Cycle Anchorage

I have avoided, so far, posting about riding my bike all summer in Anchorage. However, two recent rides in the past two weeks have inspired me to start. 

The first ride was two and a half hours on my mountain bike on three paved trails, which allowed me to circumnavigate the northern half of Anchorage. On the ride I ran into parts of the trail under water, thanks to record breaking rain, several sustained climbs of a quarter mile or so, leading to long stints going downhill, a pint-sized moose, still not small, unadulterated views of Cook Inlet and downtown Anchorage from five miles west, and, near the end,  the ever present mist, which haunts the Chugach range in East Anchorage.

The pictures below will give you an idea of the view of downtown, the moose that traverse the bike paths, and a decent map of my journey.

The second ride was to Eagle River High School, my future employer, and back to Mila Street. It was much less exciting, but much more uphill on the way to Eagle River. This ride skirts the Glenn Highway running from Anchorage to Eagle River, and by proximity means more wind, more debris, and more noise. However, the views are unparalleled since the Chugach Range shadows the path to the east. No animals on this ride, but a couple of committed walkers, and a brave mother on a bike with child in tow.