A little bit of this, a little bit of that

Today was both a down day (as far as travel goes) and an errand day in preparation for hitting the road again tomorrow. I'll be heading down to the Kenai Peninsula. I have a hotel reservation in Seward tomorrow night and plan to ride down to Homer the next day. I'll ride to the End of the Road, then maybe out onto the Homer Spit, to where the road ends beyond the End of the Road(?).

Today three of us took two vehicles and drove to the Glen Alps Trailhead on a plateau under the shadow of Flat Top Mountain. I was on my bike so I could go my separate way on the return leg of our adventure; Scott and Bev were in their car with Bev's bike in the back so she could pedal back from the north side of Anchorage and get her workout in.

 Getting to the trailhead was half the challenge. The road climbed nearly forever, eventually opening into a large, fully loaded parking area. We drove through it to the spur that led to overflow parking, where we were able to find a couple of parking spaces. By the time we departed the overflow had overflown to encompass parking along the one side of the spur.

The hike was only about a mile in length with very little elevation gain, but the sight was selected because of the panoramic views of Anchorage and the surroundings. 

In the background were the Knik Arm, Turnagain Arm and Cook Bay. To the south was the distant outline of the peninsula I will begin to explore tomorrow.

It was a great overview of the lay of the land but the real payoff was 180 degrees removed. Breathtaking views of snow spotted peaks, reaching toward the heavens from glaciated valleys flush with greenery. 

Seldom are you afforded such grandeur without having to hike to the point of exhaustion first. In hiking we call them Sound of Music moments, a homage to the opening scene of the 1965 musical classic where the camera, skillfully following Julie Andrews dance of joy, slowly pulls skyward to view the Austrian Alps in all of its magnificence.

(What are the odds they catch her in the exact same pose in front of two different backdrops?)

Upon completion of our hike/photo session we returned to the parking lot where incoming motorists sat and waited for us to vacate parking spaces.

After winding back down to earth I followed The Girls through the southern streets of Anchorage to a Cabela's store. It was my intention to find something to increase my comfort level in the rain; something warmer and dryer. I looked at wet-suit booties, thinking they might fit inside my shoes, but they had only Small and Medium sizes. I did pick-up a new Fleece mid-layer (it was on sale for $18!) and got a nice picture of a moose in Isle 2.

Saw the real thing aside Highway 1 yesterday when all cameras were fully stored away

A short distance north of Cabela's was the Anchorage H-D dealer, which shared a parking lot with a shop that rented dual sport BMWs. As I shut my engine off a young man, apparently renting a bike, committed the ultimate gaffe. Sitting astride the bike he raised the kickstand but then found himself unable to maintain the bikes vertical posture. In what surely must have seemed like slow-motion to him, the bike slowly leaned to the left as he struggled to keep it righted. As it slowly continued to lean he finally reached the point of no return where the bike went down with a thud on its side, he stepping out of the way so as not to be pinned beneath it. Rentee came to the assistance of Renter and it was soon upright again.

The Harley dealer had exactly what I was looking for. A toe boot that slid over the shoe, then sides extended behind the heel, held in place with Velcro clasp. Unfortunately, it was sold as part of a complete rain pants set, at a price of $165! Well, it did say Harley Davidson on it...

I asked them if the boot covers were sold separately out of the H-D catalog. The young lady looked and found that they (or a similar item) were indeed available. A phone call quickly discovered that the H-D dealer in Wasilla (50 miles to the north) had my size in stock so I bought them, to be picked up mid-week on my way through town!

From there it was a mad dash back up to Eagle River in an attempt to beat the rain clouds moving up through the valley. Made it, and my shoes are still dry.

Tonight is a Solstice party from 6 to sundown, which is at ... Hmmm, could be a long party!