2005 Xbox Team Bikers’ Skagit Valley Tulip Ride
This year’s Tulip ride was a huge success, with 30 bikes turning out for our annual run up to theSkagit Valley Tulip Festival. With unseasonably nice weather in March, the tulips had bloomed early and had already been cut, but that didn’t matter. We had perfect weather, great company, some good food, and an excellent time overall.
Up at the Tulalip Casino in Marysville, we met up with our northern friends at the big Orca whale fountain. At this point, our total bike count grew to 30, which isn’t bad at all and ensures a nice Microsoft-matched donation to the Humane Society of King County; we’ll even pretend like we had more bikes for the donation purposes. We headed up Marine View Drive to Stanwood, got on Pioneer Highway, and cruised up to LaConner for lunch.
After getting our fill of great food and sights (we ate at a waterfront place with a view of the Swinomish Slough and the fishing boats going by) we headed West on Highway 20, then South over Deception Pass, down Whidbey Island and eventually to the town of Clinton where we caught a ferry back to Mukilteo and eventually home.
Total miles in the saddle for the day was 195.6 for me. What’s best is that it was sunny and broken clouds all day, with out a single drop of rain during the ride. Later that evening, after everyone was home, thunder and lightning and downpours broke out here in Seattle. Our timing was perfect, though, as the pictures highlight.
Click here to see all 15 pictures from this ride.
