Lately, I’ve begun listening to This American Life on some of my walks. I don’t listen on every walk because one of the enjoyable things about walking is listening to the sounds of nature. I think of natural sounds, such as birds singing, water running, or the wind rustling the leaves as medicine for the soul. But occasionally it’s nice to listen to a story while walking. An in-depth human interest story can, like nature, refresh and inspire. This American Life is an hour long radio show so if I listen to an entire episode, I know I’ve walked for an hour, which is approximately three miles. I have an app on my phone on that allows me to stream the program.

This walk could be done anywhere, but because it involves having headphones on, it’s best done off roads, like in a park or on a trail. In Bellingham, I usually walk with headphones in Whatcom Falls Park. Within its 241 acres, there are so many trails that I can walk for an hour and rarely retrace my steps.

My Favorite Episodes…

I am inspired to share some of my favorite episodes of This American Life. Perhaps others might have some to share too. I hope you can find time to enjoy one of these.

• Tell Me I’m Fat ~ June 17, 2016
• The Perils of Intimacy ~ May 27, 2016
• In Defense of Ignorance ~ April 22, 2016
• Anatomy of Doubt ~ February 26,2016
• Day at the Beach ~ January 31, 2014

I see there are only 8 days left before Aaron and I begin our walk along the Erie Canal! The box of supplies we sent should be at our hotel in Boston by now. I’ll keep you posted!

Happy Walking!

~Ann

We woke up to a rainy morning. Last night I had decided to walk to work with Aaron and then back home by myself. It’s about 4 miles one way. Now rain before a walk always gives one pause. It adds a whole new dimension to planning, physically and mentally. I haven’t always been comfortable with walking in the rain. I’m over that now and the secret, which everyone probably knew except me, is ‘be prepared!’ It only took one time being out in the wilderness, without rain pants or rain cover for my pack, to realize that I was ill-prepared and in potential danger. The feeling that accompanies that realization is very sobering and unsettling. So now days, we rarely walk without rain gear. Even if the sky looks perfectly clear and the forecast is bright. This is especially true if we are in the mountains. It’s happened more than once that we have been caught in an unexpected rain storm, glad and relieved we were prepared for rain.
But back to this morning! We live near Whatcom Falls Park, so this walk began there. We donned full rain gear, put my daypack’s rain cover on and set out at about 6:30 a.m.. Aaron just bought new ultralight rain gear from Outdoor Research. It is very shiny and lightweight. To save on weight the jacket doesn’t have pockets. This could be a deal breaker. But it does roll up to the size of a granola bar!

A Poem…

Rain in the early morning has a quality all its own with the drooping sea spray, the circles of raindrop ripples on the pond where ducks float, heads tucked under their wings, seemingly still asleep. In the following poem, Wendell Berry gives my experience words.

I part the out thrusting branches

and come in beneath the blessed and the blessing trees.

Though I am silent

there is singing around me.

Though I am dark

there is vision around me.

Though I am heavy

there is flight around me.

Continuing on, we followed the Railroad Trail north, out of Whatcom Falls Park, as it traverses Alabama Hill and curves west around to where it crosses Woburn Street at the Barkley Haggen and the new cinemas across the street. (This past weekend Aaron and I walked to a movie, had a nibble at Zen after, and walked home, about 5 miles round trip. It’s light so late now, that coming in from a walk at 8:30 at night is easy-peasy.) This morning, I walked with Aaron as far as James Street. He turned north and I turned south.

Memorial Park…

Did you know there are two pedestrian overpasses that cross Interstate 5 north of Alabama Street? They were constructed to give those residents of Bellingham living east of the freeway, access to Memorial Park. The Railroad Trail passes over I-5 to the south of Memorial Park and the other crossing (at the end of Illinois Street) passes over I-5 just to the north of Memorial Park. This park was created in 1889 to memorialize Whatcom County’s fallen soldiers. Here is a brochure giving the description of the park’s history and a map to the many, many different trees planted there years ago. It’s super cool and would make an awesome treasure hunt for those wanting to learn their trees.

memorial-park-tree-brochure

After turning south, I walked to Avenue Bakery on James for breakfast. We love this place. That is really all there is to say about it. Love.
After breakfast, I continued south on James, across Iowa, to where it T’s into Meador. (Did you know there is a new Starbucks on Iowa near James?!! I had no idea Bellingham needed one more!) I took a left on Meador and and in less than a block, caught the Whatcom Creek Trail back up to Whatcom Falls Park. This is where the Whatcom Creek Trail transitions from pavement to stone dust surface and dips under Interstate 5.
It rained the whole way. I saw numerous snails on the trail. They had the most amazing yellow spirals on their shells.

The ducks were still ‘sleeping in’ on Derby Pond when I arrived back at Whatcom Falls Park. I estimate I walked between 8 and 9 miles and was on trails at least 75% of the time. Yay Bellingham trails!

~Ann

A Bit of History…

Did you know that there was once an amusement park on the shores of Lake Whatcom? White City was its name and it was located on the north shore of Lake Whatcom in the early 1900’s. There was a Ferris wheel, a 15 room hotel, a roller coaster, an ice cream parlor, and boats for rent. The citizens of Bellingham would vacation at White City. They would ride the street cars on the Lake Line to the last stop at White City. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any remnants of this once bustling vacation spot, but it is still fun to walk along the lake and try to imagine it. Here is an image of White City in Bellingham in its heyday. I just read that it got its name “White City” because it was lit up by electric lights, making it white. I wonder if that is how Electric Avenue got its name.

The Route…

This walk begins at Bloedel-Donovan Park’s parking lot on Electric Avenue in Bellingham. The walk is about 5 miles long with good elevation gain up to Northridge Park, descending back to Bloedel-Donovan Park. After parking in the lot, take a moment to walk over to the boat ramp and look across the lake to some square shaped condominiums. You will see that the land is quite flat around a lovely inlet. Try to imagine a Ferris wheel and roller coaster towering above the trees. It must have been quite exciting for the early residents of Bellingham to ride the streetcar out to the country and find an amusement park at the end of the line! Walk out to Electric Avenue and follow it till it becomes Northshore Drive. Follow Northshore around the top of the lake until you come to a 90 degree turn. Go straight onto Poplar and follow it around until you come back to Northshore. Cross Northshore and go up the hill on Academy until you come to Silver Beach Elementary School. Keep looking back as you ascend to get a good view of the lake and the area of White City. Take the first driveway that turns to the right at the school, next to a red brick building. This driveway will take you to the trail head to Northridge Park. As the trail meanders through stands of cedar and Douglas Fir, sword ferns, and vine maple, keep following signs for Northridge Park. You will eventually go under Barkley Boulevard through a metal culvert. Once you do, stay left and go on to complete the loop in Northridge Park. You will catch some beautiful views of the bay and of the flat land to the north as this trail ascends. On your way back, you could take a slight detour to see the sculptures at Big Rock Park. Once back at Silver Beach Elementary, wend your way back down through the quaint neighborhood of Silver Beach to Northshore Drive and back to Bloedel-Donovan Park. Be sure to go to http://www.cob.org to download maps of the parks and trails.

Appreciations…

Bellingham is a city full of parks with walking trails that connect many of them. This walk begins and ends at a park and takes the walker through Northridge Park and very close to Big Rock Park and Whatcom Falls Park. I am very appreciative of those people, so long ago, who carried the vision and imagination of these parks for a future Bellingham they would never see.

Enjoy!

~Ann

A Bit of History…

This walk follows Whatcom Creek in Bellingham, Washington, considered by some historians to be “The Birthplace of Bellingham.” The name Whatcom comes from the Lummi Nation word “Whatcoom,” which translates into English as “noisy waters.” Over the years, many people have relied on Whatcom Creek. Indigenous people lived along the creek and fished the wild salmon returning from the open sea to spawn within the protection of their native waters.

European explorers and businessmen built mills and mined for gold along the creek. Henry Roeder and J.E. Peabody established their lumber mill at the mouth of Whatcom Creek in 1852. The pair arrived in Bellingham Bay after visiting San Francisco, where they believed they would earn their fortunes. San Francisco, suffering from the devastation of fire, was in desperate need of lumber. The two entrepreneurs realized a plan to find an unlimited source of lumber by traveling northward, up the coast of North America. When they heard the cascading water of Whatcom Creek as it tumbled into Bellingham Bay and beheld the wall of Douglas Fir and Cedar trees lining the shores, they knew they had found the site for their lumber mill and Bellingham was born. As the city grew, Whatcom Creek suffered. It was dredged for gold and at one point, the majority of the settlers’ waste ran directly into the creek and into the bay.

Many years later in 1999, a gas leak in the pipeline that traverses Whatcom Falls Park caused a catastrophic fire, which resulted in nearly irreparable damage to Whatcom Creek and its environs. Fortunately, with the help of many private and public groups during the last century, Whatcom Creek is returning to a natural and healthy condition. Though many people and their endeavors have come and gone, Whatcom Creek has miraculously endured.

Highlights Along the Way…

Whatcom Creek originates at the outlet of Lake Whatcom and snakes its way down to its estuary at Bellingham Bay. The creek passes through a number of ecological and cultural areas, which provide a diversity of thought provoking and picturesque points around every turn. In places, the creek bubbles noisily over waterfalls and cataracts amid towering cedar and fir trees. At other places, the creek meanders through flat floodplains bordered by willows and dogwood. The walk passes two fish hatcheries that use the water from Whatcom Creek to nurture the next generation of salmon and trout. Well-maintained City of Bellingham trails parallel the largest percentage of Whatcom Creek, while the remaining bits are accessible by street. The walker can enjoy abundant flora and fauna along the upper two-thirds of the creek. We have seen owls, waterfowl of all kinds, herons, coyote, beaver, and fish in this area. Whatcom Creek also navigates the paved streets of Bellingham, disappearing under one street only to reappear on the other side, seemingly indifferent to the hundreds of cars that pass over it every day. Here is a link to a PowerPoint presentation I created a few years ago about Whatcom Creek’s history and restoration.

Whatcom Creek PP

Getting There and Back…

This walk can be done as a one-way or round-trip. By taking the #525 local bus to Bloedel-Donovan Park at Lake Whatcom, one can access the trail here for a four-mile downhill walk to the center of Bellingham. Conversely, one could walk the four miles up to Bloedel-Donovan Park, and take the #525 bus downtown. Be sure to check current WTA bus schedules if choosing the one-way option. http://www.ridewta.com

The round-trip option begins at Maritime Heritage Park on Holly Street in downtown Bellingham and ascends to the turn around point at Bloedel-Donovan Park. This eight-mile walk is our personal favorite. On any hike or walk, I always appreciate going uphill first and downhill second. I appreciate having some rigorous work in a walk and this walk does not disappoint. Did I mention the stairs at the base of Whatcom Falls Park? All 122 of them! In addition, I have always had the experience that when I turn around on a hike, the world looks entirely new, like seeing the front and then the back of a place. But you decide what works for you and your walking abilities and time frame. We walk about 3 miles per hour, so with stops and bus ride, the one-way would take about 2 hours and the round-trip would take the better part of a day.Here is a link to City of Bellingham’s website where you can find trail maps: www.cob.org

Under departments, click on Parks and Recreation to download a complete set of trail maps. They are very useful, especially when Whatcom Creek disappears under streets and bridges.

Refreshments (very important!)

If you plan on doing the round trip, there are a couple great places to acquire refreshments. One is DaVinci’s at 1480 Electric Avenue, very close to the turn around. It’s inside Whatcom Falls Mini Mart and gas station but don’t let that fool you. They are well known for their classic submarine sandwiches, which make a great picnic in the park. The other is K2, Kulshan Brewery’s second pub. It’s a little off the trail on Kentucky Street but well worth the short walk. There is always a local food truck and Kulshan’s local brews. www.kulshanbrewery.com

Happy Walking!

Ann

This is a blog about walking and sharing our walks with others who enjoy walking. Through walking, we have discovered so much of the world: the changing seasons, delightful new neighborhoods, hidden trails, and awesome views. We are always amazed at how much we had missed before. Even our tried and true walks continue to surprise us!