denali park ride and real progress
 

Denali Natl Park isn't open but people can access it by car for the first 30 miles and thereafter by foot or bike. My wife and I were the ONLY people on the road from Teklanika to Polychrome Pass on Thurs. April 26. It's only 16 miles back but it's two pretty long hills back with 3,000 feet of climbing. http://app.strava.com/rides/7429117 We did it last Fall and it nearly killed us. This year it was easier; we went to a spinning class all winter. I actually gained a bit of weight over the winter but the exercise has put me in better shape in cardio/strength terms than I was last fall. Hopefully the weight will come off this summer and I'll make some progress there too. Gaining weight is always discouraging but it wasn't a lot compared to where I was. We saw moose, caribou, eagles, sheep (and the sheep and caribou were quite close) and a wolf run about 25 feet in front of us, across the road. That's unusual even for Denali . What a hoot.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=247026

Nice pic. What's the weird white stuff on the ground behind you? :D