Day 2 - Peace Arch to Larrabee - Riding the California Dream

September 11, 2022

Day 2 - Peace Arch to Larrabee

I awoke at dawn to the sound of a gentle rain. Expected, and not unwelcome since it was helping to wash some of the smoke from the air. Plus, my weather app promised it wouldn’t last long, and it didn’t.

A group of diehard coffee drinkers — myself among them — hovered around the French presses, joking about the weather and discussing the day ahead.

The first day of a tour is always exciting, and we all expressed being a little nervous about the days ahead. Perhaps as a result of that nervousness, we were all breakfasted and ready to go by 8:30 AM.

Shuttled to the Canada border by our gracious leader, Bekah (pictured by the van below), we gathered for a group picture at the base of the Peace Arch before setting out in a group to return to the campground along the coast. Realizing that we were standing here on the anniversary of 9/11, I found myself feeling unexpectedly emotional, moved by a sense of solemnity.

All the bikes are loaded and we’re ready to go.

From the border we set off through Blaine and out to Birch Bay.

On the way to Bellingham, the route took us through some rural areas and across the Nooksack River.

Rural vistas. I’m not sure what this ground cover was.

We found a lovely little park for lunch with a view of the water.

You can see there’s still quite a bit of smoke in the air.

We finished the ride on the inter-urban bike trail - mostly crushed gravel, but easily rideable (except for a couple of steep descents and ascents that I chose to walk), and absolutely gorgeous and peaceful.

peaceful trail up and away from traffic and with great views of the water (which I failed to capture).

All in all, a good day, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 40 miles (64 km)

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Kathleen ClassenSo glad it started well.
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2 years ago