Drive to Bellingham, then back on the bike!

Time to leave Rainier and get back on my bike. It wasn't a bad drive to Bellingham. Luckily there was no traffic getting through Seattle. There was a big jam coming southbound, so maybe I was just lucky. I stopped at REI on my way through Seattle to pick up a new pair of cycling shorts. I left home with 2 pairs of shorts, one new, and one not so new. It turned out that the not so new shorts weren't in great shape - I thought I looked at them before I left home, but apparently not. It's probably a good thing I'm traveling by bike for the rest of my trip and don't want to add to my load - talk about being like a kid in a candy store! I could have spent a lot of time in the store (I hate shopping in general - except for bike shops and places like REI that sell all the toys that I like!), but I just picked up the shorts and got back on the road.

I had no problem finding the airport in Bellingham to return the rental car. I did have to stare at the Adventure Cycling map and the Avis Bellingham map for a few minutes before I figured out where they intersected. I was barely a mile off of the bike route at the airport. It's nice how things seem to work out.

I stopped at Kulshan Cycles in town to borrow a pump, and had a nice conversation with one of the people there. He actually rode Lolo Pass within the last couple of years too, so we could compare our trips. He agreed that it was a fabulous road too. He also told me about a beautiful road down by Crescent City - my end point for this trip. He said it is dirt, but usually very hard-packed. I may have time to explore there if I don't take too many side trips on the way. I need to look at the Washington maps again to see if an out and back route to see part of the Olympic Peninsula is a reasonable thing to do.

Time for laundry. I stopped at a laundromat in the Fairhaven district and promptly dumped all of my dirty clothes on the sidewalk. I figured they could walk away on their own after 2 days at Mt. Rainier without a shower.

Decision point - where to stay. It was between riding a short distance to a state park south of Bellingham, or staying at a hostel here in town. I opted for the hostel. It was very nice, small, nice hot shower, and very clean. I had dinner at a vegetarian bookstore cafe, then walked down to the Alaska Ferry terminal. Bellingham must be beautiful on a clear day, with the bay on one side and the Cascades on the other. The mountains were pretty much obscured by fog today - I should have been able to see Mt. Baker from here.

So far there isn't much doubt in my mind that I'd like to live out here someday. I'd definitely need to become a better, stronger, faster hill climber on the bike though...