...Bishop Creek fatbike loop

THE ROUTE:  Bishop Creek Picnic Area>Bishop Creek beach>cross Bishop Creek>ride beach to Nikishka Beach Road>Kenai Spur Hwy>back to Bishop Creek Picnic Area.
TERRAIN:  hard pack trail, beach sand/gravel/rocks, bike trail, pavement.
DISTANCE:  19.6 miles

Carrying the fatbike across Bishop Creek at 5:30 AM.

The view from the handlebars looking south after crossing Bishop Creek.  Away we go!

Rock gardens=difficult fatbiking.

Narrow passage.

The boulder at Boulder Point.

For some unknown reason this beaver was in Cook Inlet.

The fatbike in front of Nikishka Bay.

I was so happy to see this sign.  The truck is not far away.

Self-portrait at the end of the ride.

At 5:30 AM, I was crossing Bishop Creek with the fatbike on my shoulder.  I had been anticipating this ride all week and was anxious to cross the stream and start pedaling.  The tide was just beginning to recede as I got on the bike and looked south.  It would be 9.87 miles of riding on beach sand/gravel/rocks before I reached the exit road near Arness Dock.  And, it turned out to be a beautiful beach ride indeed.  Of course, it would be followed with ~10 miles of pavement which I was looking forward to with much less eagerness, but I really wanted to complete this loop.  So, away I went.

This part of the beach gets very little use and is really in pristine condition.  There are a couple of houses along the way, but I only saw one set of four-wheeler tracks and a couple sets of footprints which didn't go far.  I enjoyed pedaling through rock gardens and on hard packed sand, and some loose gravel.  As I rounded Boulder Point I couldn't believe that I was almost done with the beach and in reality I wasn't.  It was much farther than it looked and took a good 45 minutes to get from the point to the exit road near Arness Dock.  After that the pedaling was easy on pavement all the way back to Bishop Creek Picnic Area.  The traffic was light and I recognized several people as they passed me on the highway.

By the time I got back to the truck my legs were shot and my seat was...well...very sore.  Still, I was elated that I had made the trip and began dreaming up several other fatbike loops for future rides.  Given the condition of my muscles I don't think there will be one tomorrow.  I'm not as young as I used to be.  But, it is nice to have ridden far enough to feel the effects of the...Bishop Creek fatbike loop.