Lauren and the rest of the Texas 4000 riders left Beaver Creek, Yukon Territory on August 8th and crossed over in to Northway, Alaska. From there, this is what the ride looks like going forward to August 13th, when they will cross the finish line in Anchorag.
Aug. 9th ~ Northway, Alaska to Tok, Alaska
Aug. 10th ~ Tok, Alaska to Chistochina, Alaska
Aug. 11th ~ Chistochina, Alaska to Glennallen, Alaska
Aug. 12th ~ Glennallen, Alaska to Sutton, Alaska
Aug. 13th ~ Sutton, Alaska to Anchorage, Alaska
I actually spoke with her this evening via telephone, and it was good to hear her sweet voice! ; ) She said that everyone is doing well, and getting anxious to finish up the ride; camping out for the past five days and eating no telling what seems to be getting the best of all of them! lol I do believe they are all ready to see "civilization" once again! And the mosquitoes; which are the size of sedans up there in the northwest wilderness, are enough to carry them off at night. She said "if you aren't slathered in mosquito repellent and have on full covering, it is certain you're going to get bitten!".
Both teams usually do a "race across the border in to Alaska; both teams, guys vs. girls. They guys made it through and over in to Alaska with no problems. However, on the girls teams, Lauren said that a group of girls riding up front had a crash/pile up when one of the girls hit road debris. She evidently hit her breaks, fell and hit her head hard enough that now she has a concussion. Unfortunately for the girl, the medical facility in Tok was more like a "clinic" with only a Physician's Assistant; and not equipped for x-rays/ct scans. Lauren said that when the girl woke up this morning with severe nausea and confusion, they knew she needed to get further medical attention; she and a couple of others took her to the hospital in Fairbanks (4 hours north of Tok), where she was diagnosed with a severe concussion, but luckily no broken bones, etc. She will not be able to finish the ride for safety sake, but at least she will be able to cross in to Anchorage in one of the support vehicles. Please pray that the remainder of the trip will go smoothly for all the riders and support teams.
Here is a little information on the towns:
Northway, Alaska ~ Northway has a population of 95, and is 42 miles from the Canadian border. The development and settlement of Northway was due to the construction of the airport during WWII.
Tok, Alaska ~ Tok was started as a camp during the construction of the Alcan and Glenn Highways in the 1940's. Winter temperatures average -30 to -70 degrees F.
Chistochina, Alaska ~ Chistochina, Alaska is a midway point between the Canadian border and Anchorage. The town began as a fish camp and a stopover place for traders and trappers. Chistochina is home to the Cheesh Na Tribe.
Glennallen, Alaska ~ Located along the Glenn Highway, 189 northeast of Anchorage, the town sits at the forks of the roads to Valdez and Canadian border.
Sutton, Alaska ~ Sutton was founded around 1918 as a station on the Matanuska branch of the Alaska Railroad.
Anchorage, Alaska ~ Anchorage is the largest of the cities in Alaska; in 1912, Alaska became a United States Territory. Anchorage's latitude causes summer days to be very long and winter daylight hours to be very short.
As the old song goes......"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go". However, I have decided that this Southern girl cannot possibly pack all of her items in a small carry-on bag; this Southern girl must have her accessories, and besides, I never know what outfit I may want to wear! LOL ; )
I finally gave up and decided to just pack everything in the larger of the two suitcases and check it. A few more errands to run tomorrow (ooops...just realized it's morning : 0) and then I'm done.
Liz and I will fly out Wednesday around 1:30 p.m., then to Houston and from there Anchorage; we are to arrive around 7:30 Alaska time. When I informed Liz of this, she realized it will be midnight our time; makes for a long day! LOL We will return home on the 18th.
It's hard to believe that the time has come; June 5th, and the remainder of this summer have flown by, but we are so excited to see Lauren and meet up with the other riders and their families. I will post another blog or two about the activities and festivities while we're there.
Lauren.... ..I hope you have had an awesome and awe inspiring time of your life. Everyone here is so proud of you and all that you and the other riders of Texas 4000 have accomplished. We will see you soon, and may the moon tuck you in with a smile on your face! ; )
Love you much ~ Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment