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