Riding along Turnagain Arm

Posted by Alaskology

Posted: June 23, 2008 - 2:49 pm

Gina, Laurel and Pat ride along the Indian-to-Girdwood Trail on Sunday. The sun came out for our trip back from Girdwood.

Solstice weekend wasn't everything I hoped for. It was raining Saturday morning, and then again on Sunday morning.

There was a lot to fit into the weekend too:

* A Friday-evening meeting that meant I didn’t get home until 9.

* A Saturday wedding I couldn’t miss in Sutton. (I did marry the couple after all.)

* A Sunday appointment with a messy garage that needed some serious help. (Sadly, it still needs help, but it's on the way to recovery.)

So this weekend wasn’t the photogenic, outdoor-loving adventure I might have liked.

But last Sunday, we had a great time riding our bikes with friends on the Indian-to-Girdwood Trail. (Some people still call this thing the Bird-to-Gird Trail, which sounds much cooler but simply isn’t correct. The thing starts in Indian and goes to Girdwood -- pretty simple.)

Gina and Laurel ride next to each other on the Indian-to-Girdwood Trail. In the background are the Kenai Mountains across Turnagain Arm.

It's a great ride. The trail runs alongside Turnagain Arm and the Seward Highway. While you are near the highway most of the time, you don’t spend too much time right next to it – so you don’t spend the day sucking exhaust fumes.

When the sun is out and wind is light, it's one of the best rides around. We had plans to do it again yesterday, but the wind was not light and the garage was calling, so we'll have to postpone it until another time.

-- Steve

The views from the Indian-to-Girdwood Trail include some impressive scenery, including this look at the Kenai Mountains across Turnagain Arm.

Laurel, Gina and Pat ride toward Girdwood along the trail. The trail is mostly flat -- the highest elevation is a little more than 300 feet above sea level.

login or register to post comments