Bird to Gird

I love bike riding.  It's probably one of my favorite things to do up here on a sunny summer day (or rainy, I can't be too picky considering where we currently live).  I love the trail system around town and that it connects just at the end of our street.  Maddie and I often will take a ride mid-afternoon together (though sometimes I do get a bit scared of the moose and occasional crazy folk I pass along the way).  But my favorite is when Matt comes with me in the evenings or weekends.  

Such as this past weekend when we loaded up our gear and headed to a trail that rides along the inlet from Bird Point (a lookout/town area/point on the map about 20 min south from Anchorage) to Girdwood (where the big ski resort is).  It is 13-miles round trip to a strip mall that has a bakery, ice cream shop and pizza.  So you can negate all the calories you burned along the way.

We were uninformed that you basically bike straight up to this ridge and back down  - just to do it again on the way back.  And since it's on the inlet, the wind was ridiculous!  Matt took the chariot on the way there (thankfully) while I carried the bear spray and led the way...

...while I took Maddie on the way back.  We certainly worked those donuts we had for breakfast off...and possibly those burgers we had for lunch.  hah.

But the views were beautiful.

 And Maddie had a great time nap.

3/4 of the way there Matt realized his break was sticking.  Made the last mile seem super easy. :)

 Enjoying our treats (and the sunshine) before heading back.

Other than the bear scat we saw on the trail - which made me slightly freak out and sing at the top of my lungs the whole time to scare them away - I loved it.  Maybe we can do it again before summer ends...that gives us approximately 3 weeks...