POST 674: 07/16/12: BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

Arriving in Bellingham in January 1987, the population was 30,000. Growing by leaps and bounds, Bellingham has maintained it's small town image and remains one of the most desirable towns in the world to live.

Traversed by countless walking / biking trails through all parts of Bellingham, every neighborhood is only minutes away from a city park, including numerous beaches lining the two in-town lakes...Lake Padden and Whatcom Lake...not to overlook nearby Lake Samish, where the Western Washington University Scull Team holds daily practices.

On the flanks of nearby Mt. Baker - 80 miles from downtown - one can ski from October to June.

To the West lie the 172 islands of the San Juan Islands.

To the North is Vancouver, B.C., Canada...paradise for international influences, and easily visible from Bellingham hill-top residences.

To the South is Seattle, Washington...home of flying Salmon...and the Space Needle.


From Bellingham, one can take their vehicle by ferryboat to numerous cities in Alaska...or, ride AMTRAK between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.


Local markets feature fresh products from the surrounding Puget Sound waters and the expansive orchards and fields of the Columbia Basin, only 100 miles across the Cascade Mountains.




Today, I took a walk along Lake Whatcom to the "Y" Road...then North to Mt. Baker Highway...then West to Yew Street, then back East over Alabama Hill, returning to our home in Eagle Ridge overlooking Lake Whatcom.

...a total of 16 miles under cloudy / foggy skies...in 3 hours 50 minutes.




Some of the sights I walked are shared here...









The Lake Whatcom railroad trestle - no longer operational - spanning Whatcom Creek - which we featured a few days ago.


Not all Bellingham homes are elegant...there is, however, not a single slum or undesirable neighborhood to be found.




Walking North Shore Avenue along Lake Whatcom, there are 17 homes on the "for sale" market within 1.5 miles of Eagle Ridge (our home).



The twin to this entrance lies behind the camera.





North Shore Avenue as it winds East from Bellingham into the Cascade foothills.


Sandstone is the primary stone found in and around Bellingham and the San Juan Islands.

From weathering - wind and rain, many caves are found.

Fog shrouded the low lying hills surrounding Lake Whatcom.


Pristine pastures are found nearby.




...as are a number of small lakes.


A large community of Dutch settlers live in nearby Lynden...leading the way to keep the entire Whatcom County in tip top condition.





Above is pictured the fuel tank from my motorcycle - which needs a name -. This tank developed a pin-hole leak when it was still new. The "dealer" went belly up, leaving no chance for repair under warranty. During the 2.5 years my Hyosung (South Korean) 650 was in storage, all the fuel escaped through that tiny hole...and a good thing too !!

Removing the tank for repair, I was informed that the tank contained only small amounts of corrosion INSIDE, allowing easy repair.

My repair shop - Bellingham Radiator Shop - has recently repaired many fuel tanks for small engines...nearly all severely degraded from corrosion caused by ETHANOL fuel...this information according to the owner of BRS.

Tomorrow, my motorcycle gets reassembled, giving me a third vehicle for discovery of the Pacific North West.