Walk – December 21, 2013

I decided in the Fall that I would be more active this winter.  It’s easy to blame the less than ideal weather for becoming a couch potato.  I’ve tried gyms, and they are not for me.  There is an expression here that I adopted…“There is no such thing as inclimate weather, only inadequate clothing“…

…so I bought everything I could find at REI that was Gortex, and made a resolution to walk 3-6 miles at least 4 times per week.

So far, I’ve pretty much stuck to that.  One big help to keep my resolution has been Strava.  Zack turned me on to this iPhone ap some time ago.  It makes walking, running, and bicycling more fun by recording your routes and statistics using the GPS feature of your iPhone, then loading the data to a web site where you can review your actuals against your goals.

Bellingham is a walk/run/bicycle friendly town.  Sidewalks, bike paths, urban trails, old railroad grades turned into bike/hike corridors, and cooperative motorists.  I like to vary my walk routes so I don’t get bored, but some of my favorites are variations on the one I did today.  Here’s the Strava map of the walk…

…and some of the Strava data…

Here’s an interactive version of the map if you want to play with it.

Most of my walks start and finish from home.  This one is no exception.

I walk through “the hood”…

…to Northwest Ave.  One of the few busy streets I have to cross, but no problem today.  Past Yaeger’s Sporting goods…

Over Squalicum Creek and around the corner to Cedarwood Ave…

…where I pick up an Interurban Trail.  This (like many in Bellingham) was an old railroad grade, most likely to carry coal from the mine that was once a few blocks from here to a pier on Bellingham Bay that we’ll see later on this walk.  This trail will become part of the unfinished Bay to Baker Trail.

The trail runs for about a mile down to Squalicum Beach at Bellingham Bay.

Past the dog park and ball fields at Squalicum Creek Park.

Across Patton Street in the Birchwood Neighborhood.

And along side one of my favorite spots.

No bees flying today!

A little further down the trail is the Oeser Company that makes poles.  All shapes and sizes but mostly GIANT.

Then, across W. Illionos…

…past where the trail splits  (the fork on the right goes to Eldridge and I take that sometimes)…

…and under Eldridge.

Shortly after Eldridge is the railroad bridge.  These are the main north/south tracks on the West Coast.

The trail now drops down to the beach, but if it was the turn of the century and you were on a coal train on the tracks that were here then, you would go straight on to this pier to unload into a waiting ship.

The beach can be a little “sketchy” especially at high tide, but a nice change of pace today.

Only a half a mile or so on the beach then I connect with Roeder where it dead ends to the north at the plywood plant.

A boxcar being loaded with plywood.  Railroad cars are always rolling art.

Here’s the “show off” side of the plywood plant.

I use this building next to the plywood plant often as a back drop for pictures of my cars.

Squalicum Way follows Squalicum Creek from Meridian down to Roeder.

Bellingham Cold Storage is just past this intersection.  Javier’s 350′ fishing boat has unloaded here in the past.

Seaview Boat Yard.  This (formerly) beautiful Ocean Alexander burned at Roche Harbor this past summer.  It was towed here to await the insurance settlement.

On down Roeder and past the F  ‘n G dock. (inside joke)

More of the small boat harbor.  This is another reason I like this walk.  Cruisin’ the boats is one of my favorite pastimes.

Here’s the launch ramp we use when we are headed into the San Juans in our little boat.

Mike and Sarah’s Star Dancer. 

We will meet up with them in Egmont, BC, and spend some time in the Princess Louisa Inlet in July.

The Bellweather is just around the corner from Star Dancer‘s slip.

Then the harbor entrance.

A couple of big fishing boats unloading at another cold storage facility.

Past the Coast Guard Station.

I cross the tracks at Roeder and F street and head up the hill past the mission.

I can hook up with the Old Village Trail and did so today.  It runs from Elizabeth Park to the Salmon Hatchery at Marine Park and eventually Old Town.

Through the Lettered Streets Neighborhood and across Haggen’s parking lot…

…and home again.