I just got back from the future

Something like the future we could have if we had the political will. Vancouver public transit Skytrain gliding over the traffic of surface streets. Kind of reminds me of 1960s images from "city of the future" with monorails snaking past mushroom shaped buildings.

I'm now back from my bicycle tour around to interesting things in this greater Northwest Washington, lower BC region. Parked my bike in a motel and took the Skytrain a few times.

I've thought of getting a shirt to wear when I'm bicycling that says, "my other vehicle is the Skytrain." Then folks might think I'm Canadian. I just live close to our peaceful border. Really, here in USA, we could do it also.

If you really want a great video showing how it works with some behind the scenes stuff, check out This great video I just discovered from MetroVancouver.

I also rode some regular buses and saw GPS at work. A sign at the front of the bus tells what street the bus is crossing and which stop is coming next. This info can likely be sent to cellphones so folks waiting at bus stops can learn where the bus they are waiting for is.

Global positioning technology. Amazing.

Summer 2008 only comes once

Taking Blackball Ferry from Port Angeles, WA. to Victoria, BC.


Decided to head back toward central city of Vancouver for one more sightseeing day.

Picture taken at downtown public library.

My ride in from Abbotsford was good along shoulder of Fraser Highway. Better than going east on north side of Fraser River where there was construction and so forth. North side gets better farther east past Mission, as I remember from an earlier trip.

South side of river is OK as much of the traffic "rat race" can use Trans Canada Highway rather than Fraser Highway.

More highway choices on south side of river.

I was thinking of coming back to Bellingham a day early, but missed my turn south to the border at Aldergrove. Also thought one more day in Canada would be fun. Motel in Surrey and Skytrain back to downtown Vancouver.

I had another dream that encouraged me to continue my trip. Dream was about stopping into my place of work and discovering I was needed back at work earlier than expected. Our vacation fill-in help must have miss read the calendar in my dream. They left earlier than planned.

While my boss was trying to explain this to me, several other people were talking to him all at once. He was also trying to serve whole wheat bread from a vendor's cart in the lobby. Doing this while running all over the building troubleshooting maintenance things. People were lining up at the cart waiting for their bread while he was needed upstairs to fix pluming problems. His skin looked mighty wrinkled.

I'm glad that was just a dream and when I do go back to work, it shouldn't be that hectic; hopefully.

Is the ownership society sustainable?

As more financial institutions falter, here is a factor to keep in mind.

I keep hearing that the median wage is not enough to qualify for a mortgage to buy the median priced house. That's true in so many regions.

When people can't afford home ownership and at the same time home ownership is being held up as a holy grail of life, "ownership society," there is a disconnect.

In trying to afford homes via fancy financing from unregulated banks, rather than wages and house values in better balance, we get the default situation being faced today.

We need less emphasis on home ownership as the holy grail of living, or we will need to inflate the rest of the economy to catch everything from wages to candy bars up with home values.

$10 candy bars?

Either people stretch too far and buy, or have to give up that dream.

What we need is a more sustainable dream than buying over our means.

Less expensive housing, like mobile home courts for instance, Smaller houses and more apartment living may be in the future.

Is it a sacrifice, or maybe just making things more convenient? Maybe it's better.

My bike touring version of "American Dream" is now visiting Canada. Might not be that sustainable either. Exploring around Vancouver has meant some motel stays for me. More expensive than camping.

Now I am out east of Vancouver in the sprawl around Abbotsford. Yes, Canada has sprawl too, but maybe not as much as Washington State.

Single family homes all spread out. Narrow rural roads crammed with traffic. I'm confined to bigger highways that have shoulder, but "gritty" along side all those noisy dusty trucks. Not a lot to see except mountains and farms in the distance.

Time to head back. The camping is still too far out and the riding is a bit boring. Heading back into beautiful central city Vancouver would be better scenery, but more motel stays. I have to think about what's sustainable for my bank account also.

The city is pretty, but more of the outskirts need to be like the city. The city is rare, making it more expensive. People pay a high price for convenience, yet most of the sprawl around large cities doesn't build for convenience. Convenience needs to be more common and affordable. They should build the outlying areas with more density and smaller homes. A more sustainable version of of both the American and Canadian dreams.

Out here in the sprawl, it's still too urban for camping, but still too rural for convenience. Motels near attractions like Midas Muffler shop. Wow. The worst of both city and country?

Views from bike path on Alex Fraser Bridge near Vancouver, BC

View east from the bridge.

Back from the beach

Where others have come back from the beach and gutted fish, I've used Internet WIFI and dreamed about the Hadron Collider. More and more resorts are getting WIFI now.

This Asus PC has worked well and has been small enough for my bike pannier.

I'm using Linux.

Click on image to enlarge and see Google front page celebration of Hadron. Also see signs about proper etiquette for cleaning fish in the campground.


This bicycle trip has taken me to Pacific Ocean at Rialto Beach. Today is the much looked forward to start up Hadron collider in Europe. Exploring deeper into the nature of matter and the universe.

In 1999, I was passing through Wenatchee, WA. when the Chandra X-Ray satellite was launched.

2003 saw Spitzer Infrared Observatory launch while I was biking through Marin County, CA.

Exploration.

Last night, around the time of Hadron start up, I dreamed the collider was, for some reason, in Hope, BC. Now there is a big collider at UBC Campus in Vancouver, BC, but the Hadron isn't in the mountains around Hope. It's in Europe under parts of France and Switzerland.

In the dream, I met up with a bunch of other cyclists on the road. I kept talking about the Hadron so the cyclists I just met said, "we're close, let's all go there."

We went down the road and turned off to Hadron, near Hope, BC.

Remember, this is a dream.

Entering a building, there was a big reception lobby filled with tourists. Someone came out from a back office and started explaining things. Then he began berating us for ruining his busy day. He said he felt obligated to show us around.

We wondered what that was about as lobby was full of tourists who just dropped by. Remember, this is only a dream.

So we went outside and the nice day turned to a heavy rain. So heavy that we could see cars hydroplaning on the road and throwing up muddy water on the shoulder. Our stuff was drenched so we had to take refuge inside the lobby again to wait out the rain squall.

About then I woke up. Glad it was just a somewhat unpleasant dream.

Weather has been great on this trip. Sunny except for some overcast on the beach.

I am excitedly awaiting news of new discoveries at Hadron over the next years and no it's not in Hope, BC. where my dream took place. I'm not there either. Nothing wrong with Hope. I do plan to go back to Bellingham via Victoria and Vancouver, BC.

In 1989, I biked to Vancouver and went to an open house at the TRIUMF Particle Physics Lab. It was very interesting and the people were great. Not like my dream.

Along Olympic Discovery Trail

Old railroad bridges around Sequim, WA. Having a great time riding out toward Crescent Lake and possibly the Pacific. Then headed back to Bellingham later in the week via Victoria, BC and the Blackball Ferry from Port Angeles. Great sunny weather so far. Nice bicycling on these trails and roads.

Electric Transit

Windmill painted on side of Max Train as I passed by in another Max Train.

One of the goals of this summers travels was riding Portland's Max Train. Staying in a motel room in Portland, OR. I just took the Max out to Beaverton and back.

A driver ask, "where's your umbrella?" Portland was experiencing a shower. I said, "The train is my umbrella."


Sitting a short while in Beaverton waiting to pick up a new load of passengers. I just stayed on the train and headed back downtown.

The means of transit was the destination.

Stay tuned for more about this summer's travels via bicycle, train and so forth.

A trip through the mainland to the ferry dock could be the best part of biking Orcas Island

Just got back from the second of my small bike trips. Orcas Island via Anacortes and Skagit Valley.

Most of the charm was getting there on some quiet roads through Edison and Bayview State Park. Above picture taken from Padilla Bay bike trail has everything from a blue heron to the Anacortes Refinery.

The Journey is really the destination.


Several bakeries in tiny Edison offered nice smells and treats.


Old boats just sitting in the tiny Samish River.

More pictures below.

Pedaling through Skagit was nicer than the "destination" Orcas Island, itself. Roads on the island are kind of narrow and busier. I've noticed this, when I go to the Island. Yes, San Juan Islands are considered a bicycle destination, but really, some of the mainland is better.

Many bicyclists go to Lopez, rather than Orcas. It's flatter and more rural, but there doesn't seem to be many attractions there. Just riding around, which I do all the time anyway.

Orcas is OK; just a bit hectic.

One of my favorite attractions has been the Doe Bay Resort, on Orcas, with it's clothing optional hot tubs.

Haven't been there for a while, but paid a visit. Over the years, Doe Bay has gradually evolved to a bit tidier, but more expensive place. The clientele seems to have changed at the tubs, but it's still the home of friendly conversation. I used to enjoy the young hippie kind of energy that was there. Now that it's gotten more expensive, it seems to be drawing an older and more financially established crowd. One might be more apt to run into brokers than traveling folks right out of college. Still, I had a good time, but it's not what it was in years past. Tubs are lined with a more comfortable surface that looks like slate. The deck is a lot wider and more comfortable and most of the people are a bit wider as well.

Coming back on the ferry, one gets a better view of Mount Baker (if it isn't cloudy) than from Bellingham. At least with a zoom lens.


Of course, I don't want to attract too many people, and cars, with images of Mount Baker like you'd find in coffee table books. Riding past the oil refineries of Anacortes also offered some interesting images.

Ice caves at Big Four

I'm standing near this natural air conditioner.

Melting snow.

The Big Four Ice Caves is basically a pile of snow and ice that falls down from Big Four Mountain during colder months. At this lower elevation, the snow accumulation melts forming lots of little caves.

I just stood near the mouth of one. It's not safe to go in, unless you want chunks to fall on your head. Possibly big chunks. Killer chunks.

It's a nice two day bike trip from Bellingham. I'm taking several short trips in this area for my vacation. Bicycle trips, as usual for me.

People walk on the snow, but it's considered dangerous also. Could fall in a cave.

Water drops down into top of snow pile and disappears.

What happens to the water?

It must soak into gravel and reemerge as springs farther down the trail.

Looks like something disturbed the forest and smashed the walkway.

Detour.

Big Four is located around 30 miles east of Granite Falls on the Mountain Loop Highway.

Does vacation have to prove or accomplish something?

And it's tempting to thumb my nose at news headlines saying Americans are taking shorter trips due to gas prices. Since I bicycle, my trip could be as long as ever. Still, I'm thinking of staying closer to home also. There is so much in this area, with-in maybe a 300 mile radius, that I normally don't have time to see.

Photo shows cool bike trail along Padden Creek in Bellingham. Old sandstone remnants of water system. Many don't discover these gems when they just fly over things or stick to the freeway.

For longer trips, I usually take the train back home from anyway. Amtrak prices have probably gone up, but not too bad. Main problem, I've run out of places that interest me with easy train connections back home.

How many times should I go down California Coast? So far, this lifetime, 5 times.

Biking east across USA takes at least 2 months. I usually only get around 5 weeks. Maybe some year, I'll add more leave of absence to vacation. 5 weeks might get me just past North Dakota and I'd have to take the train back just before the interesting part of the eastern states.

How many times should I visit Eastern Washington?

Some people suggest Colorado, but taking the train there means going to California first. Train doesn't do the diagonal.

Maybe the Amtrak ThruWay bus does.

There's always flying. People say it's an ordeal. My last flight was early 1980s, well before 911. Such a small plane that every seat was a window seat.

It was fun. The view, fantastic, but short lived.

Maybe flying is still OK. Shipping my bike and all of that. Takes some logistics. I'm supposed to be on vacation.

There's a lot of smaller trips around here to interesting cities, hot tubs, bike trails around places like Vancouver, BC, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, San Juan Islands, Olympic Peninsula. May even take train as far as Eugene. Also I plan to pass through Bellingham a few times and then head out again. Sleep in my own bed, rather than being away for several weeks solid.

Yesterday, I watched them tear down an old building to make way for mixed income housing. The old Walton Beverage Warehouse.

Some people are sad to see it go. Relic of an era when buildings weren't trying to be pretty.

I stopped and watched for quite a while. Also ate some blackberries that were growing through the fence. Glad I wasn't too busy. An interesting "happening" to stumble upon.