Moose

The wildlife here is amazing- moose, bald eagles, and more mosquitos than I've ever seen in Minnesota. I will issue a full report when I return to the lower 48. A few quick updates: first of all, it completely freaks me out that there is daylight until almost midnight. I went on a "night" mountain bike ride a few nights ago.

Tonight, I borrowed the mountain bike and went on a quick, almost two hour ride. I'm finding my way around better on this, my third time out on a bike. Anchorage has the most amazing commuter bike trails on any city I've seen in the US- it rivals many European cities in accessibility. It blows any city out of the water in terms of the natural greenways and nature preserves. You can be in the heart of the city- and have no idea. There are spots that feel entirely remote and inaccessible. It truly is amazing. Tonight I explored off-road on a series of service roads to maintain some powerlines. Nothing too technical, as I'm much more of an urban rider. I followed the road until I found a series of rooty trails of some sort that appeared to have bike tracks. I followed those across a series of small hills and down to a boggy swamp. As I rode around the corner I found myself staring at a huge moose and two calves. I quickly stopped. The moose merely stared at me and refused to yield. The moose slowly walked toward me, so I decided it was a good point to turn around. I did not have my camera at the time. At least I figured there were no bears in the area.

I wound around what turned out to be a series of cross country ski trails. I was a bit lost, but found my way to the main trail. I ended up back on a paved path following a creek toward downtown and the coast. I then hopped on the coastal trail for a bit, then turned around to head back for a salmon feast. Yesterday we spent six hours on an open boat fishing king salmon. I ended up with an eighteen pounder. I caught a smaller one earlier, but gambled and opted to release her. The limit is one per day, five per year. My gamble paid off. Anyway, back to the ride home. As I was heading back, a guy heading the opposite direction mentioned to me, "moose on the trail." Again, there was a moose. On the trail. He wasn't in any hurry. Several bikers were waiting for it, offering a comfortable buffer. I don't know much about moose, but they are big, and they are wild animals. I don't feel the need to be too close to nature.

I hadn't mountain biked in years. I had an old hard tail- loaded with old technology from the early 90s, but it was so trashed when I was through with it that I literally left it behind when we moved several years ago. I am fully uncouth on a mountain bike. The bike I recently borrowed has a smooth 8-speed setup with a decent suspension fork. It weighs a ton, and has wheels that belong on a tractor, but I'm getting into it. I had planned on renting a road bike, but I'm having too much fun at the moment. I may well be afflicted, as I want one. We already have seven bikes between my wife and me, and now she is wanting a laptop... and I really wouldn't mind one either. Funny how being an adult is little different than being a child. It is all about toys.

Anyway, I guess I encountered four moose in one ride.