Sunday, May 3, 2009

We have a winner! Big Arlington Mambo

Vincent, Ward, & I rode the Big Arlington Mambo yesterday. The forecast was for showers, with rain at times, but we went for it anyway. And we lucked out. Not only weather wise, but the ride itself. We had a few light sprinkles around lunchtime ... the rain started as I loaded my bike onto the car at the end of the ride ... and then it poured ! Timed it just right.

This is going to be one of my favorite rides. It generally follows the best part of the Three Rivers Cruise permanent ... up to Darrington and then along the North Cascades Highway towards Sedro Wooley ... with the Bellingham - La Conner stretch of several other rides ... with wonderful Sound views along Chuckanut Drive and the flat farmlands of the Skagit valley. With lunch at the Mambo Italiano Cafe in Bellingham of course. It was a gorgeoous ride ... very enjoyable.

266K - 166 milss ,,, thus the "Big" ... but only 3,400 feet of climbing. Yet there are plenty of mountains nearby along the ride. Lots of water too, with the Stillaguamish, Squak, and Skagit Rivers (the "Three Rivers"), Lake Samish, and of course Puget Sound.

We rode relatively quickly ... we hit the 200K mark at 8:40 ... and that was with an hour lunch at the Mambo. We finished just after 6 PM ... at 11:34, having started at 6:30 AM. I had planned on testing my new light set-up ... but no chance for that.

1 comment:

Vincent Muoneke said...

Almost a perfect thread through the eye of the needle, but Winds in the Skagit!