Ringing in the New Year in Anchorage

More photos.

I decided to do something new for New Years this year, and booked a ticket up to Anchorage for the long weekend. Which meant of course I needed to bring the Pugsley along, since it was designed for that sort of thing.

On the ride out to the Seattle airport, the weather was somewhat appropriate, with snow and then freezing rain. That didn't last too long, before it changed to just rain. It was my first time flying with a bike that needed to be boxed, so I had to ask around to locate a box and figure out the procedure. To fit the Pugs in the box, I had to remove the pedals, handlebars, and front wheel, and also lower the seat. But no other disassembly required, given the large size of the box. Of course, for the outrageous fee the airline was charging for shipping a bike, the box should be large! (Note: bike fees vary wildly from airline to airline, from nothing up to $100 each way, so it makes sense to check them out before you book a flight -- and also make sure the airline doesn't have a oversize luggage embargo in place for the time period and place you are traveling!)

The flight was uneventful, and the Pugs came through unscathed. I ended up paying to store the box at the left luggage office, since the airline didn't have any boxes available at the Anchorage airport, and taking a taxi to and from the airport with the biked box would cost more than storing it.

Over the next few days I explored Anchorage by bike, following various trails (snow-covered, but periodically groomed for the benefit of skiers), back streets, and sidewalks. I can't say Anchorage is all that bike friendly, at least in the winter. The trails are nice, if you have a suitable bike, and if they happen to go roughly where you want. The roads are not so inviting, since there usually isn't much of a plowed shoulder, and watching cars skid and slide all over the road doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence that you aren't going to get mowed down out in the road. So I often traveled on the sidewalks. That was an adventure, and probably requires a Pugsley or other fatbike, given that often the sidewalks aren't cleared, and they seem to serve more as a repository for snow that has been plowed from the street. The Pugs was able to handle pretty much everything I encountered, though I still had to watch out for patches of glare ice, especially while turning. I also encountered several moose, and had to make a couple of detours to avoid them. No wolf sightings, even though several people warned me about them before I left Seattle, since there had just been a story about wolf problems near Anchorage in the news.

I also got together with some local fatbike riders, who took me out for some rides: trails in the woods outside of town, out on the frozen mud flats amidst the ice chunks on the inlet, and up to Eklutna Lake to ride a trail along the lake, with excellent views of the surrounding mountains. These rides were a great introduction to snow biking on the Pugs, since I encountered a variety of different snow conditions to play with. Fortunately, the weather was pretty good my entire stay, the temperatures around -4 deg C (about 25 deg F), so not too cold, and little wind. A couple of sunny days, a few days of overcast, and occasional light snow flurries. I wore pretty much what I wear in Seattle for biking this time of year, except with warmer mittens instead of light gloves, heavier socks and boots, and a heavy fleece balaclava. My feet would often start to get cold after being out for a few hours, but otherwise I stayed plenty warm.



I also rode Critical Mass, which as a ride was actually pretty pathetic, as only about 10 people showed up and we just made one quick loop around downtown before heading to a bar for a couple of drinks. I did meet some interesting folks at CM though, including an anarchist vulcanologist, and ended up heading back to a local's home with about half of the CM turnout for some food, more drinks, and conversation.

Another night, I rode the trails out to Goose Lake, which was completely frozen over. An approximately mile long course had been cleared of the powdery snow covering the lake, and the Frigid Bits folks where having a multi-lap bike race out on the ice. I arrived a bit late, and wasn't sure how my wide but non-studded tires would do on the ice, so I didn't race. After the race, I did a lap on a borrowed bike with studded tires, and later another lap with the Pugs. The studs definitely had the advantage on the ice, although given there was a thin layer of packed down snow, the Pugs didn't have many problems either. There was also a barrel fire (in a nicely customized barrel with bike shaped cut outs) as well as a barbecue and plenty of beer, and I got to chat with a bunch of local riders and get some good information for possible future Alaskan trips. I also picked up a variety of fatbike tips.



New Years Eve was fairly low key. I headed downtown about 10:30 pm, since I heard there was supposed to be something going on down there, and had seen some setup taking place that morning. But it was nearly deserted, and apparently whatever had happened had taken place ealier in the day and was long over. So I headed out to a dive bar that a few people I'd met had mentioned they would be at, hung out there, and ended up riding back around 3 am, enjoying the mostly empty streets, spotting a couple of moose, passing occasional groups of drunken revelers.

*

Back in Seattle now, I get off my red-eye flight, and blearily collect my bags and reassemble the Pugs. Outside, I am greeted by the rain, a typical grey Seattle winter morning. I feel like I am zooming along blazingly fast as I ride into work from the airport, back to riding on the road on with smooth, bare pavement. A big change from crunching slowly through snow and having to worry about sliding on ice patches. But as I drowsily fly down the asphalt, pelted by cold rain drops, I'm already dreaming of future adventures in the North, out into the wilderness next time, into the real Alaska.