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| Loyal and well-prepared spectators |
Memorial Day Weekend: Wet and Wetter. And the Ski to Sea race on Sunday. Around noon I went out to stand in the rain by the Nooksack River and watch the canoe racers pass under the bridge. My camera battery died after about sixty canoes has passed by, so I was unable to get any photos of the next leg of the race, the mountain bikers.
Yesterday, on Saturday, after a sunny thirty-mile ride in the afternoon, I put my bike up in the rack for a thorough clean & tune. So naturally I didn't want to ride it in the rain today. But maybe on the next sunny day I'll go out and see if I can find the bike race route - my Surly CrossCheck is sort of a basic-level cyclocross bike, and does pretty well on easier trails, though it doesn't have shocks.
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| Maybe this is why I think of Mark Twain so much |
The canoeists pass off to the bikers at Hovander Park; then the mountain bikers ride on the road to the intersection of Main St. and Hovander Road, near the bridge, where they cross under the railway overpass on the sidewalk, then zigzag around the back of the Haggen shopping center parking lot before disappearing in the woods. I saw riders on mountain bikes, 29ers and cyclocross bikes, already muddy from the start because it rained heavily for a bit just as the first canoes were arriving. There are some pretty tight turns and curb-jumping through the intersection and parking lot, but I don't think the route can be awfully rough (not that I've tried it myself, yet).
Anyhow, here's a bunch of photos of hardy Pacific Northwest canoeists:
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| First team to reach the bridge |
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| These guys raced side by side under the two bridges, before one pulled ahead |
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First women's team to reach the bridge, in eleventh place, I think.
Followed by many mixed teams, and more women's teams. |
The bridges are 17.5 miles from the start, and one mile from the end of the 18.5 mile river course.
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| Tight Genes |
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| These guys were digging in hard and pulling a big wake |
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| Some teams were a little unsteady |
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| Many grey-hairs among the early finishers |
The bridges are 17.5 miles from the start, and one mile from the end of the 18.5 mile river course.
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