SUNNY BELLINGHAM

For a week now Bellingham and I guess all of Western Washington has had the same glorious weather--70s and sunny with nary a cloud in the sky. Seems to happen every year like this. May teases us with a few nice weekends, June is cold and damp and referred to as Juneuary and then right after 4th of July, the good weather hits, the weather that makes you realize why you choose to live here. (This year it actually showed up on July 4th itself.) Long-range forecast looks great as well!

I had an mellow, unambitious ride planned today so I thought I'd take along the camera and shoot some Bellingham-in-her-summer finery pics. (By no means comprehensive; just what I saw on my 10-miler to Fairhaven and back.) Above, that cool Old-Timey bike mural I've passed a million times at the start of the South Bay Trail but know absolutely nothing about. (Why is that--we tend to know nothing about what's in our very backyard.)

Boulevard Park.

Some ambivalent folks trying to screw up the courage to jump from Taylor Dock into the bone-chilling waters of Bellingham Bay. I didn't hang around long enough to find out if they ever got around to jumping.

Fairhaven's bustling Wednesday afternoon Farmer's Market.

Back in downtown B'ham at the north end of the Boulevard (South Bay) Trail, some residents anti-coal sentiments in evidence.  

At Squalicum Harbor on my way home, I watched some kids in a Youth Sailing course steering their boats in circles and almost crashing into each other . 

OCTOBER PHOTO ESSAY: A BUSHWACK, A BROKEN WHEEL 'N' MORE

The ride started with Titanium Cancellara leading the Titanium Cowboys down the Interurban.

Looking for So Easy near the top of Lost Lake Trail, we followed pink ribbon that led ...

... to nowhere. Whilst TC looks intently for the trail John makes like the honey badger and pretty much doens't give a s***.

Actually, John was resting for what was to come. On the way back toward B'hamTown we detoured onto the new Raptor Ridge whereupon Scott's bike slipped out from under him on a muddy rock and his back rim was knocked all a-catawumpus. Eventually, after much bashing and spoke-tightening they straightened it enough that Scott was able to ride out of there. Albeit, at less than race pace.

(Golly, but red photographs well, don't it? Please always wear red whenever I've got my camera out, OK? Thanks.)

On the way back, we stopped for a few moments of chinwagging with legendary runner Chuck Dooley.

And then we saw a horse.

 After saying good-bye to Scott, John and I got stopped by one of them damn coal trains at the south end of Boulevard Park.

So we climbed the tower to get over the tracks ...

... but of course the train was past by the time we got to the top.

No matter. We closed the ride with a latte, a muffin and a quad-tall americano (no room) at Starbucks.