THE START - BELLINGHAM AIRPORT

Traffic-yes.  Wide shoulder-yes.
MT. BAKER in the background!

DATE: Wed, Sept. 7, 2011
HOME: Sedro-Woolly, Wa.   Three Rivers Inn
DISTANCE:  35 miles
TIME ON THE ROAD:  4 Hours
ALTITUDE:  1500ft
WEATHER:  Perfect  78degrees
OUR HEALTH: Tired from lack of sleep the past two nights
NARRATIVE: We turned in the car at the Bellingham Airport, assembled our bikes, and began riding at 12:45.  Slow start – new panniers (Ortlieb), and trying to shake off the long hours in the car – but it was a beautiful but hilly ride to Sedro-Woolly.  Found a nice, standard hotel - The Three Rivers Inn.

A few Cultural  Observations:  As we headed north away from the Bay Area cars got bigger and the food rapidly got worse.  We’re still trying to adjust to standard, industrialized, non-organic food and big box chain stores – tonight’s pizza and salad bar was barely edible.  We haven’t been away long enough.  It’s like backpacking – after a week of freeze dried food you actually begin to look forward to it.  As I recalled from the Lewis and Clark we really looked forward to Subway, and a Chile’s meant a good size town and was a real treat!  Wine was mostly lousy and not worth having.  We are already reminding ourselves that food is not why we’re on the trip.