Anchorage Museum bike tour helps riders discover the city’s secret gardens

Bicyclists transverse nan 15th thoroughfare span successful Anchorage headed to different plot connected Thursday, July 11, 2024. With 9 different stops, nan circuit allowed participants to navigate a ample portion of nan city. (Leigh Walden/Alaska Public Media)

About 3 twelve bikes sat abandoned successful nan New Hope Compassionate Ministries’ parking batch arsenic their riders wandered done 1 of Anchorage’s unexpected gardens. The Garden of Weeden sits successful nan area of a parking batch and could easy beryllium mistaken for conscionable an unkempt shamble of bushes. 

However, arsenic soon arsenic you locomotion done it, stumbling crossed merrily increasing roses, mint, strawberries and rhubarb, it’s easy to admit it arsenic a freely increasing plot composed mostly of plants that volunteered themselves to nan space. 

The cyclists explored it afloat connected a caller evening, stopping to pluck disconnected leaves of mint and plop strawberries successful their mouths. Their curiosity and excitement is precisely what nan latest rendition of nan Anchorage Museum motorcycle tours was meant to spark. 

There were respective unexpected stops on nan circuit including nan Garden of Weeden which inhabits a area of a parking lot. Nick Riordon stopped nan group to talk astir really this plot came to be. Photographed Thursday, July 11, 2024. (Leigh Walden, Alaska Public Media)

The Anchorage Museum, partnering pinch organization leaders and nan non-profit statement Bike Anchorage, has been hosting motorcycle tours for complete a twelvemonth now. The two-hour circuit connected July 11 showcased gardens successful downtown Anchorage. 

Nick Riordon, co-president of Alaska Master Gardeners Anchorage, led nan tour. Riordon was enthusiastic arsenic he talked astir building sustainable works architecture during nan group’s first extremity astatine nan SEED Lab. There, bikers besides gathered astir to perceive from Leah Moss from nan Alaska Food Policy Council. Moss is focused connected building a much robust agriculture infrastructure successful Alaska. 

“Ninety-five percent of our nutrient comes from retired of state,” Moss said. “We’d for illustration to alteration that.”

To do that, nan Alaska Food Policy Council’s efforts see hosting accusation groups, lobbying successful Washington, D.C., and starring workshops empowering Alaskans to turn their ain food.

The intersection of farming and organization was spotlighted passim nan tour. At stops from nan I Street Community Garden and nan Centennial Rose Garden, nan group heard from plot leaders astir nan opportunities to get their hands dirty. 

At nan Centennial Rose Garden, Debbie Hinchey, a leader wrong nan Alaska Rose Society, advertised nan group’s propulsion parties that hap each Thursday successful nan garden. Volunteers tin prune, weed, mulch aliases lend successful immoderate different measurement they want to astatine these play gatherings. 

Without volunteers, nan Centennial Rose Garden would not beryllium — and Anchorage wouldn’t only suffer a greenish abstraction but a portion of history. 

The Centennial Rose Garden houses a immense postulation of Alaska historical roses. Two participants of nan motorcycle circuit wandered nan plot and took nan opportunity to smell nan blooms connected Thursday July 11, 2024. (Leigh Walden, Alaska Public Media)

The Centennial Rose Garden was built successful 1967 to commemorate nan 100th day of nan acquisition of Alaska from Russia, Hinchey said. The roses wrong nan plot are a substance of roses that stem from 1967 aliases their descendants. 

As nan circuit continued, cyclists shared immoderate of their ain goals for agriculture successful Alaska, including increased support for farmers and nan expertise to get much nutrient from person to home. 

The adjacent motorcycle circuit will beryllium connected Aug. 8 and will lead riders astir nationalist creation exhibits passim Anchorage.