Exploring Beautiful Bellingham & Whatcom County: Haggins

I realize it is almost Turkey Day, and I have still not posted about our great Halloween yet. This post really is coming! Please also check out my other --more established blog sight ---full of random rambling, coffee love, pictures, jokes, and such. At http://www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com/

Sheridan, Wyoming

The sight includes some great exploring posts ---Great but not about Bellingham- so not on this sight.

Also in the works for this exploring sight---- Much about our youngest son and my running goals and exploring. Complete with a blog co-written by him and his best buddy. A listing of many helpful local sights --for those that have just moved to Bellingham or are dreaming of living here soon. I also found some older pictures, from exploring the area in the past, so I will be using many of these. Etc Etc Etc! Please share this link, if you enjoy what you see!

This is a very old picture----But with Thanksgiving coming up, I have been counting my blessings.

And at the top of the list ---is my great, loving family!

Today's post starts about super urban exploring. This is were one disappears in the gaps of woods and trees around busy areas of the city. I do not have any pictures to go with this. You will have to explore yourself-if you are so inclined. I can tell you that --make shift forts and homeless tent cities are frequent in wooded areas. I have not had a confrontation with any of the tent owners, but please tread lightly. Much of this land is private property, potentially adding to the fun of the trip. Please note--I grew up in Wyoming, and am very easily entertained, so none of the following may be your idea of a great time!
My examples today are-- 1.) Just down from Home Depot were the trailer park used to be. This is a very open area, but has lots to explore. And the area is surrounded by trees and running water. Bring a bag or two---for recycling, because beer cans are very plentiful! The parking lot just above this, were GI Joe's used to be, also offers some great insight. If you are a people person. Several people live out of there vehicles here. Couches used to line the front of the old store. And several recliners can be spotted in the trees surrounding the sight. On a sunny day, it can be a very busy area, for being a closed store.
2.) If you follow the mowed/blackberry bush border of Michale's arts and craft store off of the guide, around the unloading dock, you enter some great exploring land.
3.) Behind Wal-Mart there is some good exploring. With lots of trees, and wrappers of items stolen from the store. You might have to jump a fence to find better adventure.
4.) Behind the Fred Myers off Lakeway, is more wooded areas with plenty of trails.
And lastly for today----
If you park at Jack in The Box, and follow around the run off pond, there are trails all through the woods.

Another great way to explore around here-is to just jump a city bus and see were you end up. Or jump off early and head up a trail. Around Lake Whatcom is a terrific area. If you have time to kill, head out to Blaine for some exploring around there bay and the boarder. The bus to Lummi also offers some great picture taking areas. The bus system here is one of the best I have seen. And the booklet--- lets you easily pick the right bus for your day. The bus is also a great way to entertain your kiddos! They will love taking the bus, even if it is just to downtown to check out the local shops and grab some coffee. This is a quick, gas saving, cheap way to beat all the parking meters down town. Please note---Fairhaven has NO parking meters and some great local business for sure!
A great game to play on the bus---- Before we got our car, my wife and I used to ride the bus a ton. We started this "game" were we would take pictures of the most interesting, maybe strange people we saw on the bus. To make it more interesting, we took the pictures with our cell phones, and really attempted to not let the subjects know we were taking there picture. This allowed for more candid pictures, and kept us from getting our butts kicked, by people whose last picture was a mug shot. At the end of the day, we would compare all the pictures we snuck, and pick the best one. My wife almost always won this game with her pictures.

Another great local game --my wife and I both enjoy--- involves the above huge rock.

When you are near the great city of Bellingham coming from the south, nestled in the woods, is this huge boulder.

It gets painted all of the time.

Above happens to promote a blog sight I visit several times a week.

With many awesome pictures. In fact some of my shots were fashioned after ones from this sight.

This picture was stolen from this very sight. But I hope that if I keep telling how much I enjoy there blog --and push viewers to it, I will be forgiven?

Anyways, any time we head south, on the return trip, my wife tries to take a picture of this rock.

We were very positive we knew were the rock was, but it seems hidden every trip.

Long story -short, we still have no picture of this rock. And have drove the trip at least a dozen times now. ;)

Another good traveling game---is to call out the licence plates you see while on the road.

This is not a good game here---because you mostly just here

Washington and Canada yelled out over and over!

Lastly for today---hooray! A local game we play with the kiddos. At least in the Fairhaven Haggin --- they have a full sized cow and several baby pig models. The piglets seem to roam the store and be displayed all through the grocery store. I don't know if they get in the way, or the workers are overly bored. Either way, each time we visit, we see who can spot both of the lil pigs first.

I have this buddy named Professor Getty. I have worked with him at several Wally World's and he is one of my few long term friends. We have been there for each other for at least ten years. Meaning it is a give and take relationship. That is very rare. My wife and I have recently decided that we both need new friends, because our current ones only seem to know how to take. They only show up or call when they need something, and that usually is free baby sitting from us. This just happened last night, but they could never handle watching our three kids. Anyways, you are straying off topic again! My buddy and I have logged in lots of miles lost exploring through the woods. And have been on some crazy hikes in Oregon, Washington, Utah, Arizona and beyond. He is also the only person that has experienced a hike with me, and went on more! If he ever gets wi-fi again, he will also be co writing blog posts with me. Especially the angry "mini rants" I enjoy.

This may or may not be his real name. He also helped me pick "code names" for tons of Wally World workers. And he is helping pick me a good Indian name, for when I start at the casino. The good and the ugly, name wise. I will later explain some cautions while picking a great "code name." His name came about when he went back to college for about the third time. He soon discovered he was one of the oldest people in the class. And somehow I could picture him walking into the class room in a suit with arm patches, corduroy pants, holding a briefcase. The class room would pause, and than assume he was the professor. Bringing this up repeatably was one of the reasons he dropped out of school, but it was amusing.

He came through town last month. And of course we had time for a little exploring. No completely crazy trip through forest and ocean. But still a good time.
We started out in a great little town named Fairhaven. Because that is were I live.

Around The Village Green. Many events and free shows happen here through the summer. And it is a great place to wear out the kiddos.

Than we had some time to smoke a cigar down by the bay.

If you follow State Street into Bellingham and than keep following along the shore line and the magnificent large houses, near the airport you hit a turn out. Several trails branch out of here. All of them are lame. But the view can be very amazing. Down below this huge hill is some great exploring. And I will share about this in a very near blog post.

This great plane circled us as we were out watching the bay line.

We soon decided it was time to move on, and headed back toward downtown. If you take a left just after the bar--Coconut Henry's I believe it is, there are trails to explore galore! Many lead around the Bellingham Tech College.

Just look for this stack. Before the stack and the college, off to the right is a nice large sized area to park.

You than come upon some train cars to explore. Do not get on the train cars! ;)

The next day we headed off for Larrabee State Park. Miles and miles of scenic views are offered both on the road and on the trail. We did not head down to the beach, but decided to head up into the forest.