fall tour of anchorage

New bench along the Ship Creek Trail

After seeing how far the snow had crept down the mountains Saturday morning, today felt like a perfect day to take out the road bike. I never know how late into the season I'll ride on the skinny tires before parking it on a trainer for the winter and switching over to winter biking. So I did some chores and uploaded some photos while I waited for the temperature to rise. It didn't get much above 40 degrees and it's definitely time to bring out the fall boots.

Rhonda, Nancy & Mary Lee with their fabulous 3-speeds on
the Coastal Trail! I was drawn in by Nancy's pretty orange Electra.
I sold the blue Raleigh to Rhonda last summer. Oh, and the dog is Hershey.

I made a 36-mile loop from the East side to the coast and back, winding through neighborhood streets and along greenbelt trails. The leaves have been falling fast this week, some glued to the pavement by days of rain, others floating to the ground under light breezes. People were out on the trails bicycling, running or walking. They were bundled against the chill, but nearly everyone I passed had a nod or a smile. We're trying to get it while we can. We know that soon the cold, wet month of October will be here. The season that marks the long transition from summer to winter. Until then, I'll try to get out to savor these golden fall days.

Bike over Ship Creek. I don't know how - it just is.

On the Campbell Creek Trail.
The bear looks like it's stalking the ducks,
telling them: migrate already! Scram!