Month: July 2013

Tour de Whatcom

/ Paula+Timothy / 8 Comments

On Saturday we headed to far northwestern Washington for the fabulous Tour de Whatcom, which we’d heard about when we met the Mount Baker Bike Club folks after the Ann Ride in Walla Walla.

This was yet another spectacular ride on yet another picture-perfect day, with views of Mount Baker, Birch Bay, Bellingham Bay and … Canada, during the stop in Blaine, which is one of the border crossings. Here’s the route. We rode for awhile with several very nice Canadian groups, including the Vancouver Velo Vets and Ride 2 Survive. (Now we want to check out some rides up there).  We also did some stellar pacelining with two guys who came from Kentucky and who very much appreciated the low humidity and soaring scenery.

Besides the scenery, we love the name of the place, and its overall vibe. What’s a Whatcom?

Early morning rays as we head out of Bellingham
Some of the strong groups we tagged along with
Morning in northwestern Washington
Merlin, one of many highlights of the first rest stop
Boy Scout troop members dispensing treats
Young man giving free tattoos
Tatttoo application
And the result
Tattoo Master
“Welcome to the Kingdom!”
Leaving the Kingdom, back on the winding road
Pretty good shot, for being on the bike
Sunbathing cows
Lots of farmland
Another rest stop
Blaine, on the Canadian border
Also Blaine
Birch Bay
Child playing in mud as gulls observe
More mud play and gulls
We liked this scene, obviously
Walking the dog, Birch Bay
Music at one of the rest stops!
And free Cokes! That perfect late-ride refreshment
Yum
Mount Baker in the distance
Taking a pause to enjoy the scenery
One of the Ride 2 Survive leaders
Random person on the road
Potato fields
Adorable!
Still adorable.
And also adorable.
No, we didn’t do this. Though we WOULD have …
Bellingham Bay, after dinner
Bellingham Bay

Vashon Island on a Foggy Morning

/ Paula+Timothy / Leave a comment

The roads of Vashon Island beckon to cyclists, offering up lovely, wooded lanes, climbs, scenic views, etc. We headed out early on Sunday morning and enjoyed a veiled experience on very quiet roads. Our highlights were the Southern ferry landing and an overlook at a park atop Maury Island, as well as some simply delightful twisty-turny country lanes—the sort that make any cyclist’s heart go pitter-pat

We followed the “Vashon Classic Loop,” providing 3,600-plus feet of climbing in about 42 miles. Short and sweet!

As for all those old exercise bikes lined up on the shoreline: Apparently they were gone for awhile but now they’re back. We didn’t want to stop mid-ride (for once) to take pictures, but returned later to test them out. Good way to add a bit more to the workout …

The southern ferry landing.
Abandoned exercise cycles at Tramp Harbor.
The old Portage store at Tramp Harbor.
The old Portage store at Tramp Harbor.
Sampling the blackberries.
Tramp Harbor
Tramp Harbor
The southern ferry landing.
Paula’s new Cannondale.
Paula’s new Cannondale.
Communing with the mystery of the row of exercise cycles abandoned by the roadside at Tramp Harbor.

This day was unusually foggy, so we missed the vaunted views of Mount Rainier and the Cascades and Olympics. We will have to return!

But we did have a great time at the Strawberry Festival. For photos of that cool event, see the Off The Bike section above.