RSVP Day 2

Lynden

After gulped down a few hard boiled eggs, filled up on ice water, and tossed the backpacks into the event truck, we bolted for Lynden. I invited the gang to have breakfast with Mike Martin, my former boss and Lynden’s current City Administrator. Breakfast was at 8am, so we flew to make it in time. This was the first time in my life that I bicycled 20 miles (about the distance of Seattle to Tacoma) for a breakfast meeting! 

In city government, a City Administrator or Manager is akin to a corporation’s CEO, while the Mayor is like President of the Board of Trustees. The Mayor (and Council) set policies, approve budget, and hire the Administrator to run the day to day operation of the city. Small city government really is a microcosm of democracy. Anyone can run to be Mayor. If you really think about it, that is pretty awesome. This right isn’t available in many parts of the world. However, a baker, who is well-liked thus elected Mayor, wouldn’t necessarily know how to direct the works of the police, public works, planning and permitting, economic development, etc. Therefore, a town would hire an Administrator, a professional to do all that within a budget, a timeframe, and the City vision. Being a city administrator is an extremely rewarding job as you have the most direct impact on the city’s survival and prosperity. However, you serve at the pleasure of the Council. An average tenure for an administrator is 5-6 years. Anyway, I told the gang that we should thank him in advance because if some old farmers in tractors were pissed off at cyclists holding up traffic, he would probably be the guy to hear it and deal with it. Sorry, Mike :).

Lynden is small 5-square mile city about 5 miles south from the US-Canadian border with 12,000 people. This town is awesome in many ways. The town is noted for its manicured lawns, Dutch/European architecture, and abundance of churches. At one time, Lynden held the world record for most churches per square mile and per capita, though unsubstantiated. However, they are more well-known for agricultural products.  Rich soil, mild temperatures and enough rainfall combine to make Lynden and Whatcom County a great place for farming. The Lynden area is well known for its berry production. According to the Lynden Chamber of Commerce, around 58 million pounds or 65% of the nation’s red raspberries are produced on 6,400 acres in Whatcom County, the largest per capita crop of red raspberries in the world. The County harvests about 4.8 million pounds of blueberries and ranked second in strawberry production in the state with about 4.4 million pounds. They also freeze and preserve the berries, which then are used in juices, syrups, yogurt, ice cream and such. Being an ice cream lover, Hai would probably appreciate that. Riding through these picturesque farms just gladdens your heart and refreshes your soul. Oh, do you know Lynden’s Darigold plant is the 4th largest producer of powdered milk in the United States? Cows love to live there. I do too, but probably am not as useful as those cows. 

The breakfast buffet at Dutch Mother's Restaurant in Lynden was great. I felt like the bacon was tastier and fresher after having ridden through the farmlands. It was great catching up with Mike. After breakfast, he took us through town and to his home for a brief visit. The town is just beautiful – not a single piece of litter or graffiti to be found. Mike showed off the new paint of Dakar yellow on his beamer motorcycle. Well, the truth comes out. Besides being a bureaucrat, Mike is also a carpenter, motorcycle track-racer and paraglider! After quick visit with Mike, his wife Julie, and other members of the Martin family, we were back on the road.

Blood, flow!

The line at the US-Canadian border is long for motorists, but short for bicyclists, on this special event day. We got through right away and took a group picture to celebrate our accomplishment.

The same scenery unfolded right after the border. Beautiful vineyards and fields of fruit trees. 

Following a steep hill climb, we arrived at an elementary school for a quick food stop. Right before we started, we saw an older rider who hopped on his bike and yelled, “Blood, flow!” That just made me LMAO. Isn’t there usually a blue pill that would fix the usual type of blood flow problem? Joking aside, I guess if blood doesn’t get to the limps, a muscle cramp would end any ride very quickly. Anyway, after the bellowing command, the old man took off for the distance. So I guess Pfizer doesn’t get it quite right – blood flow isn’t a physical problem. It’s all mental. It’s all in your head :).

Vancouver dreaming

Since I was a student in urban planning school, I have heard that Vancouver BC was a great city planned right. How they build their downtown and plan for urban growth. How they promote their non-motorized transportation modes. How they seem to manage wonderfully the balance of nurturing their cultural identity while bringing in foreign investment and promoting tourism. My friend Jonathan Warren, a professor at the UW, raved about their beautiful downtown, architecture, and skyscrapers that were built with style and grace. Hai said all along that he appreciated the laid-back Canadian attitude and that they were genuinely nice. It seemed that this trip enforced both Jonathan’s and Hai’s love affairs with this coastal Canadian city. When we stopped at a bike shop, there were two employees who greeted us enthusiastically, offered to give our bike a thorough rinse, and pointed to a place where we could refill water. We were very impressed. 

Along the way, a couple runners asked about our ride and wished us well. Absent from this was the obscene gestures and condescending remarks hurled toward bikers back in the US. I must say that this is a gross generalization. I’m sure plenty of Canadians are jerks. And Canada does have jails. All I’m saying is that I want to give a big shout-out to our friends across the border. They made us feel very welcomed. 

About building architecture, I noticed the skyscrapers are tastefully designed with trimmings and accentuation like balconies, ledges, and windows. Buildings aren’t stacked (or in planning terms, "massed") so high and tight that they would take away each other’s view and space. The good building code really protects Vancouver well from developers making a quick profit and leaving the City with ugly cookie-cutter buildings like in some other cities. Recently, Vancouver added a bicycle path that would connect the Chinatown/Stadium Area to North Vancouver along the waterfront and through Stanley Park. This pedestrian/bike path is absolutely beautiful with view and access to the marinas, restaurants, beaches, and parks. 

After finishing the ride in downtown Vancouver, we biked an extra 5 miles to get to our hostel on Jericho beach. Most of the ride was on separate bicycle lanes and through some streets that allow only bikes through.  The Vancouver urban planners definitely were way ahead of us planners in the States in terms of planning for safe and comprehensive bicycle infrastructure. Other cyclists that I met there agreed.

Yup, crossing bridges was a breeze with wide bicycle lanes!

Cua rang toi (Dungeness crab sauteed with garlic)

After a quick shower at the hostel, Howie’s sister and her family (who actually live in Vancouver) took us to eat at a famous local Chinese restaurant. We waited about 30 minutes for a table. Our patience was rewarded as we stuffed ourselves silly on bird nest soup, garlic beef, sweet & sour pork, steamed chicken, cua rang toi and other deliciousness. 

 

It was the best dinner I’ve ever eaten in Vancouver. A perfect way to cap off a successful tour! Sorry, Howie wanted to keep it a secret so I can’t tell you the name of the restaurant…unless you take me :).