It seemed like winter was coming early two weeks ago. We had a few flurries in town, and temperatures were below freezing for most of the week. But last week our hopes of an early winter in Anchorage were squashed by rain and 40 degrees.
Right now I'm getting my gear ready for winter. My first winter bike is done. Since I will be using it mostly for commuting to work, I decided on studded tires. I imagined myself in the middle of Old Seward and Dimond, going down on a patch of ice in the dark. Yeah, I need studs. I got a fatter version of tire - the Nokian Freddy Revenz Lite. I believe this is the fattest tire they make with studs, but I could be wrong. But my 2.3's are nothing compared to the tires I saw this past weekend. Friday night I met Brian and a few of his biking friends at Speedway Cycles to watch a movie and drink beer. It was also an opportunity for everyone to show off their new winter bikes. Wait, "winter bikes"? I never thought I would use the phrase "winter bikes". I love Alaska. Anyway, I have to admit, even though I've been an advocate of not spending a ton of money on gear, I do have a bit of fat tire envy. There may be an upgrade in my future.
The leaves are down. The ice is forming. The snow line is begging to come down to me. Or is that the other way around? The sun is hanging behind the Chugach until 10 am every morning. The skis and climbing equipment are sitting in a sort of purgatory of winter gear. And I am sitting and waiting for winter to arrive.
Well, not actually sitting. In the meantime, I have been getting better acquainted with my running shoes. I took these pictures on my run today. The ice is starting to form on Goose Lake. So maybe winter will come tomorrow?
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