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Day 2: Dalton Highway, mile 387 – 333, 13th July 2008

July 14, 2008 by  
Filed under Alaska, North America, Trip reports

People who know me, know that I am generally quite laid back. I hate a few things though: intolerance, dishonesty, general stupidity. And mosquitos. Especially mosquitos.

The was gone and the air was filled with a low but constant buzzing noise. Millions of mosquitos were hovering above the tundra. In the mosquitos are not just annoying, they are annoying in very large quantities and sizes. We were warned about them and fortunately Peter from Outdoordacht had supplied us with some Sea to Summit head nets. It might sound excessive, but unless you have experienced this, you have no idea how crazy these bugs can drive you.

We had our breakfast inside our tent and then packed quickly and headed off. We noticed that as long as you were cycling, it was still reasonably doable, but when stopping, even for a moment, the would attack. we almost wished for the wind to return, not sure yet, which of the two makes the cycling the hardest. Read more

Outdoordacht

July 4, 2008 by  
Filed under

Outdoordacht/Technolyt:
Peter Wayper of Outdordacht in his showroomPeter Wayper is the boss of Outdoordacht. The name is a Dutch play on words: “Outdoor” is clear, but “doordacht”  means: well thought through. And so it is. All the Peter imports and sells is smart and useful. From famous brands like Sea to Summit to newer products like Steripen and Dobermann.
Peter is an avid cyclist himself and couldn’t wait to leave his desk to take a spin on our . He has cycled in many countries and know what cyclists need and want.

One of the most interesting items he imports are Solar Supra solar panels: foldable solarpanels, that come with a smart battery. You can use the solarpanel directly (it comes with a range of adapters and plugs), or you can charge the battery first and then take power off it later, offering a voltage switcher, to use it with many appliances.
This is not only an excellent way to conserve solar energy, but offer many new possibilities: even with a relatively small solar panel, we can generate enough power to charge our laptop, batteries for the water purifier, headlamps, bike light, but also all cameras and mp3 player. It s a great feeling to be able to use the and to be independent from any other power source for a long time.

One other interesting product Peter supplied us with is the Steripen. We used to drag large water filters and pumps with us or all kinds of bad-tasting drops to purify the water of viruses & bacteria. Now we just take water from any source (we tested tab water everywhere in Zanzibar and Tanzania), press a button, stick the pen in and stir for 2 minutes. Ready to drink immediately!

A great weight saver and as the batteries are rechargeable, we can use it for a long time. One charge will purify about 100 liters/26 gallons and the light will last for about 4000 liters/1000 gallons.

For this and much more useful travel and cycle gear, go to www.outdoordacht.nl

Thanks Peter and we will definitely report back in detail on all the great gear.

Some of the products Outdoordacht sells:

Outdoordacht, Equipment by Technolyt

OUTDOORDACHT

MARSOOPS




STUUR-/ZADELPEN BIDONHOUDER


Sponsors

July 3, 2008 by  
Filed under

A trip like ours needs a few basic things: first of all determination, but close second is good . It is no use trying to make do, for a good trip, you need good material.

Without the help of the following people and companies the trip would not have been possible. They have not only supplied us with the best gear available, but also have kept us focused on our first goal: to get started! Most if not all of the people are cyclists or sportsmen and -women and they have not just donated their products but also their time and enthusiasm, which is priceless .

We are still looking for financial support as our trip is very costly, not just our daily cost of living, but also internet access, server hosting etc. any donations are welcome, or if you want us to give special attention to our products (of course only if they are useful for cyclists!) contact us using the form above.

If you are interested in related products and links, check out the Google advertisements that appear on every page as you will help us at the same time :)

Ivana cycling through the Dutch heather