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Dixie Doodle curled tightly in her pet carrier. She peered cautiously out of the grated door. She was in for a ride longer than some cats have in all nine lives.

Dixie is on her way to Alaska, and she is traveling on the back of her owner's bike.

Yampa resident Jimmy Westlake decided to embark on the solo bike trip for the 10-year anniversary of a bicycle trek he took to Alaska in 1993 to celebrate his 40th birthday. On his first trip, he took his cat Charlotte. Now, it is Dixie's turn. She and Westlake left Steamboat Springs on Wednesday.

Westlake said he depends on his cat for companionship during the ride.

"It keeps me from getting too focused on myself," Westlake said. This way, he knows he has to take care of his pet, too, he said.

Also, he said bringing along a feline friend makes him feel safer.

"People look at you differently," Westlake said. Strangers are less likely to mess with a man with a cat, he said.

Westlake said that he knows his trip will be rewarding.

"It was really a life-altering experience," he said of his 1993 journey. "Everyday was a new adventure."

Westlake is carrying camping gear, five changes of clothes, one day's worth of food and Dixie's cage on the back of his bike. He also brought along his laptop and digital camera to document his trip. All of the gear is piled onto his bike and strapped down tightly with bungee cords.

He carries the food in case he can't find a restaurant to eat at, he said.

Westlake said he plans to stay in a hotel every fourth or fifth night of his ride. The other nights, he will camp in a tent.

He hopes to arrive in Anchorage on July 31. Westlake will travel about 100 miles a day. His wife, Linda, will meet him in Alaska and the two will fly back to Colorado with Dixie.

Westlake, a professor of astronomy and chemistry at Colorado Mountain College, doesn't plan to leave work behind even on such a physically demanding adventure. He will use his laptop to monitor an online correspondence course while he travels.

Westlake said he expects the most difficult part of his trip will be ending it, as was the case with his previous trip.

He said the day-to-day spontaneity and excitement is what he misses the most when a trip is complete.

Westlake's son, Jason, will be uploading digital pictures of the bicycle trip frequently at jwestlake.home.mindspring.com.

-- To reach Erin Ragan call 871-4232

or e-mail intern@steamboatpilot.com