My Alaska Bike Trip...That Did Not Happen ! Waaaah !

This (long) story starts 4-5 years ago when an old high school buddy of mine and I were approaching
our 50th BDays and we both independently wrecked our ACLs (Anterior Cruciate Ligaments). After each
of us getting the ACL reconstructed, we both made great recoveries and to celebrate that and our
upcoming BDays, we narrowed down a list of challenging bike rides and went to Bryce Canyon, Grand
Canyon and Zion Natl Park. I didn't have a recumbent at the time but we both decided to use the tour
companies bikes at www.backroads.com (Cannondale hybrids). We had a great time !

Then 2 years ago, we were going to go to Alaska for a repeat bike challenge event but my
friend sandbagged me and I decided to postpone going it alone, so we never put deposits down
and that was that.

Okay - 2003 ! This was the Spring to give the Alaska ride a shot again
! My friend was on a field assignement for 2 1/2 weeks a month and
felt he could not support the ride but this was the one I was going with or without him and
so...paid in full since last October to take advantage of a 10% discount with Alaskan Bicycle
Adventures (in Anchorage), I was ready !

I was leaving early for Alaska (was to be there today Wednesday 5/28) and ride was to start on June
1st. My thought was that I would do some local sightseeing and maybe some hiking. Then...first major
setback ! Last Thursday/Friday I got hit with a bad stomach virus. Thought these things lasted 24
hrs ? Well, 3 days later and 7 lbs lighter, I was over it just barely and this Monday I was well
enough to do some outside yard work. So.....go to work on Tuesday and then pack and then leave
Wednesday ! Not !

Came home Tuesday and looked over the mail. A letter from Alaskan Bicycle Adventures ? Kind of late
to send me something since I was leaving next day ??

They went bankrupt ! Bonked ! Worse than that...don't come to them for money - They have none !
Okay...but it was good getting the letter and not a MINUTE too soon ! Spent last night getting my
frequent flyer mileage reinstated and then luckily I had travelers insurance and it seems that
bankruptcies are covered..so they are sending me the forms. Also tried to see if any other tours at
same time to join last minute but that did not work out. So...decided to take the day off today and
then back to work tomorrow - what a bummer ! Anyway...just thought I would share the story !

Larry Raphael Barcroft Dakota (#002) Metallic Blue Oakton, VA

 

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> This (long) story starts

So, in short, you stood up Beth on your first Date...

--

Cletus D. Lee Bacchetta Giro Lightning Voyager http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

 

"Larry Raphael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> . . . Came home Tuesday and looked over the mail. A letter from Alaskan Bicycle Adventures ? Kind
> of late to send me something since I was leaving next day ??
>
> They went bankrupt ! Bonked ! Worse than that...don't come to them for money - They have none !
> . . .

Bummer. You should have gone to Anchorage and outfitted yourself. Expensive? Sure, but you already
have years invested in this. Summer 2003 ain't never gonna come around again.

Fred Klingener

 

...and we were looking forward to seeing pix of you with Beth, and a grizzly in the background.
Isn't there some way you can do a set of solo rides there? --No, I guess not: this company would
have been a total support system of meals, maps, luggage van.

I hope you can put together an Alaska biking trip by next year. What a disaappointment!

C.C.

> From: "Fred Klingener" <[email protected]> Organization: Prodigy Internet
> http://www.prodigy.com Newsgroups: alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 20:47:26 GMT
> Subject: Re: My Alaska Bike Trip...That Did Not Happen ! Waaaah !
>
> "Larry Raphael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> . . . Came home Tuesday and looked over the mail. A letter from Alaskan Bicycle Adventures ? Kind
>> of late to send me something since I was leaving next day ??
>>
>> They went bankrupt ! Bonked ! Worse than that...don't come to them for money - They have none !
>> . . .
>
> Bummer. You should have gone to Anchorage and outfitted yourself. Expensive? Sure, but you already
> have years invested in this. Summer 2003 ain't never gonna come around again.
>
> Fred Klingener

 

Cletus - Well.....yes & no to your statement. The fact is that I placed a posting last week to
remind her of my coming and she was going to EMail her phone number, etc discuss how to arrange a
bike ride with her & maybe her boyfriend ? But...she never saw the posting, I guess. I also tried
EMailing her directly. First time it did not go thru because I guess I had to remove the caps in her
non-spam EMail address. But I think it went thru the second time since I received no error message.
Anyway, there were no guarantees of a ride and actually I had mentioned in an earlier posting that I
was leaning toward local sightseeing and hiking as a change of pace because I was going to be doing
8 days of riding anyway (then later thought a pre-ride with a local might be nice). So....yeah I
guess I stood up at least Alaska but I tried - can't help it that the economy has hit the tourist
industry big time.

Larry

Cletus Lee <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > This (long) story starts
>
> So, in short, you stood up Beth on your first Date...

 

Fred and also Carol,

I have to tell you that I am one that checks/researches these things out to the nth detail. It
drives my wife nuts and so I cannot share with her all the planning I do about various trips, etc.
But I find the pre-planning as a further extension of what turns out to be a very expensive 1 week+
trip and so I get more enjoyment than just the 1 week - at least it works that way usually for me.
Leading up to this trip decision was a list of about 5 locations and 3 tour operators and then my
friend and I narrowed the list down from there - that was all part of the earlier planning stages.

www.backroads.com is a big tour operator and they are very good - my friend and I did the Grand
Canyon trip with them 4 years ago. They also have an Alaskan trip, a multisport trip. But the
itinerary had less biking miles in it than the now defunct Alaskan Bicyle Adventures. Also Backroads
revised the itinerary between 2002 and 2003 and lopped off 2 days from the trip. Backroads usually
ends the last day early and so the windup is that the trip just about ends after it gets started - I
felt it was too short a trip for me. I could not even consider it as a substitute because they do
not start their itinerary until the next week - too late for me.

I did spend an hour on tuesday night checking out other tour operators and since you brought the
subject up, let me share this info which is also interesting and was an option...but I ended up
rejecting it. There is a tour operator called Sunshine Alaska Bike Tours (or also called AKBikes).
They had a pre-normal itinerary ride scheduled for this week for a max of 6 people with shared bath
lodging accomodations but otherwise same itinerary as one of their rides that starts later in June.
I called and left a message. The owner called me back 10 minutes later from his cell phone. He
cancelled the ride because of lack of enough interest for the ride. But...pondering my dilemma, he
made a very gracious offer. he said that if I stuck to my flight/trip, he would lend me a bike at no
charge for a few days just so I could ride around the Anchorage area and after that, then he figured
I could take in some of the day tourist trips in the area.

But...half the trip is also being with the group you are with and there would be no group. Yes...I
could wing a bike ride on my own but...everyone has to make those decisions for themselves based on
what they expected out of a vacation. My head was screwed on for a nice and challenging bike ride
days but with support and in a group setting and with nice comfy lodge accomodations and of
course..good eats.

I did not suffer all that much this past year - my wife and I did celebrate our 25th wedding
anniversary last summer and we did the VBT Holland Bike & Barge Tour and also did a week of hiking
from Murren high up in the Switzerland Alps.

So...........when this trip caved in...and..after all the pre-planning, etc...it took a lot out of
me. Right now I am happy with today off from work and....maybe after a few days...my wife and I will
consider one or two camping trips over the summer (and take the bikes) or whatever. (Alaska is off
the table right now.)

Larry

Fred Klingener" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> "Larry Raphael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > . . . Came home Tuesday and looked over the mail. A letter from Alaskan Bicycle Adventures ?
> > Kind of late to send me something since I was leaving next day ??
> >
> > They went bankrupt ! Bonked ! Worse than that...don't come to them for money - They have none !
> > . . .
>
> Bummer. You should have gone to Anchorage and outfitted yourself. Expensive? Sure, but you already
> have years invested in this. Summer 2003 ain't never gonna come around again.
>
> Fred Klingener

 

> From: [email protected] (Larry Raphael) Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Newsgroups:
> alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent Date: 28 May 2003 19:16:13 -0700 Subject: Re: My Alaska Bike
> Trip...That Did Not Happen ! Waaaah !
>
> Fred and also Carol,
>
> I have to tell you that I am one that checks/researches these things out to the nth detail. It
> drives my wife nuts and so I cannot share with her all the planning I do about various trips,
> etc. But I find the pre-planning as a further extension of what turns out to be a very expensive
> 1 week+ trip and so I get more enjoyment than just the 1 week - at least it works that way
> usually for me. Leading up to this trip decision was a list of about 5 locations and 3 tour
> operators and then my friend and I narrowed the list down from there - that was all part of the
> earlier planning stages.
>

Now I understand better. Very depressing. For my January FL trip which involved driving my bike
in my car and spending a couple of working days there, it took me weeks and weeks to schedule
riding with several FL bent bikers, reserve specific motels, arrange for husband to fly in, visit
certain friends on certain dates, etc. And that was a rather flexible trip, considering I had my
car with me.

All this on top of the constant heavy rain we've been having on the east coast, Larry. Perhaps you
can put together a tamer comfort trip that involves driving your bikes to New England and doing day
trips from motels? From what I hear, N.E. might even have Beth in July!

C.C.

 

I almost hate to tell you this but ... ;-)) .... this Spring has been absolutely gorgeous in North
Central Florida. Morning temps are 60-65 and by noon it's around 85-90. Not too humid. Sorry about
that. We've been riding in the morning ... cool, shady. perfecto.

--
Gator Bob Siegel EasyRacers Ti Rush "Carol Cohen" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:BAFB8ED6.4C721%[email protected]...
>
>
> > From: [email protected] (Larry Raphael) Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Newsgroups:
> > alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent Date: 28 May 2003 19:16:13 -0700 Subject: Re: My Alaska Bike
> > Trip...That Did Not Happen ! Waaaah !
> >
> > Fred and also Carol,
> >
> > I have to tell you that I am one that checks/researches these things out to the nth detail. It
> > drives my wife nuts and so I cannot share with her all the planning I do about various trips,
> > etc. But I find the pre-planning as a further extension of what turns out to be a very expensive
> > 1 week+ trip and so I get more enjoyment than just the 1 week - at least it works that way
> > usually for me. Leading up to this trip decision was a list of about 5 locations and 3 tour
> > operators and then my friend and I narrowed the list down from there - that was all part of the
> > earlier planning stages.
> >
>
> Now I understand better. Very depressing. For my January FL trip which involved driving my bike in
> my car and spending a couple of working days there, it took me weeks and weeks to schedule riding
> with several FL bent bikers, reserve specific motels, arrange for husband to fly in, visit certain
> friends on certain dates, etc. And that was a rather flexible
trip,
> considering I had my car with me.
>
> All this on top of the constant heavy rain we've been having on the east coast, Larry. Perhaps you
> can put together a tamer comfort trip that involves driving your bikes to New England and doing
> day trips from
motels?
> From what I hear, N.E. might even have Beth in July!
>
> C.C.