Adventures with my sister

Whew! A busy, fun-filled and active week.

My sister just left. She was up here for 10 glorious and wonderful days

C lives in Philly, and I miss her terribly when we're apart. (Please move up to Alaska, C, okay?) But what is it about sisters that is so special, so warm and comforting? Maybe it's because, having grown up together, you feel connected in ways stronger than language, stronger than thought.

Growing up, C and I shared a room, and sometimes I think that all of those years of breathing together through the nights knotted us in a bond too tight to ever break. Whatever the case, she is my youngest sister, and I love her so much. (Sorry to get so mushy here.)

My younger sister, C, in her cool biking duds.

We started our adventures with a short run over the Campbell Creek Trails.

One of my favorite bridges (and there are often bears around this salmon-rich creek but thankfully not this time)

The next day, we ran the Big Wild Life Run half-marathon. Since I had just spent a sleepless week getting in my final pass novel edits, I opted to run, not race.

An hour before the race, catching some extra zzzzs on the futon. Yes, I was that tired.

I ended up with my slowest time ever (1:57) though one of the advantages of not pushing oneself is that the race actually becomes a training run and is therefore quite enjoyable (except, of course, it becomes a very expensive training run, once you figure in the entry fee, sigh, sigh).

Race day was dreary and rainy. This is what Anchorage looks like a good part of the summer: Overcast and dull. If I didn't run, I'd go crazy.

After C and spent a day eating pretzels and recovering from the race, we hit the trails. Oh, oh, oh, how I love Alaska on beautiful summer days!

The next day, we set out on a 26-mile bike ride over the Coastal Trail and other areas of Anchorage.

Westchester Lagoon, in the sunshine

The beach and mudflats, in the sunshine

My favorite bike sign, hee, hee. The hill coming down from Kincaid Park along Raspberry Road goes downhill for almost two miles. It's awesomely fast, and we couldn't stop smiling. It was like being a kid again.

The coolest thing is that there were three moose alongside the Coastal Trail up by Kincaid, and my sister got some really great pics.

Check out the rack on this bad boy.

 

 

The next day, we climbed Mt. Alyeska out in Girdwood and rode back down in the tram. It was another gorgeous day, no rain in sight plus almost no one else around. We passed only one other couple on the trail the whole climb.

 

 

View from almost the top, along with the tram rails.

View from the top. The buildings are part of Alyeska Resort.

The cool thing about the tram is that if you hike up the mountain, the ride down is free (!!). If you ride up and hike down, it'll cost you $20.

The day after our climb, we rode mountain bikes around Elkutna Lake. It was yet another sunny day (I think C brought the sun with her, because it prompty rained the day after she left)

The trail in the pic is actually part of an off-road trail and was fairly smooth. The beach trail wasn't. It was bumps and rocks and bumps and rocks so that my arms, shoulders and neck ached from the constant jolts. Still, it was a blast, and the scenery was to die for.

Not my pic (my camera battery died), but this is exactly how it looked during the ride.

Again,not my pic but wish it were, hee, hee. The water was brilliant green in places, just awesome.

My sister left late Saturday night and I miss her terribly.

Hope everyone got in some great family and outdoor time. And if you have a sister, give her a call, okay?


Running: 20 miles, weekly total
Writing: Not a damned word, baby