Biking in Snohomish and Skagit County

The real sun worshippers live in the Pacific Northwest.  When the sun comes out in the spring, everyone heads outside!  There is no excuse for burning daylight sleeping in or working inside.

So when we woke up to full sun and a promise from the weather forecasters for a day where the temperature got to 80 degrees, Ron got the bike out and we headed out on an explore.

We intended to go out Jordan Rd to Arlington and then on to Darrington via Oso as we had heard the road was open.  However, Jordan Road was closed for a bridge replacement, so we ended up on Engebretsen Rd, following the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River,

through the old growth forest,

 onto Highway 530 toward Oso and Darrington.

I love barns, so this road is great for looking at a variety of barns. 

 

The slide at Oso has made us much more aware of slopes and slides, and frankly, all of the hillsides look fragile.

About a mile east of Oso, we came to a traffic stop, where a flagger had traffic stopped and a security person came up to us.  "Can we get through to Darrington?" Ron asked.

"Yes, but traffic going east goes on the half hours and coming west leaves the other side on the hour." 

He also mentioned that the bypass is a gravel power line road with a 16% grade.  It was 10:42 a.m. when we got there, so we would have to wait 45 minutes for the pilot car.  We decided that trip was better left for another day and turned around and went back to Arlington.

Highway 9 North has its own traffic issues.  We still used the one lane bridge just north of Bryant, but we could see the new bridge, which will take out several 90 degree turns is nearing completion.

We headed west on Hwy 534 to Conway, where we had lunch at the Conway Pub, one of our favorite outdoor eateries.

 We came back through Silvana,

 where the barns butt right up to the road,

and the slopes look just as dangerous as the ones out toward Oso.

 



Looking for Tulips

We knew the first week we were home was exceptionally wet - but it seems the months of February and March set all kinds of records for rain here in the Pacific Northwest.  Just about the time we are ready to pack up and head south, we got one of the famous stellar days that keep us all around.  Yesterday was gorgeous with blue skies and sunshine.

This is what our front walkway looked like - the green grunge was about an inch deep in places.  I spent 5 hours with the 3500 lb per sq inch pressure washer, and got most of the decks and walkways cleaned.

Same walkway after cleaning - things are looking up!

However, after Ron mowed most of the day and I did the pressure washing, we were tuckered out and decided to take a trip up to the Skagit Valley to look at the tulips. 



Usually by the end of March, the fields around Conway and Mt Vernon are tilled and planted.  This year, most are ditched to remove excess water from the muddy ground.

The daffodilss are still in full bloom - much later than normal,

Only the pink tulips are showing color at all.

We did see hundreds of snow geese still hanging out in the fields.

And the mountains looked like they had a fresh dusting of snow.  Definitely a later than normal spring around here.



Motorcycle Ride to Chuckanut Drive

One of our favorite motorcycle rides is the one through the Stillaguamish and Skagit Valleys and up Chuckanut Drive to Bellingham.  This one is also scenic for the entire way, starting with

Views of Deer Mountain as we rode on Jordan Road between Granite Falls and Arlington.

The park at the Jordan Bridge over the South Fork of the Stilley

The one lane road over Jim Creek where the bridge is under repair.

We crossed I-5 at Island Crossing and took Pioneer Highway into Stanwood.

Lots of barns and farm smells - dairy farms and sileage and an occasional field of clover.

At Conway, we smelled oats cooking at Conway Feed.  We turned onto the road to LaConner at Conway.

Then through the fertile Skagit Valley where the crops all have mountain views and usually have signs to identify them on the road.

The smell of waffle cones cooking at Snow Goose Produce is nearly enough to thwart any diet.

We continued on Best Road all the way to where it crosses Highway 20 and becomes Farm to Market Road.

Farm to Market Bakery

The town of Edison has two amazing bakeries.

The Bread Farm

and some really fine places to eat.

The Longhorn Saloon where we had fish and chips.

A mile further, in Bow, the Rhodendron Cafe is great.

We turned onto Chuckanut Drive in Bow.

You can't be in a hurry on this drive.  The views are awesome and lots of bicyclists and sightseers share the road.

There are lots of turn outs where you can stop and take pictures and enjoy the views.

Oyster fields at Taylor Seafood Farm

Big container ships in the shipping lanes, San Juan Islands behind them.

It doesn't take much dirt to keep a cedar tree alive.

Back on the bike, up to Bellingham, and back home via Highway 9.   A lovely day for a ride and great scenery to enjoy!