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Mining company uncovers gigantic deposits of gold and copper in the Alaskan wilderness, but the discovery could mean big changes for the state
NONDALTON, Alaska —Fly overhead in a bush plane — there are no roads between native villages — and marvel: Eight giant rivers braid across hundreds of miles of wetlands, carving cobalt ribbons through snow-coned mountains before emptying into Bristol Bay.
To hear some mountain bikers tell it, joyous downhill rides must be earned by laborious uphill pedaling. But Tom Rael, owner of Sun Mountain Bike Co. in El Centro, has found that many locals and tourists are willing to pay him for a lift to the top of Santa Fe National Forest trails just to enjoy the ride down.
In the late 1990s, Santa Fe County officials created a plan to link Santa Fe Community College to the Santa Fe Rail Trail by building a recreational path through property owned by Rancho Viejo de Santa Fe Inc. and Rancho Viejo Limited Partnership.
John Crenshaw curses himself every time he struggles to climb the steep, 300 vertical feet of Heartbreak Hill during the Santa Fe Century bike tour. No gear seems small enough on the half-mile gradient, which tips to 15.2 percent at times. His legs burn, he gasps for air and the top never comes soon enough. Worst of all, he has no one but himself to blame for his suffering -- he created Santa Fe Century and its route 20 years ago as president of the now defunct Sangre de Cristo Cycling Club.
Sunny and festive year round, this mountain town attracts cyclists from around the world because of its picturesque winding streets with clearly marked bicycle lanes.
As a remote sensing specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cameron Tongier can find his way around the woods. A former employee of the National Forest Service, Tongier has spent hundreds of hours in the field and holds a graduate degree in geography. Yet, like an increasing number of outdoor enthusiasts, he has nearly stranded himself by relying on a Global Positioning System receiver, or GPS.
OUTDOORS: Fork in the river 
