River Watch

Anyone thinking of competing in this year's Ski-to-Sea relay should probably start training pretty soon, as the race date is one month away.

Again this spring, I've been amazed by the changes in the water level of the Nooksack River. I'm trying to refrain from posting weekly updates of pre-race river conditions at the Ferndale bridge near the end of the river part of the race course, but here are some photos from this morning.

The water is quite low now, and last year's big log pile is gone, but there are a few trees stuck in the sand bars at the base of the railroad bridge.

Skagit Valley Tulips

The ride starts here.

Saturday morning we had sloppy snow and rain mixed. I've been watching the weather reports for weeks, trying to plan a ride to the Skagit Valley tulip fields, but the actual weather never seems to coincide with predictions. So I decided to go on Monday, whatever happened. I got lucky.

I cheated a bit and loaded my bike on the bus to ride between Bellingham and Mount Vernon. Just for reference, it's a bit less than a ten mile ride from the Ferndale Post Office to the Bellingham Transit Center.

I walk my bike across the bridge. Car traffic is fast,
and both the car lanes and the sidewalk are narrow.

It's been awhile since I've been to Mount Vernon, so I was surprised to see a new Park & Ride lot, the Chuckanut Transit Center in Burlington, by the new roundabout at the Hwy. 11/I-5 overpass. I stayed on the bus all the way to the Skagit station in Mount Vernon, which is also an Amtrak station.

Old downtown Mount Vernon is tiny and not very bicycle-friendly. (The newer shopping district on the other side of the freeway is Bicycle Hell.) To reach the tulip fields you cross the Skagit River on the Hwy. 20 bridge, which has no bike lanes and only one sidewalk. But once you get over that obstacle, MacLean Road has nice bike lanes and marked Tulip Routes on the farm roads that pass the most colorful fields.

I could have gotten off the bus at the Chuckanut Station and ridden generally south-west on Josh Wilson Road to Avon-Allen Road, then to MacLean Road to reach the tulip fields. You can also by-pass the bridge by riding south on old Hwy. 99 to the tiny town of Conway on Fir Island Road, which crosses the Skagit River, then loop back north to see the fields.

On this trip, many of the fields closest to the main roads were just plowed mud, maybe waiting for crops of potatoes, corn or pumpkins. I zigzagged around for miles. Then I'd see a thin line of red, yellow and pastel in the distance and ride five miles or so toward it, to find acres of colorful fields on both sides of the road.

Early-blooming daffodils begin to fade before the tulips bloom

Some of the fields are still budding, waiting for a few days of sun for the flowers to open. During sunny spells, you can bike past fields of green shoots with pale buds in the morning - maybe head for lunch in LaConner, reputed hang-out of novelist Tom Robbins - then ride by again in the afternoon on the return trip, after a few hours of sun, and find fields of brilliant color.

The roads are flat for miles, but sometimes you'll fight headwinds and sideways gusts.

So here's a bunch of eye-candy to lure you out on the road.

 

Alpacas this time, maybe next year's SmartWool

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.