Shame on me

From the pedestrian overpass above Alabama Street.
This is probably the hardest hill-climb in Bellingham.
The Railroad Trail angles up Alabama Hill, but it's a steep railroad grade.

The last weekend of March, when we had a deceptively spring-like spell of weather, I set myself a small challenge: three consecutive thirty-mile rides. On Friday and Saturday I combined errands in Bellingham with a little trail-riding in Whatcom Falls Park. By Sunday I was feeling lazy and heavy in the legs, especially on hills, but I still rode about twenty-five miles around Ferndale. I just wanted to see how I felt doing some longish rides on consecutive days, rather than shorter weekday rides and a long weekend ride. I felt pretty good. I'd like to increase my distances so I can do some weekend trips over the summer.

My Sunday ride also fell into the job-search category. I rode around some shopping centers, office parks and light industrial/warehouse complexes that are within a comfortable bike-commuting distance, taking notes on businesses, which I research online when I get home. I have found some interesting leads this way, but nothing that's paid off yet.

Then the weather turned stormy again, and I have been shamefully lazy. I've been checking out DVDs from the library, so I can watch movies on my computer at home. I spent hours playing Scrabble on Facebook and cruising Craigslist, but I have actually found more interesting job advertisements on Craig's than anywhere else recently.

The Llamas of God

 Sorry.

Boundaries

Spring break is in the air, and it's time to start planning for summer travel, too - ignoring the fact that we had three or four hours of wet, sloppy snow this morning. I'm far from an expert on the legal technicalities of customs and immigration, but it seems timely to mention some border-crossing issues for anyone who might be thinking of visiting Canada by way of Whatcom County.

Whatcom County is a border community, which influences many aspects of life here - the job market and business management at a macro level, and more mundane things like traffic and driving habits, shopping and social life. There are three vehicle border crossings in the county, and you can also cross the border by boat - island commuter and cruise boats and whale-watching tours depart from Fairhaven and Squalicum Harbor, through the San Juan Islands, and on to Vancouver Island. The Bellingham Airport doesn't have commercial international flights, but there are charters and small island-hopper planes.

A passport is required whether you're crossing on land by private car, train or bus, or boarding a boat that crosses an invisible border somewhere out on the water. I once met a disappointed grandfather who had tried to take his young grandson on a spur of the moment visit to Canada. They had been turned back because border control requires an affidavit from a child's parents, giving permission for another adult to cross with a child under eighteen.

I prefer to exchange US money for Canadian before crossing the border just because it saves the trouble of trying to find a bank after I cross, or running into trouble with places that won't accept US currency, or cashiers who might short-change or over-charge people who aren't so quick with cash-handling.

I have taken my bike on a small tour boat to Victoria BC and Vancouver Island (there's an all-you-can-eat salmon dinner on the return trip). A couple of times I've ridden my bike to White Rock, just on the other side of the Blaine border crossing. At the crossing, I cut across the car lanes, parked my bike outside the customs office, and went inside to the desks to cross as a pedestrian rather than a vehicle. I don't carry contraband, but I think "low and slow" is the best approach with police-type people - keep your hands in sight, don't act excitable in any way, and be ready to open your bags and empty your pockets.

Washington state recently legalized possession of personal use amounts of marijuana, and is developing a system for legal medical marijuana growing. Trafficking, possessing, growing or selling larger amounts for recreational use is still illegal, and so is impaired driving.

However, federal law still bans small amounts, which means you can get away with carrying and using dope within the state, but if you're caught trying to cross the border with it, you can still be arrested and fined, though usually not prosecuted for personal use amounts - federal agents generally are interested in larger scale transporting operations.

Canada has a low tolerance for driving violations, and may refuse entry to people who have a DUI record. I've also heard that Canadian border officials are strict about admitting people with a history of mental health problems. Crossing the other direction, from Canada to the US, people are more likely to run into trouble because of marijuana possession, or for a criminal record related to marijuana.

Washington state also recently privatized liquor sales. Previously, beer and wine were sold in grocery and convenience stores, but hard liquor by the bottle was only sold in state-operated liquor stores. Over the past year, the state stores have been closed down and liquor licenses put up for bid. Now practically all grocery stores have added hard liquor to their beer and wine sections. Prices for alcohol have risen, and there is a growing problem with shop-lifting by minors (and adults), including some ugly incidents of assault on store clerks. A young clerk at a grocery store in Ferndale got his arm badly broken when he tried to stop a customer who was walking out with a couple of bottles of booze.

Liquor and other luxury goods sold at Duty Free Stores are not subject to state sales or "sin" taxes, but only if customers are taking their purchase across the border. So it's really only an advantage if you're planning to stay in Canada to party for at least 24 hours.

I get this information from general news stories, rumors and gossip. The point is, be smart and check things out to avoid inconvenience, disappointment or disaster.

Vernal Equinox

The first day of spring, with fresh snow in the foothills.

The view from Tennant Lake Park

Mornings have been cold, but sometimes the afternoon can be sunny and warmish. I'm still riding in long sleeves and pants, usually 20-25 mile recreational rides, not for errands or business. Tonight we are having the last storm of the winter - possibly only because after this they will be spring storms.

My sore throat has dragged on for more than two weeks. I still have one little touchy spot, but it started to clear up when I began brushing my tongue as well as my teeth. And that's all the icky detail I will relate.

Groundhog's report

Two consecutive days of sun. Tomorrow Daylight Saving Time begins. I have turned off my alarm because I can hear birds singing outside in the morning. Spring is here.

My Saturday excursion was a 25-mile ramble from Ferndale, along Marine Drive and around the Elizabeth Park neighborhood in Bellingham. This used to be one of the prettier views of Bellingham Bay, from the place where Broadway dead-ends above Squalicum Marina, but it's getting to be very cluttered and industrial looking. Still, it's a pleasant spot to sit and rest a bit before turning back home.

I guess economic re-development has its own beauty, though, and maybe sausage-making is pretty, too.

My throat is still painful. I was beginning to think I had mumps, but my face didn't swell. Probably just my tonsils. Then Thursday night my eyes began to burn and itch, and I unconsciously rubbed them until suddenly they turned red, swollen and goopy, like pink-eye. It's not fair I should have to relive these childhood illnesses now, when I've finally cleaned up my life and learned to take better care of my health. But I think I'm beating them with home remedies, rest, and good food and drink.

Repairs, recovery, rehab

I've come down with some kind of strange flu this week, or maybe an arthritis flare-up. It started with sore, swollen thumb joints and a stiff neck and slight fever on the weekend. Then my back and neck started to ache, causing radiating pain in my arms and left leg. I treated this with cold packs on my spine, followed by a long soak in a hot bath, then I slept rolled up in a down comforter with a cold pack for my left hip, knee and foot. My bones were feeling better on Monday, but for two days I've had a terrible swollen, aching sore throat. I'm drinking all the cranberry juice I can swallow, but it's hard to get much down.

My cat, Elvis, has enjoyed having a large, warm companion who sleeps as much as he does, but he has been sadly disappointed with my performance of other duties.

I've been curled up in this cocoon for three days now, and can hardly face going out in the cold and wet again.

The last couple of weeks I worked, the weather was threatening snow so I was riding my old K2 hybrid bike, and left my Surly at home. I'd been having some trouble with the front derailleur on the Surly - it would shift up but not down - and meant to give it a thorough clean and tune-up before the weather turned sunny and spring-like again. But I haven't had to ride regularly since I lost my job, so I've mostly put away both bikes for the past three weeks, which have brought day after day of stormy weather. Some nights the wind and rain were so heavy and constant I could go to sleep imagining I lived by the ocean, hearing waves breaking on a rocky shore.

I've never had so much trouble with a derailleur before, at least not since my first bike, which I was trying to clean and lube with WD-40 and 3-in-1 oil. There must have been fine road grit worked down in to the threads of every screw, spring and pivot point, so it was pretty well locked up when I finally got around to working on it. I replaced the cable, but fiddled and readjusted it so much that the wires split and frayed, and I had to go buy a second one and try again. Over the winter I'd been cleaning the chain and gears with Pedro's Oranj Peelz degreaser. During one rainy spell, I would dry the bike off when I got home in the evening, then clean it every morning before work. Until one day when I arrived at work after riding in the rain, and found the rear gear cassette was covered with black, gritty foam. Figuring I'd over-used too many chemicals, I switched to rinsing it with plain hot water, then drying and lubing.

If I don't get out riding more,
pretty soon my backside will look like this

This is such a strange, disjointed post. I think my illness has affected my mind. Or maybe I've just been spending way too much time fooling with the computer, looking at lists. As soon as I can brave the weather, I'll get out for an easy, scenic ride, with a stop for cofee and pastry at someplace nice.

Inspiration

A few weeks ago while looking back at some of my older posts - the Chilly Hilly, Here Comes the Sun, Still Life with Pumpkins, the Coast of Bohemia - I began to feel I had lost my inspiration, just wearing a groove in the bike lanes on Northwest Road riding to and from work. Then last week I lost my job. My job was not inspirational, so now I am free to find joy in recreational cycling while looking for another source of income (besides unemployment compensation).

Funny, but the first thing I missed about work was the tip jar. Our tips were lousy, at many places one table would pay as much as I'd get in a day, but often my tips added a dollar or two an hour to my wage, and I needed it. Soft drinks and bottled water cost $2.98 including tax, or $5.97 for two bottles (airport prices), so most of my tips came in two or three cents at a time - it would hurt if pennies were abolished. Sometimes I made a game of psyching out customers, trying to coax them to drop some coins, or even a dollar bill, into my jar. The Canadian coins I had saved up were good for pocket money on my little trip to Vancouver. The rest I saved in a special slush fund - I call it my travel fund, or my college fund. Now it's my Plan B fall-back fund.

Winter storm damage

It's still too early to say we've had a mild winter, but it looks as if the little bit of snow we had on one or two days might be all we get this year. The weather is still raw and wild, stormy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. I've been resting a lot, but today I got out for a ride to Cherry Point.

I hate the sight of that blue tape