West Chester Lagoon

One of my favorite places to go that's real close to downtown is West Chester Lagoon. The lagoon is man-made, created in the early ’70s by slowing Chester Creek as it flows into Cook Inlet. There's always something to do and something going on.

Ruth and I like to ride our bikes, walk our animals, play Frisbee golf (disc golf) and go birding there. For birds you can see grebes, loons, ducks, geese, gulls and more. The bike trail leads you to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. That trail can take you all over Anchorage along the coast. You can also go canoeing or use any non-motorized boat. If your into taking it real easy there's picnic tables or the Cozey Cafe.

During the winter you can cross country ski, skate, or play hockey. Name just about any winter sport and you can do it there. The ice and the trails are maintained by the Municipality of Anchorage.

Right now the scenery is excellent. The trees and bushes are changing colors, the birds are towards the end of migration and people are getting out one last time before it turns cold.

Alaska Railroad's last tourist train to Seward is in a couple weeks. After that it's just freight trains until next spring. Alaska Railroad was bought by the State of Alaska from the U.S. Government in 1984. You can't miss their trains with the blue and yellow paint. They go by West Chester Lagoon blasting their horns and they get everyones attention.