Stories from the road

Stories from the Road
Bellingham, WA
October 4, 2017



Yesterday Lucas drove us to the ski area at Mt. Baker, which is about an hour from Olympia. He and his friends ski mostly off Tara Il, and he pointed out some of the lines they take. I think I will stick to Snowmass. On the way home we stopped at a small coffee shop off the main road. It was if we were in San Francisco ordering lates and homemade cookies. I am not sure how such a place makes it in a rural town of a few hundred. 

Later we ate at a Southwestern restaurant with a funky feel. One of our waitresses looked like she just walked in from Woodstock. In her 60’s she was a pleasant person who seemed to have found a path that worked for her.Vicki and I split a quesadilla that was pretty good.


Bellingham is a city of approximately 80 thousand people. On Puget Sound, many of the homes have water views. Western Washington University, where Lucas went is here. The tone is low key and fun with interesting shops and eateries. Only 40 miles from Vancouver, Bellingham offers many opportunities for excursions. Today we will drive to Anacortes where we’ll take a ferry to the San Juan Islands. Tonight we’ll eat in another local place.


Lucas is a fireman in Bellingham. Getting hired by an urban department is very difficult, and I have been amazed at the hoops he has had to jump through. All the cities put candidates through rigorous physical, academic, and psychological exams before being hired. In Bellingham he then went to a “boot camp”, where the candidates were scrutinized. Following that experience he was hired as a probationary fireman. In 6 more months it will be over.