Days 0 and 1: What is a border?

This post will feature an overview of the last couple of days of riding, my topic of the day, and probably the most interesting section, "What did Chris do?"

When I initially laid out the plan for this ride, I intended to ride on Day 1 from the border all the way to Anacortes. For various reasons, it ended up making more sense to break that day into two shorter riding days. Since the maps were already laid out, I am numbering the first day as "0" and today as "1." Unfortunately, I also had to squeeze a "work day" in between those days. I mentioned in a previous blog post that I may have to take occasional days off to work on my textbook.

So the first few days of this adventure included a short ride (26 miles) from the border to Bellingham, followed by a work day, then a little longer ride (40 miles) from Bellingham to Anacortes. For both days, I finished riding by noon and was able to hang out with Chris in the afternoon.

Riding

Day 0: 26 miles, 817 elevation (no whees, no ughs)

We stayed at a hotel in Bellingham (about 25 miles from the Canadian border). So Chris drove me to Peace Arch Park, which is right on the border. From there, I rode 26 miles back to our hotel in Bellingham. The weather was pleasant, with temperatures in the low 70s and little wind. The roads were mixed, with some having traffic and others not.

Day 1: 40 miles, 1371 elevation (4 whees, no ughs)

Fun day riding. Some modest climbs and 4 whees (not as many e's on these, they were not really long, but they did get me yelling). The whees occurred early, as I rode along Chuckanut Road. The road was winding and hilly, with thick forest on both sides. On the west side, the forest went down a hill to the sea. My Garmin (bike computer) just stopped halfway through the ride, so there are two Relive videos.

What is a border?

One of the surprises for us was what the U.S.-Canada border looked like. Somehow Chris and I have always thought of a border as formal and impermeable (at least not something you crossed without checking in). Imagine our surprise to see the border at Peace Arch Park in Blaine. The park literally ends at the border. And you could simply walk out of the park on its north side, onto a Canadian road. You can see this in the photo below. I am standing on the border. My bike's rear wheel is in Canada. That road behind me and those houses are in Canada. It just struck Chris and I as kind of crazy.

In the park's parking lot were two Border Patrol cars, each with one agent inside. I talked to one of them, asking if those houses were really in Canada. I also asked why they were there that day. The park was almost empty, with maybe two people besides Chris and I. He said the park can get busy and smuggling happens. So they are there to make sure it doesn't happen.

As you know, my ride is from border to border. I am wondering if the U.S.-Mexico border, where this journey ends, will look any different. Stay tuned, in about 5 weeks we will all know.

Off the bike

Our plan is that I ride (or sometimes work) in the morning and Chris explores the local area. After Chris dropped me at the border, she drove down to Fairhaven, a quirky, creative, historic district that is part of Bellingham. She enjoyed checking out art galleries and lunch.

We met back at the hotel and went on a hike to Clayton Beach off Chuckanut Road in Larrabee State Park. See pictures below.

The next day, I had to work on my textbook. Chris checked out Bellingham and went to the Whatcom Museum where she learned more about the history of the local area. That afternoon, we went to the Little Squalicum Pier off Bellingham. the pier is the longest public pier in Washington and offers great views of the city. We went to a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner and got to bed early (kind of our MO).

The next day, while I rode my bike to Anacortes, Chris got out later and met me in town. By then she had scoped out our lunch place and arranged for us to go on a guided kayaking tour in Bowman Bay. Fun! Fun!