Chuckanut Drive

February 14th, 2015

Bellingham, WA to Bow, WA and back

32 miles

1700 ft ascent/descent

Sunny, 56 degrees

I'm not gonna lie. One of the best parts of cycling is getting new stuff. And today, I got some new stuff! Namely, a Finish Line chain cleaner, second bottle cage, Cannondale gloves, and a Cannondale jersey. My kit is complete!!! (for now). The best part is that it all matches--black and white bike, jersey, socks and shoes. Yup, I know, lame... but here is a picture of the proud owner all dolled up for his bike selfie. 

Rather inconveniently, all this stuff came to my door about ten minutes after I got home from my ride today, so I didn't get to go show it off. But I did get to test out the chain cleaner, and wow, this thing is amazing. I just filled it with a little bit of degreaser, ran the chain through it, and now my chain looks like new again! One of the coolest things about it is the magnet at the bottom of the trough which collects the little metallic particles that would otherwise wear away at your chain.

It's been so sunny in Bellingham the past few days, so I've really gotten to enjoy my rides even more. On Saturday morning, I thought I'd finally try biking along Chuckanut Drive--one of the most famous scenic drives in Washington. It runs along this beautiful cliffside in Bellingham Bay, overlooking the San Juan Islands and the snowcapped Olympic Mountains behind them. I really want to take a picture for this blog, but my bulky camera won't exactly fit anywhere on my bike. 

The road twists and turns and climbs and drops all along the coast, reminding me of a mini-version of Highway 1 along Big Sur. The speed limit varies from 15-40 mph, and there are signs informing drivers to be aware of bikes on the road, so it feels pretty safe. 

After that ride on Saturday, I couldn't wait to do it again. So I did it today, riding just 20 miles this time, but keeping an average speed of 19 mph--a new record for me!