It's another day when I'm taking it easy to give my golfer's elbow break, so Rachael's off on her own hiking again: up the Hemlock Trail this time, on her second 12 mile climb up into the Chuckanut Mountains in two days. On the morning after she has 24 miles and 4,700' of climbing as her excuse for the fact that she hurts everywhere. Very strange.
After the two long steep climbs in a row, I was very stiff and sore and had to do a lot of stretching! And of course, I woke up a few times in the night trying to get comfortable. Note to self, don’t do this again!
While she's showing her usual self-restraint, I decide it's the right time to finally check out Lummi Island, a part of the Lummi Indian Reservation that is famous as an outstanding biking destination. It's reachable on a long day ride from Bellingham, but that wouldn't fit with the doctor's orders for the day so instead I just drive to the ferry terminal and start from there.
There's not too much ride description needed on a mostly flat, paved ten mile bike ride that takes over three hours to complete. It's essentially an easy hike on wheels, setting a new Team Anderson record for slow traveling - Rachael walked farther, faster and with considerably more climbing than I covered on my bike. Which is fine - we both had a wonderful day, and I gave my elbow the extra day it needed.
Goddamn prednisone! I can't wait to get my old body back.
The ferry won't arrive for another fifteen minutes so I have time to look around while I wait. Not many birds out, just the usual rock pigeons and glaucous-winged gulls hanging out on the dock.
The technical details: bikes board and disembark last, and I assume unless there's a really large group are nearly always guaranteed of a spot. The fare for bikes is $8.50, payable on the way to the island and free on the return. The crossing takes roughly 15 minutes.
I hang around the island ferry terminal for a few minutes but after that I ride north to a small beach on the northern tip of the island, not stopping for much along the way. This for me is probably the least interesting part of the island, with the eastern shore lined with expensive private properties protecting the spectacular views for themselves.
At the northern tip though I look my bike up and descend a small path to the public beach.
From here I follow the coastline south along the northwest corner of the island, stopping often for what feels like the most interesting part of the ride - excellent scenery, good birding, colorful architecture and cultural sites.
There's a stretch on the northwest side of the island where part of the road has eroded away. Like many areas in Whatcom and Skagit County, I wonder how long it will be before they're seriously impacted by sea level rise. We should probably be investing in dikes rather than billionaires.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/in-the-pink-low-tech-reef-netters-haul-in-best-salmon-catch-in-years/ Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Scott AndersonTo Bob KoreisWhat a great article! I'm so glad you found this. I wondered if they might be for spotters. Reply to this comment 1 week ago
Thanks to Bob's research, we know now that this is a latter for the spotter, to identify when the fish are within the net so they can haul in the catch. It's a great article, well worth the minute to read it: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/in-the-pink-low-tech-reef-netters-haul-in-best-salmon-catch-in-years/
Leaving the marina, there follows about two miles of lumpy interior riding, including one short but steep (12%) climb. When I come to Sunrise Road on the east side I turn north for the ferry, but the road continues south along the bay and looks well worth exploring if I weren't concerned about the time.
And it's a good thing I headed back to the ferry because I ended up having to wait for 45 minutes. I should look up the schedule and time my ride better if I come back. While I wait though it gives me time to check out the bird life. There are the usual gulls, but there's also a colony of purple martins that nest at the terminal. Best of all though is a family of four river otters that swims beneath the pier and quickly disappears in the distance.
Today's list: American crow, Rock pigeon, Bald eagle, Glaucous-winged gull, Purple Martin, Common loon, American robin, Great blue heron, Barn swallow, Black-capped chickadee, Red crossbill, Mallard, Western gull, Common raven, Violet-green swallow, California gull, Spotted towhee, House sparrow, Eurasian collared dove, Northern flicker, Double-crested cormorant, Fox sparrow, Pigeon guillemot (24)
Today's ride: 11 miles (18 km) Total: 489 miles (787 km)
