For the past few weeks, I've been told about the plethora of bike paths crisscrossing Anchorage. The slow arrival of spring and copious amounts of snow and ice prevented exploring many of the creek side routes. The weather has finally warmed enough to keep above freezing at night, and the last remnants of snow have melted away. Time to explore!
It's no secret that traveling by bike slows you down, and opens your eyes to things you'd miss speeding along in a car. This is one of the things I love about bike touring and travel. Moving at pedal speed, you notice things like breweries hidden away in industrial parks (more common than you'd think in Anchorage), moose nibbling on green shoots, and potential fishing spots.
We are lucky to live close to many of Anchorages abundant bike paths. Two of the main ones, the Campbell Creek Path and Chester Creek Path diverge not far from our house. On Sunday, we headed downstream on the Campbell Creek Greenbelt though spruce and birch along the urban salmon and trout stream. I kept a close eye for potential fishing spots, and to my pleasure, I found plenty. The first pit stop was made at Anchorage Brewing for a quick adult refreshment before continuing on to the Coastal Trail. This path took us back north were were after 5 moose encounters later, we joined the Chester Creek Trail. A stop at Fire Island Bakery was necessary to fuel the final miles back home. In all we covered 35 miles by bike, mostly on separated paths. I've been in Anchorage a month, yet it took a 35 mile bike ride for me to finally feel like I know my way around the city.
