Yesterday was a day of milestones for Slogfest Boreal.  First, I eclipsed 3,000 miles for the entire journey.  The place was a lonely stretch of road between Tok and Delta Junction, Alaska, flat and lined with stunted black spruce.  Not long thereafter, I reached the official end of the Alaska Highway at Delta Junction.  From there, the route turned north on the Richardson Highway toward Fairbanks.  Having been on the AlCan since coming off the Cassiar in the Yukon, I was glad for a change.

This particular day, I pedaled 50 miles straight without my feet touching the ground, breaking my previous nonstop record of 42 miles.  By the end of that segment, my bladder was about to explode (I knew I should not have drunk so much tea that morning).  I actually thought about trying to somehow relieve myself into one of the water bottles while pedaling so I could reach the record.  Thankfully, this did not come to pass.  A couple of times, however, my S.A.G. partner did hand-off food to me as I whisked by.  At the 50-mile point, I jumped off the bike, ran into the woods, and felt much better a couple of minutes later.

I went on that day to bag my fourth century since Badger, Minnesota, the longest single day of pedaling for Slogfest Boreal, and my all-time personal record for miles pedaled in a single day.  At 11:50pm, as I skidded into an isolated pull-off near Salcha, Alaska, my odometer read 151.86 miles.  I had shattered my previous record from seven years ago by 15 miles.  It felt good.

It wasn’t until after I scarfed down a hearty spaghetti dinner at a picnic table in Delta Junction that I decided to go for the sesquicentennial.  All the milestones were accomplished save for that single-day record.  Around 9:00pm, the evening was pleasant, and there were some nice camping spots just outside of town along the Tanana River.  Why didn’t I just stop?  To be honest, I really don’t have an answer.  A mere 27 miles would have set new record at 136, and at that point, there was a nice pull-off overlooking the river and the Alaska Range to the southwest.  Still, I pedaled on.  Something about 150 was just intriguing, a nice round number.

The last 42 miles from Delta Junction were difficult but proved more than satisfying.  Moose were everywhere, and while crossing the Tanana River, I caught a marvelous glimpse of the Alaska Range and what I thought to be Denali, the Great One.  Later, I discovered that this was Mt. Deborah, but the view was astounding nonetheless.  I even paralleled the Alaska Pipeline at some points and basked in highway seclusion.  Toward dark, my S.A.G. vehicle tailed me, lighting the way ahead.  Eventually, 150 miles came and went.  Another 1.86 put us at a secluded pull-off, and quickly, I found myself cozy and snug in a sleeping bag.  I remember nothing else except draping my greatly-used pair of Slog Series Green over the bicycle frame.  They had worked hard this day and needed a rest as well.

Why, you might ask?  I guess there was just nothing else to do.

-Jesse Boyd