Day 9

At Tok, there was a decision to make. Riding further northwest, I would have gotten to Fairbanks, it being about 220 miles away, from where Anchorage was another 360 miles – altogether 620 miles, so roughly six to eight days more. There was a junction called Tok Cut Off, where Anchorage was just 320 miles, 3 to 4 days. I pondered over what to do and decided to play it safe and started riding towards the south.

According to AI, this was a “scenic route that allows travellers to bypass the northern portion of the Richardson Highway. The Tok Cutoff is known for its beautiful views of the Mentasta and Wrangell mountain ranges and the Matanuska Valley.“ So it must have been – I do not remember seeing anything ugly on that trip.

I made 130 miles that day (210 km, with 1,000 meters of ascent) and got to a town called Gulkana. Here I stayed at the cabin of a lovely elderly couple. They asked me where I was from, I told them Hungary, well, they replied, you gonna get Hungarian goulash this evening. It was actually macaroni they had made, but it was still an amazingly nice gesture of them for having treated me.

Now Anchorage was 190 miles away, so roughly two days away – so timewise, I was a millionaire. We discussed my trip so far and he a great suggestion to me. He had to ride to Fairbanks the following morning and that we could throw my bike to the back of his truck and then I would see more of Alaska.