evening ride

Downtown Anchorage with the clouds stacked up against the mountains.

I set off after work for a little road ride - road and some greenbelt trail. But just four miles from the shop, almost too quickly to detect, I was stung by a bee. The sharp pain in my thigh marked every pedal stroke so I pulled over to check it out. Didn't look so bad, so I continued. One block later I turned around.

I'd just passed the fire station before the bee stung, so headed back to #15 for a bit of help. The guys - Tim and Mike asked if I was allergic, checked for the stinger and gave me ice. We sat around talking bikes and trails for awhile as we made sure it didn't swell much. A little pain killing ointment & bandage and I was on my way. Thanks guys...

I almost cut the ride short, but as the pain subsided, I decided I could do the loop out to the Coastal Trail, then Chester Creek back to the east side. Lots of people were out this sunny evening but I was happy to be away from traffic and enjoying the woods with views of the inlet.

Here it is, August, and I've finally started getting into the road biking groove. Even though I'm much more of a mountain biker, it's nice to go fast and light too. There are so many great ways to enjoy biking; it's a wonder not everyone does it.