Fat Tire Biking to the Cross Cabin Again

Molly and I had such a nice time biking to the Cross Cabin last weekend we decided to go again.  This time my Mom and Dad joined us.  Dad took the supplies with the snowmachine so our bikes were even lighter than last weekend.  Just an inch or so of new snow had fallen making the trail softer but still relatively easy biking.

Dad and I got a few jobs done around the cabin and I still had time for a snowmachine ride out to Clear Creek.  I enjoyed plotting the trails using the Gaia app on my phone.  Sitting around the wood stove with family and chocolate was a was a great way to spend Valentines weekend.

Dad and I talking about the trails

Molly and I headed out to Talkeetna

Birthday Fat Tire Bike Trip

Marta enjoying the April heat in a tank top!

Ann Marie cruising through the woods

Saturday was Ryan's birthday and we went on a fat tire bike adventure to the cabin with my cousin and a friend. Ryan was up there two weekends ago on a snowmachine and the trail was in good condition. Since then it has snowed a bit, but it has also been very warm (mid to high-40's during the day). We knew we were taking a bit of a risk with bad trail conditions, but sometimes doing something the slightly hard way is better than not doing it at all, and that was definitely the case!

When we started out late Saturday morning it was already warm and the trail was slushy. We were sliding around quite a bit and having a hard time staying on our bikes. About 100 yards into the nine mile ride, Ryan looked at me and said "Is it too slushy?" My response was "Well, we can always walk."

The first 4 1/2 miles of trail are usually easy as it follows the railroad tracks, is flat, and wide, but honestly it was quite challenging yesterday. Once we got into the woods, the next roughly 4 miles were a mix of very challenging slush with very deep puddles we had to avoid, and fairly hard sections that were comparatively easy. Unfortunately when we got to the last turn-off in the trail (the trail that goes only to our cabin), we realized how much it actually had snowed since the last time Ryan was there; the trail wasn't even visible. The snow was too soft to ride on top, so we pushed our bikes and post-holed/tried to stay on top of knee-deep snow for the last half mile. I was just happy it wasn't waist-deep!

At the cabin we enjoyed the sunshine until it clouded up, then we lounged around the woodstove drinking cocktails. Shortly thereafter, it hailed, then it snowed, and snowed, and snowed, or so it seemed (and it was in the 40s!). It was still so warm when we went to bed that I didn't think it would get below freezing for long that night and I didn't expect the trail to be much different on Sunday.

Ryan's birthday cake

On Sunday we left around 11 and when we made it back to the main trail we found that it was a thousand times better than it had been the day before! It was hard and the ~2" of new snow was fairly easy to break through. It was like a completely different ride. Ann Marie even said "So this is what snow biking is like!" It warmed up fast though and by the time we got to the railroad trail is was slushy again, but we couldn't complain at that point.

Warm enough for shorts!

Great trail conditions for fat tire biking!

Bikes, Bug, and Bats: A Summer Weekend at the Cabin

After our final walk though this weekend of our soon-to-be new condo, we drove to Talkeetna and headed out on mountain bikes to the family cabin.  Having panniers on our mountain bikes made the ride along the rutted four-wheeler trail through the woods manageable. The last part of the trail was completely overgrown as no one had been out there yet this summer, but with a little bush riding and walking we made it.

The mosquitoes in the woods were bad and we both got bit a lot, especially since I was wearing shorts and sandals.  Molly put on a head net but found was still hard to concentrate on biking because there were mosquitoes in her head net!  I blame at least one of my wipe outs on a mosquito biting my leg.

Luckily when we got to the cabin there was a strong breeze coming off the lake providing a great reprieve from the bugs.  The temperatures were in the upper 70s and the lake was so warm I went swimming four times.  I don't think I have ever spent so much time in the lake.

We have unfortunately been having a bat problem at the cabin.  Little brown bats have apparently been making themselves at home in the poles that form the roof on the cabin.  This time they have really made a mess and it time to take some drastic action.  We are currently debating the course forward but we may very well tear apart the roof from the top town to clean out these little critters and the mess they have made and then seal up poles so there is nowhere left to roost.  Either way we will need supplies and its always best to haul in building materials in the winter.  Whatever it takes, we will drive out the bats for good.

Molly ready to hit the trail

Biking on a easier part of the trail before the mosquitoes got bad

Row boat and the cabin

Swimming in the lake

View of Alaska Range from the trail