Expedition Team: Dave Miller, Rosie Miller Expedition Date: June 30, 2018
We flew into Anchorage the night before. Anchorage’s population of 300,00 has 41% of the people in the entire street. Stayed at the Ramada Inn on East 3rd Street. Didn’t know it as we slept but Alaska had a 4.4 earthquake. The next morning for breakfast I had eggs and ate my first reindeer sausage (hope it wasn’t Rudolph).
We rented bicycles in Anchorage and biked the 24 mile Coastal Bike Trail (photos#2-#4) overlooking Cook Inlet. We came to a park that had a frisbee golf course. Fairways were tight, weedy and many tree obstacles.
Came to another park, Earthquake Park (Photo#5), that had a display showing lots of photos from the devastating 1964 quake. Biked past lots of beautiful wild flowers and dangerous mud flats during low tide which created deadly quicksand like mud (Photo#6). Local bikers told us if you fall face first you will get a “free mud flat glacial facial”. Beautiful vista views of the bay and distant mountains.
On the way back around mile marker 18, I snapped a photo of a moose (Photo#7) napping just off the bike trail. I glad he didn’t get up and charge me, but I did stay a safe distance behind a tree.
In Anchorage, biked to the local street fair market to sample local food and view paintings, crafts and booths. By coincidence the Blue Angels were performing an air show and the jets zoomed overhead. The Blue Angels had just performed at Dayton two weeks before. We listened to a band and met a very old Alaskan native named Laleeana (Photo#9). Rosie bought some bear spray and hiking poles.
