Matt Jones' Random Acts of Verbiage

As I drove north after the lovely Thanksgiving weekend down in the south of Washington things got colder. I noticed a bit of white on the ground while passing through Seattle and as I progressed along I-5 the bit of white became soft flurries of snow. By the time I hit Burlington and Mount Vernon I actually had to drop the pace down to 55 or so. The roads got slicker and the flurries became less soft. About 20 miles south of Bellingham the break lights appeared. Stopped on I-5 I admitted that my decent pace (despite the flurries) had come to an end. Two hours later and 20 miles traversed I arrived at my exit.

I had made it all this way without the aid of my chains that remained parked in my apartment closet. My worries of getting stuck on the freeway after stopping numerous times in the not so gripping ice and slush became unfounded. I thought I was in the free and clear until the old adage popped into my head: most accidents occur within in a mile of your own home. Thankfully I made it within 10 feet of my apartment so I figured I had conquered that maxim until the slight hill into the parking lot had its way with my slightly bald tires. What could I do but mock the hill by making the slight trek by foot to pull the trusty chains out of their hiding spot (oh, where were you when I tried and failed to safely summit Snoqualmie?). Chains secure, I roared up the little hill and into my parking spot, my car looking quite boring sitting next to the neighbors’ 15 inches of snow atop their vehicles. My adventure safely completed, I vowed never to drive in Bellingham again.

My walking tour of Bellingham was the natural result of that pledge. I love the snow because there are fewer people on the roads and everything is muted and peaceful. Now you all can enjoy the beauty that is Bellingham covered in snow.

The view out the back.

View all the pictures at my flickr set: Bellingham’s First Snow! Hope you all are enjoying your weather, whatever it may be!