In the air lately, the pungent aroma of fall which seems unique to Spenard fills my nostrils. I'm not exactly sure which plants compose the distinctive scent that is the harbinger of winter. I think it's the high-bush cranberries or perhaps the frightening mutant fungi, then again it could be the decomposing cigarette butts. During the last couple of weeks, honks of geese overhead remind me that I need to inventory winter gear for our kids. I haven't heard our feathered tourists in a few days and am left wondering if they've all gone.
Spenard is the second oldest neighborhood in Anchorage, it was actually a separate town from Anchorage. It's one of the few neighborhoods within mid-town which maintained its arboreal character. Fish Creek, an important wildlife corridor, runs through Spenard, it enters near Arctic and 36th, runs west through trailer parks, body shops, and behind Center Bowl before disappearing under Minnesota and reappearing on the other side. It meanders by SBS and heads west towards Northwood and finally crosses Spenard near Gwennies and the Harley-Davidson Shop. After crossing Spenard it finally gains recognition at Fish Creek Park which is the start of a short green belt that ends at Barbara Street Park.
The creek, which at times seems to be begging to be put out of its misery continues to flow north across some beautiful properties along Brookside Drive until it parallels the railroad tracks which it follows as it crosses under Northern Lights Boulevard at Forest Park Drive. There it seems to capture the momentum of a more affluent neighborhood. It ducks under the tracks and through a short section of forest until it finally becomes idyllic habitat to birds, moose, and foxes. Lush green grasses and a series of serpentine paths seem to create a story book ending to a dirty struggling trickle which had no head waters. If you took a look at Fish Creek at a point Just south of McCain Loop and then again at the Coastal Trail, it'd be pretty hard to believe they were the one and same.
Spenard is the second oldest neighborhood in Anchorage, it was actually a separate town from Anchorage. It's one of the few neighborhoods within mid-town which maintained its arboreal character. Fish Creek, an important wildlife corridor, runs through Spenard, it enters near Arctic and 36th, runs west through trailer parks, body shops, and behind Center Bowl before disappearing under Minnesota and reappearing on the other side. It meanders by SBS and heads west towards Northwood and finally crosses Spenard near Gwennies and the Harley-Davidson Shop. After crossing Spenard it finally gains recognition at Fish Creek Park which is the start of a short green belt that ends at Barbara Street Park.
The creek, which at times seems to be begging to be put out of its misery continues to flow north across some beautiful properties along Brookside Drive until it parallels the railroad tracks which it follows as it crosses under Northern Lights Boulevard at Forest Park Drive. There it seems to capture the momentum of a more affluent neighborhood. It ducks under the tracks and through a short section of forest until it finally becomes idyllic habitat to birds, moose, and foxes. Lush green grasses and a series of serpentine paths seem to create a story book ending to a dirty struggling trickle which had no head waters. If you took a look at Fish Creek at a point Just south of McCain Loop and then again at the Coastal Trail, it'd be pretty hard to believe they were the one and same.
No comments:
Post a Comment