Riding

I have ridden my bike everyday for four days now. I love to ride my bike, it lets me get places that my pathetic feet would never allow me to go. However, I have yet to take my camera or some binoculars. These are just to bulky and get in the way of a good clean ride. And, while riding I have been hearing sooo much gorgeous birdsong, that I have to keep reminding myself that it is not safe to bike and bird. In fact, it is like a mantra when I ride. Argghhh.....I think I must be driving Tom crazy with that.

Last night was Mighty Bikes. It is a group of kids and parent coaches that teach the kids mountain biking skills two nights a week during the summer. Many of the same folks that are involved in Anchorage Junior Nordic and Eagle River Nordic are there. Zoey's friend, Sarissa, bikes with this group, too. Since Tom and I do not coach this, we ride. Last year we rode with Vivi in a kiddo seat on the back of Tom's bike. This year we are riding with Vivi on the trail-a-bike. Vivi calls this her "sticked together" bike. She is loving it.

Tom and Vivi and I made it down to the beach at Kincaid Park last night. It is a special place, you do not feel that you are still in Anchorage. For being right on the ocean, Anchorage is not all that tied to the ocean. We are at the top of Cook Inlet and all access to the ocean is by bluff. Our tides are regularly 15 or 18 feet with 30 to 33 feet tides monthly. Our inlet is also full of glacial silt so that water is always grey, sometimes brown, but never true blue. This area is just so raw sometimes. We have very few beaches, in fact I think Kincaid is the only one. We have cliffs and dangerous mudflats.

So, it is a treat to go to the beach. While there I felt like a bumpkin, I was all amazed that the chocolate lilies were already blooming and that the beach pea (thank you www.aktrekking.com for the image) were out and gorgeous. Since our house is at about 2200 feet above sea level and the beach is at sea level, our chocolate lilies are only now even THINKING about blooming.

I will try to take the camera biking with me soon as there is so much to show you. Especially Vivi on her sticked-together bike.