Springtime in Alaska

Thanks to the generous hospitality of Heidi and David Baines and their delightful children, BikerBuck had a marvelous 3-day weekend in Anchorage and managed to slip in a beautiful 33- miler with Honolulu pals Dwight and Elizabeth Lowrey on a spectacular Saturday one week ago.

We rode out-and-back from Alyeska Resort near Girdwood to Indian on a beautiful multi-use path beside the dramatic Turnagain Arm. A bit chilly in the morning, clear and sunny all day.

Wide variety of scenes along the way.

Breathtaking vistas in all directions. There were pull-offs every mile or so with interesting historical markers and botanical facts, plus frequent telescope mounts for a close up look at glaciers and geological features in the area.

Lupins add a colorful accent to the lush carpet along the way.

Dwight has just passed by a black bear who was dining on the vegetation on the very edge of the path.  We were alerted to the bear's location by passing cyclists who barked out the yardage and location of the critters we were about to encounter.  A nearby moose kill was attracting brown bears (which are grizzlies only larger) but we encountered none.

Turnagain Arm's bore tide is the second highest in North America, leaving epic mud flats exposed for as far as the eye can see. More: http://www.alaskascenes.com/turnagain.html

The return ride back to Alyeaska brought warmth and new vistas making the out-and-back route a unique experience for the entire 52.8km ride.

 Mahalo to the Baines family and Lizzy & Dee, for a wonderful AK experience.

 

Next on the plan to git 'er done is BikerBuck's Sweet Sixteen. The destinations are three upper mid-west states plus the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.  BB plans to be on the road from late August through September to ride his remaining 16 states.  In the meantime he'll be taking care of biz in Honolulu and perhaps sneaking in a little fishin' trip up in B.C.  Here's wishing everyone a great Summer!