Today, Giddy Not Witty

At one point today, I said right out loud, "I'm glad to be alive, and, I'm happy to live in Alaska." I know, it's as if someone has hijacked the blog, but that's not it. Today we drove down the Seward Highway to the perfectly named Hope Highway where we parked. We asked a tourist from a bus to take our picture so you could be jealous of us. From left to right are a bunch of people you probably don't know. I'm not smiling in this picture because I've learned that for some reason, when I wear a bike helmet and smile I look like the illegitimate spawn of Mike Dukakis and Alfred E. Neuman. The road runs down the other side of Turnagain Arm from where I rode with the Fed-Ex team a couple of weeks ago to the small town of Hope. Here's a shot of me looking back across Turnagain Arm. Well, obviously I'm not looking across Turnagain Arm, but the shot is. To summarize here, the weather was cool and clear, the scenery was breathtaking, the other riders were excellent company and the length and topography of the route made for physical exertion that was demanding but oh, so rewarding. Seriously, who is typing this, Endorphin Boy?
The day had gotten off to a somewhat inauspicious start. The cat woke me up at 4am and it seemingly took forever to fall back asleep. When I did, I dreamed that I forgotten stuff and had to go back over and over eventually missing the ride altogether. Luckily dreams go by opposites almost. In real life, I made a weight watchers-friendly lunch and snack. I was sort of disappointed to realize that I left it home. I made the best of a bad situation; I had a bacon cheeseburger instead.