Bicycle Transportation – Clint Chron

by Clint Chron (son of EC Chron)

In 1972/73, Jan, Belinda, and I lived in a two bedroom duplex in Anchorage, Alaska.  I had been discharged from the Navy in July of 1972 and got a two-way radio job with the Bureau of Land Management in August of 72.  We only had one car (1969 Firebird).  I worked at the BLM office located at the Campbell air strip.

I was able to car pool with another BLM employee.  He lived ½ block away.  So every other day, Jan would not have a car to drive.

In the spring of 1973, I decided that I could ride a bicycle to work.  I bought a new Raleigh 10 speed bike for about $50.  I was in good physical shape, so it was pretty easy biking to/from work.

It was about 5 miles in one direction.  It was only 14 miles to Eagle River.  Jan could then have the car every day.

One time in the summer, I was working at Bettles (a BLM site up in the interior).

That was a pretty common work day.  We would fly out to a BLM site early in the morning, do our work, and fly back home in the evening.  For this trip, I had left my bike at the BLM Office.

I was able to get a BLM flight back to Anchorage in a BLM twin Cessna.   The plane landed at the Campbell airstrip and let everyone off.

The pilot’s final destination was Merrill Field.  I loaded my bike in the back of the plane and flew over to Merrill.  There I was at midnight, in sunlight, biking back to my duplex.