NIKISKI TO HOMER FATBIKE TRIP

DISTANCE:  119 miles
TERRAIN:  Cook Inlet beach
TIME:  4 days

Bouys and fatbikes with Cook Inlet and Mt. Redoubt in the distance.

Doug Armstrong surveys the scene as dipnetters fish at the mouth of the Kenai River.

Doug watches as a dipnetter catches a salmon from Cook Inlet.

Doug cruises down the beach between Kenai and Kasilof.

A loaded fatbike.

We stayed at the Ninilchik View Campground on the second night of our trip.

Happy Valley falls.

Happy Valley falls and fatbiker.

Doug pedals toward Kachemak Bay on the final morning of the trip.

We went into the Salty Dawg when we reached the end of the Homer Spit.  We were only there for about three minutes.

Day 1 (Nikiski to Kasilof):  Doug Armstrong and I began riding our fatbikes on the beach in Nikiski, Alaska.  We rode to the mouth of the Kenai River where we watched dipnetters fish for red salmon.  Then we rode up to Charlotte's restaurant in Kenai where we met our families for lunch.  Afterward we loaded the bikes in the truck and Mrs. Huffy drove us to the south side of the mouth of the Kenai River.  Doug and I then rode to the mouth of the Kasilof River where Mrs Huffy and Emily were waiting for us.  We spent the night at our homes in Nikiski.

Day 2 (Kasilof to Ninilchik):  The next morning we drove to the south side of the Kasilof River where we packed our fatbikes with gear for the next three days and started pedalling.  Shortly after we started we encountered an odd individual on the beach.  He was pacing back and forth, talking to himself and waving his hands in the air.  I stopped to talk with him for a couple of minutes and listened to him rant about not being able to fish, then I quickly moved on down the beach.  The riding was good but the wind began building and by noon it was blowing like a banshee.  It would stop us in our tracks whenever we quit pedalling.  We talked to some commercial fishermen on the beach near Clam Gulch and found out they were also fatbike riders.  After a long day we finally arrived at Ninilchik and rode up to the campground where the wind was less fearsome.  This day turned out to be the longest in terms of mileage.  We spent the night at Ninilchik View Campground.

Day 3 Ninilchik to Anchor Point):  We woke up and rode to the coffee shop before making breakfast.  After eating we loaded our bikes and set out for Anchor Point.  The wind had subsided considerably and the riding was very pleasant.  We passed a sea otter and noticed there weren't any fishing nets in the inlet this far south.  When we got to the Anchor River we discovered it was too deep to cross.  It took some time to find a route up the bluff to the highway and ultimately to the campgrounds along the Anchor River.  Once we got a campsite we played a couple of games of Scrabble on Doug's Kindle before making dinner.  Then it was time for sleep.

Day 4 (Anchor Point to Homer):  We left Anchor Point on the final morning of our trip heading for Homer where we planned to meet our families.  The beach leaving Anchor Point was great but it soon turned into lots of rock gardens which were difficult to negotiate on fatbikes.  We finally made it to the Oceanview RV Park and rode up to the pavement toward the Homer Spit.  Along the way we stopped in to say 'hi' to Pat Irwin at Free Spirit Bike Wear.  He and his wife Kathy were great inspirations and provided lots of information for our trip through their website.  We also stopped at Homer Sapiens to say 'hi' to Kammi Matson.  Then it was off to the Salty Dawg where we pretty much just passed through and made our way to a place for a lunch of fish and chips.  We were met by Mrs. Huffy, Emily, Rose Armstrong and John, her father, and Doug's friend Bill.  We had a great time at lunch sharing stories about the trip and talking of future rides.  Then it was time to load everything up and drive back to Nikiski.  It was great to ride in the truck on the way back and see the places we had ridden past.  It was a great ride and I can't wait to do it again!