Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Mark Turner
05-31-08, 11:37 PM
Today I felt like doing a 50 or so mile loop around the county. Since I hadn't been up to Birch Bay for a while I decided that would be a good direction to go. I was also craving a chocolate eclair the other night, and figured the Lynden Dutch Bakery would be a good place to stop and get one. The calories burned might even justify eating it. Temperatures in the upper 50s and a little sun (which eventually disappeared) made a very pleasant day.
I headed out of town on Marine Drive, took Kwina to the end, jogged north to North Red River Rd, west to Lake Terrell Rd, west on Mountainview to Rainbow, around a couple of corners to Kickerville, then west on Grandview to Birch Bay Drive. I followed another cyclist for a ways on Grandview, eventually catching him and passing him. There were lots of people out along the beach at Birch Bay and pedestrians to watch out for in the bike lane near the resorts. I stopped across from the waterslides for a snack and some water, having done about 25 miles at an average 18 mph. Bless the tailwind on the northbound run.
From Birch Bay east on Birch Bay-Lynden Road, again with the wind mostly at my back. It's about 14 miles to downtown Lynden, where I stopped for my eclair and a bottle of iced tea. The eclair was delicious, but much too big and I felt bloated when I finished eating it. If I'd had a pannier instead of a fanny pack I would have brought at least half of it home. But I'm frugal, so I ate the whole thing. That was a mistake.
I got back on my bike and headed south on Hannegan Road, now with a bit of a quartering headwind. My legs were getting tired and my stomach was complaining about the big load. I kept pedaling, but stopped more often for 60-sec water breaks than I had in the first 40 miles. The Twin Sisters were just visible through the haze to the east and Mt. Baker peeked out of the clouds a couple of times. Along the road the most common things in bloom were red-twig dogwood and cow parsnip, along with the weedy creeping buttercups that paint some of the fields bright yellow and mix in with the grasses.
I made it home feeling a little better in my gut, but still very full. After a shower I relaxed on the couch with a magazine and promptly fell into a nap. I don't usually nap, so I guess I got a bit of a workout. Total distance a bit over 54 miles, average speed 17.4 mph. That's pretty good for me on my fairly heavy Novara Randonee. There were a few other cyclists out, all sharing a friendly little wave as we passed.
I headed out of town on Marine Drive, took Kwina to the end, jogged north to North Red River Rd, west to Lake Terrell Rd, west on Mountainview to Rainbow, around a couple of corners to Kickerville, then west on Grandview to Birch Bay Drive. I followed another cyclist for a ways on Grandview, eventually catching him and passing him. There were lots of people out along the beach at Birch Bay and pedestrians to watch out for in the bike lane near the resorts. I stopped across from the waterslides for a snack and some water, having done about 25 miles at an average 18 mph. Bless the tailwind on the northbound run.
From Birch Bay east on Birch Bay-Lynden Road, again with the wind mostly at my back. It's about 14 miles to downtown Lynden, where I stopped for my eclair and a bottle of iced tea. The eclair was delicious, but much too big and I felt bloated when I finished eating it. If I'd had a pannier instead of a fanny pack I would have brought at least half of it home. But I'm frugal, so I ate the whole thing. That was a mistake.
I got back on my bike and headed south on Hannegan Road, now with a bit of a quartering headwind. My legs were getting tired and my stomach was complaining about the big load. I kept pedaling, but stopped more often for 60-sec water breaks than I had in the first 40 miles. The Twin Sisters were just visible through the haze to the east and Mt. Baker peeked out of the clouds a couple of times. Along the road the most common things in bloom were red-twig dogwood and cow parsnip, along with the weedy creeping buttercups that paint some of the fields bright yellow and mix in with the grasses.
I made it home feeling a little better in my gut, but still very full. After a shower I relaxed on the couch with a magazine and promptly fell into a nap. I don't usually nap, so I guess I got a bit of a workout. Total distance a bit over 54 miles, average speed 17.4 mph. That's pretty good for me on my fairly heavy Novara Randonee. There were a few other cyclists out, all sharing a friendly little wave as we passed.