Cherry Blossom Time

A view of Bellingham Bay

Between studying for my final exam, completing a class project, and waves of wind and rain storms, I wasn't able to ride at all last week, until today, Sunday. It was drizzly until about 11am, when the clouds started brightening and I decided to get out while I had a chance.

I rode 25 miles, riding out of town on Ferndale Road to Marine Drive, then in to Bellingham, where I went looking for cherry trees on the Western Washington University campus.

The ride up Indian Street was a little challenging - I got a bit out of breath and my upper back felt strained, but I rode all the way up to Viking Commons in low gear without standing on the pedals - the ride down the hill is eye-watering fun.

Campus was very quiet and deserted, this being the first weekend of spring break. I toured around a bit, visiting some of my favorite campus sculptures. I always think Richard Beyer's "Man Who Used to Hunt Cougars for Bounty" is the best, but then I passed by the little "Feats of Strength" guys, and the stone labyrinth that always reminds me of scenes from King Lear or MacBeth.

For my first five years in Bellingham I lived in a tiny basement studio apartment just south of the WWU campus. There was no mail delivery to the building, so I used the downtown post office, and I used to walk across campus almost daily to pick up my mail - I could have had my own postal route. They've had a building boom since then and added several new buildings, but there are lots of interesting walks through Sehome Arboretum, to pretty spots on campus, and some of the best bay views in town.

Unfortunately, I passed through campus so frequently, sometimes in shabby clothes and preoccupied with job-search activities, that I'd probably become a suspicious person to campus security, and even more so in these post-9/11 days. In fact, some of the staff at the community college give me the side-eye sometimes, I guess wondering what a middle-aged person who is not an employee is doing hanging around the youngsters. But then Whatcom CC is planning some new buildings that will add study-space on campus - for now there isn't enough seating space in the library, class buildings or student union for students to do classwork on campus.

Bike parking at WW