Wheels on Ice: Cycling in Alaska 1898

Jun 01, 2023

Cycling in Alaska has a long and fascinating history. In the late 1800’s, before the automobile age, bikes were a new and popular technology. Gold Rush miners used them to bike from Dawson to Nome, others biked the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. In the 1980’s and 90’s Alaskans rebooted long distance winter biking with the Iditabike and other long distance journeys. In the 2000’s innovators brought us winter fat bikes and the Iditarod Trail Invitational. This Outdoor Explorer features the book “Wheels on Ice,” a collection of stories from the gold rush to present day. The book is a compilation of stories edited by Jessica Cherry and the late Frank Soos. Jessica and author Andromeda Romano-Lax join host Paul Twardock to discuss the book and its stories.

HOST: Paul TwardockGUESTS:Jessica Cherry, editor of “Wheels on Ice”Andromeda Romano-Lax, author, contributor to “Wheels on Ice”

LINKS:“Wheels on Ice”More than a century of tales from the trails in ‘Wheels on Ice: Stories of Cycling in Alaska’BROADCAST: Thursday, August 3rd, 2023. 10:00 am – 11:00 a.m. AKT

REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, August 3r, 2023. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT

Paul Twardock is a Professor of Outdoor Studies at Alaska Pacific University, where he has worked since 1988. He is the author of Kayaking and Camping in Prince William Sound and help found the Alaska Sea Kayaking Symposium/Paddle Sport Fun Day. At APU he teaches a variety of undergraduate classes included Sea Kayaking, Recreation Program Design, Nordic Skiing, The Business of Recreation, and Wildland Ecosystems and Human Impacts. Paul received his BS in Outdoor Recreation from Western Illinois University, went to work instructing for NOLS in Alaska, then received his MBA from APU. Paul’s research includes monitoring of campsites in Prince William Sound and Chugach State Park for human impact, trail use in Chugach State Park, and the Alaska Recreational Boating Safety Incident Database. His passions include sea kayaking, river boating of all sorts, hiking, mountain running, climbing, skiing of any kind, and birding. One of his last adventures involved a mule ride.

Paul is one of several hosts for Outdoor Explorer