Day 8
The next day was overcast, damp, and cold. We hit the road at 8:30 heading northeast on highway 1 toward Tok. The road took us through the Chugach mountains, where we caught glimpses of some very large glaciers to the south.
Somewhere between Palmer and Glennallen, we stopped for gas at a roadhouse called the Eureka Lodge. They had a restaurant there and we decided to have an early lunch. Behind the lunch counter they had a cooler full of some of what looked like the best pie I've ever seen.
The guys ordered chili and I had a BLT sandwich. Then we each ordered pie with the waitress making sure we got to pick the exact slice we wanted. I think Bill and Al were arguing over a particular slice of banana cream. It was indeed some of the best pie I've ever eaten.
These folks have the right idea about pie...
So, they have a large dining room, plenty of parking, and AWESOME pie. I think I found a new location for a TWT pie run.
After lunch we continued northeast through the Wrangell mountains toward Tok. The weather improved some and the clouds started dissipating and it warmed up a little.
At a gas top we saw this rig with all the comforts of home...
We continued on to Tok, then took the Taylor Highway north toward Chicken.
We arrived in Chicken in the early evening and went to the bustling downtown district...
We had dinner at the cafe, then had a look around town.
There are no flush toilets in town, so if you got to go, you go at the Chicken Poop.
So here are some interesting facts about Chicken. The town got it's name from the local ptarmigan that filled many pots at the mining camps in the area. No one could spell ptarmigan, so they named it Chicken. There are no telephones and no flush toilets. Cell phones don't work up here, but some of the residents have sat phones, and some places have satellite based internet which they make available via wifi. So, while I couldn't call home, I could get on-line in my tent. There are about 30 or 40 residents in the summer, 6 or 7 of whom stay year round. The road is closed in winter, when the only connection to the outside world is the mail plane that comes twice per week.
It was a quaint little town with a comfortable relaxed vibe. I really liked it here, and felt like it could be worth an extra day or two if I ever get up this way again.
We camped at the Chicken Creek Outpost campground where we were given the covered picnic area for $20. This was nice and it allowed us to dry out our tents.
The outpost had a souvenir shop inside. They had a wooly mammoth tusk hanging up there, and it turns out the mammoth tusks are quite a common find in the area, and local artisans make jewelry out of the ivory. I bought my wife some earrings made from it.
Behind our campsite was an old dredge used in mining operations during the towns heyday. It was quite large, more than 100 feet long about three stories high.
I spotted some really nice looking fireweed and captured yet another pic for my wife.
Chicken was one of my favorite places on this trip, and I definitely want to come back here some day.
Mileage for day 8: 356
Total bike mileage to date: 3,214