What an Amazing First Day and...

 It’s only 2p.   Despite my early am arrival, I still woke up a the crack of dawn.  Given it was almost 9a my time, I decided to get up and get the day started.  I figured I’d walk to find coffee and then come back to my room for a morning nap and get a later start to my day.   However, that plan was quickly adjusted. After my early morning walk  for  and a beautiful lake view while enjoying my coffee, I was inspired and ready to start my day.

I decided to rent a bike and ride along the coastal trail.   It runs from downtown Anchorage to Kincard park, with several parks and lookout points along the way. https://anchoragecoastaltrail.com/

After my travel hassles yesterday, what a magical way to start this adventure.   It’s like you are biking through a forest of aspen trees but then go around a bend and there are beautiful views of snow covered mountains on one side and coastal views on the other.

Technically I had seven, yes, seven moose sightings.  The first one was very far away, across a busy road right before I got on the trail, so that one doesn’t really count. But then about 30 minutes into the ride, I came across a group of women with several dogs stopped off to the side of the trail. I slowed down as I approached them, and they gave me a heads up there was a moose on the path up ahead. I stopped and stepped aside as well and watched the moose slowly make his/her way along the path, toward us before ventured slowly into the woods. I was a little nervous considering there were 7 dogs watching, any one of which could potentially spook the moose.  But they were all quiet as church mice, respected its size and didn’t bark or charge.  I was able to snap  a couple of pics before he ventured deeper into the woods. 

I continued on my journey  and stopped in Kincard park to enjoy a protein bar before heading back.  On my way back I spotted a mamma and two calves in the marshy area below the trail.  They were quite far away, so I was able to admire them from a safe distance.    Such a site to see!

After I spent some time admiring mama and her babies, I hopped back on to the trail.  I had only been on the trail about 15 minutes, when I spotted a couple stopped off to the side of the trail and two moose munching on some shrubs, inches from the trail.  I stopped as well, as I did not want to bike by these huge moose that close!  A few folks biked right past them without a second thought and the moose didn’t seem to mind.  However, I still waited until the moose turned away from the trail and continued to nibble on the shrubs before I moved on.   As I was biking away, a family came walking up the trail and the dad shouted “moosu” to his kids and they started running toward the moose.   He screamed for them to not get too close but I was still nervous they were going to spook the moose and hoped they wouldn’t charge at the kids.    

I was planning to take the path all way to downtown Anchorage before heading back to my hotel, but the gears on the bike stared to catch and I didn’t want to wind up having issues with the bike and potentially having to walk several miles to get the bike back.  So I headed back to the hotel for lunch.  

Feel so good to back on a great adventure!  It's been way too long since the Travelling Hillbilly has been on an epic adventure.  It feeds my soul.

All and all a great start to my first day.  Not it's time for lunch and an afternoon nap.   Maybe I’ll rent another bike and finish the ride to downtown later.  Given it doesn’t get dark here until after 10 or 11p, I could squeeze in a another ride after dinner.