Side Notes 4

Mosquitos: We've heard the stories and the jokes. You know, Alaska's unofficial state bird--the mosquito. Take a head net, or a full body net. Sculptures of enormous mosquitos at visitors centers and in front of tourist stores. We chose not to camp at Wonder Lake Campground in Denali due to the horrific swarms. However, we have gotten quite lucky. Because of the late winter/spring here in AK (and also in Canada) the Mosquitos have been totally manageable. Four weeks in and we've only had to use the Deet about 3 times. We've still got a couple of weeks left to go, but we will be keeping our fingers crossed for that same luck.

Female Riders: I was chatting with someone today, and I said something like, "In four weeks of riding, I haven't seen another female rider." I've seen a couple of women riding pillion with other men, but not one single woman riding her own bike. I even thought there was a man riding up with a woman in a sidecar today, but it turned out to be a man in the sidecar too. Now, I know that with all my gear on, and my hair pulled back and tucked into my jacket, it's probably tough to tell I'm a woman. But really, there have been no other women. Part of the reason I have written this blog was to let women know how great trips like this are. I hope I can see more chicks on bikes soon!

Moose Poo Update: We tried it! We grabbed a handful of moose poo and tossed it in the campfire. Well, I did. Josh just looked stemlike I was crazy. But hey, what if we found a great fire material? As it turned out, it took a minute to catch, then burned hot and died into a glowing coal. I think it would make the perfect burn material for making, as Josh and Ian call them, Hobo Dinners or perfectly roasted marshmallows. But...I don't really want to cook my dinner or dessert over flaming poo, so I've given up the moose poo fire fuel idea. I know you were dying to know.

Skijoring: Have you heard of this? You put on cross country skis and attach yourself to a mushing dog by a long bungee and they go like hell. I can't wait to get a mushing dog!!!