Posts Tagged ‘Bellingham Washington’

Finishing a long, hot ride with a swim is a classic Bellingham summer ritual. There’s no better way to wash off the sweat and dust than a plunge into one of the many swimming holes around town. Here are a few of our top ride/swim combinations. Feel free to add your favorites in the comments section below.

Lake Padden

Lake Padden

Galbraith / Lake Padden – Finishing a Galbraith mountain bike ride with a swim in Lake Padden is a sure sign that summer has arrived. Located only 1.5 miles from the Galbraith Lane parking lot, Lake Padden has picnic spots, hiking and biking trails, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, an ice cream man who drives a white mini van.

Fragrance Lake

Fragrance Lake

Fragrance Lake – The perfect place to stop mid-ride and go for a swim. Suggested mountain bike route: ride up Cleator Road, down Double Black, swim, down Two Dollar Trail.

Lake Whatcom – There are a number of great road rides within close proximity to Lake Whatcom. North Shore Drive to Y Road is popular, or for a longer ride you can head out to Deming Road, which parallels 542, go through Acme on Route 9, then turn right onto Park Road to start working your way around the lake towards town. Don’t forget to stop at Bloedel Donovan park for a swim before you’re done.

Puget_Sound.jpg

Clayton Beach– Pack a picnic, then ride on the gravel Interurban Trail from town (it’s about 9 miles) to Larrabee State Park. Lock up your bike, then hike down to the beach to wade or swim in the bay. If the tide is right, you might even spot brightly colored starfish.

This Friday, May 18th, is Bike to Work and School Day. From 6:30-9:30am there will be Celebration Stations set up across town with food, prizes and stickers. At noon, there will be the City Hall tricycle race, and the festivities continue at Chuckanut Brewery starting at 5pm. For more information, visit biketoworkandschoolday.org

Bike to Work and School Day is a great way to celebrate commuting by bicycle in Bellingham. Plus, if you have co-workers who have been hesitant to commit to riding to work, tell them about the free food. Sometimes a little bribery is all it takes to get someone to leave their car at home.

Bellingham Bike to Work and School Day

Bellingham is an incredible place for outdoor recreation. Where else is it possible to ski deep powder and ride amazing trails all in the same weekend? The opportunities are endless – hiking, biking, skiing, climbing, kayaking, sailing…the list goes on. We hope you get the chance to play outside this weekend. It might be a little damp, but toss on a raincoat and get outside – it’s worth it. The long sunny days will be here soon enough; after all, daylight savings time is only three weeks away.

Have fun, play hard, and don’t forget to take pictures. The photos in this post were taken on a foggy mountain bike ride in the Chuckanuts. It was one of those days where it seems as if you’re riding in a cloud. A stray beam of light would occasionally break through, but for the most part it was a grey, misty ride. Classic Bellingham mountain biking weather.