Milking summer for all it's worth

The fireweed has turned, the ferns are beginning to yellow; fall is upon us. The four weeks between summer and the long dark stretch of winter. We ride through the mud and the rain eking out that last bit of singletrack beneath an already low hanging sun.

Camping outside of Nikiski with Nathan, for arguably the best stretch of beach riding between Hope and Homer.

I took about 50 pictures of this crazy house built straddling the sandy bluff and a huge boulder, one earthquake or tidal wave away from oblivion.

Plenty of river crossings to keep things interesting and ensure our feet were soaked. The stream was a deep oxblood rust from all the high iron content. 

What makes this 10 miles of coastline great is the myriad of oddly shaped stones littering the beach; creating an endless playground. The GPS said we gained 500 feet of elevation despite riding below the tide line for much of the day. 500 ft of rock crawling and sweet jumps. 

At this exact moment, I was wondering how strong my carbon steer tube is...

Euro-trip throw back: lunch of bourbon and bocadillos. 

Getting rowdy. 

The beautiful Nikiski: where every street in town this named after a petroleum company.

On the way back to Anchorage we surveyed some other beach riding options but none compared to the precious day's jib fest on the rocks.

Flat can be beautiful but is also boring.

Kenai Lake

Time for some single track up Devil's Pass to keep life more interesting.

Hunters on horseback out for moose, caribou, bear, whatever. 

 It's very important for one's equilibrium and riding performance to make sure that your bike components, helmet, clothing,and beer are all color matched. 

We chased a black bear for a couple miles, scared him off the trail with our constant screaming and horrible singing.

'Twas a glorious weekend.

Riding around Anchorage has been awesome as well, blessed with a few sunny days after record setting rains, meant muddy muddy trails.  I was impressed with the traction that the Vee Rubber Trail Taker 650b x 2.4 tires provided, allowing me to safely and stably peddle up the lung and leg burning Power Line Trail, a steady rise of over 3,000 ft out of the Anchorage city bowl.  

Great way to spend the afternoon, just out my back door.

The month of Fall in Alaska also means beautiful sunsets!


Cursing across town for a beach BBQ first time i've needed headlights in a long while.
Fortunately the dynamo power never runs out.


Making good use of the xtracycle bringing firewood, camp chairs, beer, and food down to the beach off Cook Inlet.



That small speck in the distance is the tallest peak in North America, Denali.