My day trip to Birch Bay and back from Bellingham by bicycle.

I was thinking of doing a several day bike tour, but it is hard to leave Bellingham with so much to do here. Then a wet weather forecast for later this week gave me cold feet. I decided, spur of the moment, to do a day trip just to Birch Bay and back.

A compromise, but some folks would say, at age 71, Birch Bay is a long trip at 49 miles round trip. I left in early afternoon so I didn't even miss lunch at the Bellingham Senior Center.

Mount Baker from Ferndale near Labounty Road.

Douglas, a more quiet road.

Phillips 66 refinery in the distance. I like ironies. Some of the most peaceful riding is near our oil refineries where most people don't want to live. They have large buffer areas around them.

Bellingham has a rainbow bridge. Near where the old aluminum refinery was is a rainbow road.

A big reason for this trip is the Point Whitehorn Road who's easement has been turned into a trail. A way to escape traffic. It's in buffer lands near BP Refinery. We have two oil refineries in the county.

I must be getting close to Birch Bay.

Yes. the state park.

Artistic mailboxes.

And a phone booth, probably not hooked up.

Moon and sunset as I head back home near Ferndale.

Mount Baker in sunset.

Crossing the Nooksack River at Ferndale.

Bellingham's Rainbow Bridge, on Northwest Avenue, greets me. I'm almost home. The last few miles after sunset. I have good bicycle lights.

Passing part of Franklin Academy private school on Northwest Avenue.