old Woman, he responded, “whatever the legs and trail decide.” I liked that. While the first 15 miles of trail were “garbage” it turned “great” and made for some wonderful miles in the saddle (yay for no pushing... or carrying at this point!). He ended up spending a cold night at Old Woman. While pleasantly quiet, it was cold (he thoroughly enjoyed reading Jill’s update on Beat for this night, as Beat described it hitting -30…validation! As if anyone was doubting…)
"I couldn’t figure out why my mask kept filing with snow. -30 is the new normal."
"I brought my bike inside because it was to cold to get stuff off it last night"
"This was the handle inside the cabin. To cold to touch with bare hands"
He said there was a little firewood when he arrived, but the old stove only would heat for about an hour, so he made quick work of gathering more firewood for his stay and his walker friends behind him. Fear not, I’ve got an email into the manager that their stove needs some attention ;-)
The cold night brought with it some wallowing on choices made on the Yukon. We chatted a bit while he warmed up and I only cried a little (a lot) when he recounted dreams of George (the dead dog, not fellow ITI biker!!) licking his face like they used to on the couch and being with him along the trail. Fond memories of his best friend and the journey they were seemingly on together lifted his mood and he was ready for a reset in Unalakleet…I told him to wallow as much as needed until then, get it all out. He responded, “Nah, today’s going to be a great day!” Never a doubt he'd get this done, especially when the alternative shoveling snow back home (I'm saving the "well, if you come home now you'll have to help puppy-proof the house..." That'll get him back on the trail asap!)
He took advantage of a firm and fast trail, making wonderful time to Unalakleet (724.6)...Peace on Earth Pizza upon arrival may have also had something to do with that! Friends Sam and John, along with sister Marie had ordered pizza and a coke for him upon arrival and he was ready to mow down…unfortunately his hangry arrival came in between lunch and dinner hours. But, Bret Hanson, owner of the legendary pizza restaurant and music venue, might be one of the biggest trail angels around. Bret immediately fired up the pizza oven and got to work on feeding Ryan.
As always, it more than hit the spot and he said he planned on ordering food and drink for the next 6 hours (a real danger is gorging too much and causing stomach distress…having WiFi and Iditarod folks to chat with kept Ryan entertained so he didn’t just eat, eat, eat for that 6 hours).
He considered staying at the Air BnB in Unalakleet to get some laundry done, but again, Trail Angel Bret is the best. From the pics I noticed Ryan wearing a shirt I'd never seen before....apparently, Bret let him do laundry in his house and gave him clothes to wear in the interim! He also gave him a beer from his private stash!
To top all that off, this morning ryan was up at 4am and said he could have left but the night before Bret insisted on cooking him breakfast like he did last year, and so he just hung out until he got a GIANT plate of food.
Some villages go through all the drop boxes for supplies…some do so after a racer leaves town, some wait until all the racers are through (honoring the pillaging that takes place by the racers). Not Bret though. Bret keeps all the unused supplies and freeze dried meals from the previous years in case racers in the current year need them (Ryan said Bret brought out probably 30 meals in a bag from the back of the restaurant). He even rearranged an electric board meeting so he could be back for when the walkers arrived. Ryan said Bret said he does it all because he loves meeting the people of the Iditarod and ITI races.
Ryan departed Unalakleet at 9:15am on Day 18 of the race. The goal was Shaktoolik (765), a 41 mile effort, with a shelter cabin (Foothills) 23 miles in if needed. I’m happy to report it wasn’t :-) The weather and his speeds looked good all day, but he did say it got quite cold and windy the last 15 miles or so. We chatted briefly upon his arrival, mainly about our niece’s 2nd place pole vaulting meet earlier that night (Ryan has self-appointed himself as her private coach and taking his job quite seriously, even from the remote Alaskan wilderness), but he eventually caught on that I was sleeping and let me go for the night. I feel guilty about that because we barely got a chance to talk in the morning, but he needed to get his stuff prepped for the next morning…so screw the guilt and instead, you’re welcome Ryan ;-) He said he slept pretty good, only having a few people come in to play computer games around 10pm (I did remind him it was Friday night haha). He learned from last year and came prepared with earplugs this time, so the visitors didn’t really bother him.
Sounds like lots of food in this village…then add the haul of food he snagged in Unalakleet (“I probably brought too much with me, but after earlier…”), as well as leftover pizza. I love hearing about a happy belly! Especially when today’s the big sea ice crossing…eek! Ryan will travel 44 miles today, 13.5 to Little Mountain Cabin and then 30.5 across the Norton Bay (Bearing Sea) to Koyuk (809.5). The weather, while warmer, should be great for a sea crossing. Winds are manageable and there doesn’t appear to be concerns about the ice breaking up (eek! eek! eek! I hate this part!) like in 2020.
Safe travels across the bay, looking forward to hearing the stories when you get to Koyuk!
You make us feel that we are right there with him! Thanks Emily!
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