My Annual Tulip Tour

What more can I say about the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival?

I went early this year, on a Wednesday morning so there was very little car traffic and no crowds. The weather was brisk but sunny. Because I am a "Budget Traveler" I just bicycled past the fields to get the free view. The more elaborate gardens, where you have to pay for admission, aren't visible from the road but I don't mind that.

Paper maps are getting hard to find, though I still like them to get the big picture. The most recent ones I have are pre-pandemic and not very accurate any more. With Map My Ride I can keep track of where I've been and how far I've gone, but it's not very helpful for navigating. So I took a sort of random and unusual route this year, following the very badly maintained Bradshaw Road until it t-boned with the Rexville Grange Road, or Best Road. I'm not sure which because the signage was a little bent and didn't match my maps. Anyhow, I turned right to a vigorous but not difficult uphill, and got a panoramic view.

The daffodils were fading, the tulips just coming in to bloom. 

Usually I stop for espresso & pastry or brunch somewhere, but I skipped that this year, I'm not sure why. When I got back to my car, an apparently homeless woman was having a bit of a mental health crisis at the Park & Ride. She was dragging clothes and possessions out of her car, throwing things around, screaming and crying, and pouring bottled water over her head. I watched her as I loaded my bike into my car, wondering if I should approach her and try to help. After she smashed a glass bottle on the pavement, then got in the front seat of the car and started blasting the horn, I decided she was too out of control for me to handle, and called 911. I described the situation as calmly and compassionately as I could, then waited until a brigade of Skagit medics, police and fire trucks arrived. I hope they could get her to detox, or a shelter, or some sort of help.

So the ride ended on a down note. Still, it was a lovely break from my sometimes dull and dreary routine here in Ferndale. Hope for a brighter spring.

Here Comes the Sun

I haven't been out for a bike ride since Christmas week, but today was sunny and warm. Finally, this morning I got motivated to go for an easy 15-mile round-trip to Bellewood Acres. Hot Dutch apple pie and an americano was my incentive.

I've been walking a lot, especially while there was snow on the ground, so I'm not in the worst shape I'd feared. It felt so good to ride fast enough to get out of breath and clear out my lungs and sinuses. And I had a tailwind on the way home, which helped me finish on a high note.

The home fires are still burning by the outdoor seating, and the Sunday brunch crowd was just beginning to arrive at 11am.

The online weather forecasts I see always seem to be wrong, even on the same day. This winter has actually been fairly mild so far, just a few days of snow and a lot of drenching rain. The usual. But I'm seeing predictions for a return of the atmospheric river, so winter's not over yet. The sun sets after 5:20pm now, though.

The Distillery is putting out some suggestions for Valentine's Day treats.