You both rock.

Amazing. Simply amazing.

I’ve stayed at the Sheep Mountain Lodge in the 80’s (has it improved any, or is the sauna still wood fired?) and I’ve driven over the Thompson Pass in a snowstorm at night.(you failed to mention the snow poles along the side of the road are like 20ft tall-at least they were back then). If we can get Gregg and Matt C’s, or YannB and SteveB, it could be a blast! Since Matt and Gregg work with rockets and satellites all we have to do is convince them it ties into their work…somehow.

There’s also Corrine from Fairbanks(?) and I believe you have another Fatty there in Anchorage.

OK, mums the word.

Also, you can’t beat this description (cept I’d go one way):

The Fireweed 400 will start on the Glenn Highway at Sheep Mountain Lodge, roughly 100 miles northeast of Anchorage, and run to Valdez and back a total distance of approximately 392 miles. The National Scenic Byway states “The Glenn Highway is a place where geology, culture, and scenery come together to create the majestic and rugged landscape that can only be seen in Alaska.” The Glenn Highway was completed in 1944 linking the Alaska-Canada Highway to Anchorage. Before its completion there was no road access to Anchorage from the Lower 48.

In the first 15 miles of the route, racers will find a couple of steep climbs. The first 6 miles has a 1000 foot elevation rise. At approximately 15 miles from the start, riders will reach Eureka Summit (3,322), the highest point of the Glenn Highway. In the next sixty miles to Glennallen, the route descends gradually to an elevation of approximately 1000 feet.

Traveling east to Glennallen, bikers will have views of Mount Sanford (elev. 16,237 feet), Mount Drum (elev. 12,010 feet), Mount Wrangell (elev. 14,163 feet), and Mount Blackburn(elev. 16,390 feet). These Wrangell Mountains, along with St. Elias Mountains contain the most spectacular array of glaciers and ice fields outside the polar regions. The Wrangell Mountains are part of the Wrangell-St Elias National Park and Preserve, the nation’s largest national park. Together with the adjacent Kluane National Park of Canada, the park has been designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations. In addition to the Wrangells, the riders will be surrounded for most of the race on the Glenn and Richardson highways by the Talkeetna Range and the Chugach Mountains.

Wildflowers growing along the roadside in July include fireweed, sweet pea, lupine, cinquefoil, Jacob’s ladder, and milk-vetch.

And this:

Mile 75.5 of the race route, just beyond Glennallen, riders will turn right onto the Richardson Highway. The trip from Glennallen down and into Valdez is one of the most beautiful highways in Alaska. With its alpine tundra filled with miniature flowers and fireweed it has long been called the Switzerland of Alaska. Before the riders descend to sea level at Valdez, they will need to climb a series of rolling hills that take them to the top of Thompson Pass, an elevation of 3000 feet. The climb, however, will seem gradual compared to the “Prime Climb” out of Valdez to the top of Thompson Pass on the way back to Sheep Mountain Lodge.

You could see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline:
Trans-Alaska Pipeline – The pipeline parallels the highway in numerous spots.

And ride to a glacier: The Worthington Glacier – This is the closest one can get by road to a glacier in the state.

Maybe it will snow on you?
Thompson Pass – Record snow falls are recorded here – over 200 FEET. It can snow any day of the year.

One of the prettiest waterfalls in the US:
Keystone Canyon – The route winds along the Lowe River in the canyon. The canyon walls contain countless waterfalls and interesting rock formations, including the 360′ Bride Vail Falls and Horsetail Falls.

Any Fattys tempted? :)

http://www.the508.com/

maybe on a tandem?