From the President

 As the October B.I.K.E.S. election meeting broke up, Bill Weber handed me the gavel, the orange “Prez” hat and a few Marathon Energy Bars to use as a Sound Block.  I’m not one to wear hats but wielding the gavel might prove to be fun!  When you see Bill on a ride, please thank him for his three years at the helm.

   Also taking office for the upcoming year is Warren Bare, continuing as Vice President, Doug Andrews stepping in as Secretary and Kristi Knodell rising to the role of Treasurer.  All of us are involved because we enjoy having a club to ride with, care about safe cycling and want to keep B.I.K.E.S. active in Snohomish County.

   The annual club holiday party is coming up in early December, see page two for details.  At this year’s party, amidst the ever-popular potluck and craziness of a competitive white-elephant gift exchange, we will conduct some club business.  A committee has drafted and presented to the Board a proposed amendment to the club’s Constitution.

   The Constitution sets forth the parameters by which the club operates.  For example, it dictates when we elect officers, an expense approval process and meeting schedules. The purpose of the amendment is to bring the Constitution in line with the actual operations of the club.  Proposed major changes are to officer’s duties, the timeline for election of officers and committee structure.  Come to the party to have fun and say hi to friends you haven’t seen in a while but also to help B.I.K.E.S. stay on track and function smoothly.

 Pedals Up,

 Debby Grant
President

Bicycle Alliance Seeking New Board Members

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is seeking members from around the state to serve on its Board of Directors. This is an opportunity to help lead the only organization devoted to bicycle advocacy for all cyclists in Washington State. The Board is responsible for creating vision, setting overall policy, ensuring implementation of programs, and fiscal oversight.

As a Board member, you will serve on committees, participate in fundraising, provide technical and professional advice, and participate in advocacy efforts. Board members serve a 3-year term and the full Board meets every other month.

Interested parties can make inquiries and applicants should email BAWboard@bicyclealliance.org by Nov. 10 to request a board candidate application.

1. 

November Club Meeting 11/12/09— 7:00pm

Snohomish County PUD Bldg 2320 California Ave. Everett

Everyone’s welcome and if time permits join other club members at 5.30pm for an early dinner at:

Yupa's Thai Cuisine,
They moved.  Its now at 2925 Wetmore Ave

Ride Review by Bill Lutterloh

On a Friday morning in late September, club members Bill Lutterloh, Annie Peterson, Doug Andrews, and Steve Hudspeth set out for a cycling weekend on Vancouver Island, BC.  After loading mountain bikes into Bill’s van, we headed to Bellingham for breakfast and then to the U.S./Canada border crossing at Blaine.  A Canadian border guard didn't like the looks of the Halt dog spray hanging from one of the bikes (it could have been the Ride Leader’s bike).  The guard invited us into the building along with our passports and the Halt dog spray to explain and have it confiscated, which was good because all the handling made it start to leak. 

     At Tsawwassen we boarded the ferry to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island.  We had some difficulty locating the Lochside Trail as parks were not where the map indicated and locals didn't know the name of the bike trail in their own back yard.  The prettiest section of the Lochside Trail runs between Swartz Bay and Victoria and is part gravel, part paved residential streets and about 17 miles one-way. A stop at a small farmers’ market yielded a cookie and coffee break. 

      We climbed back into the van and traveled to a Howard Johnson motel in Victoria.  Our home for the weekend, the Howard Johnson is located on the Switch Bridge Trail, a connector trail that links the Lochside Trail and the Galloping Goose Trail.  

      On Saturday morning, we accessed the Galloping Goose Trail from the town of Sooke.  We biked to the extreme northwest end of the trail to Leechtown, a former mining town that’s now mostly forest and a few scattered remains of mining equipment.  We back-tracked toward Victoria and were treated to a shady canopy of trees, views of an adjacent river and picturesque curved trestle bridges.   The Galloping Goose Trail is about 38 miles one-way and at many street intersections, bikes have right of way!

      We spent a leisurely Sunday morning riding the Switch Bridge trail, about seven miles round trip, to downtown Victoria.  We took in some local sights and peered at dioramas found on the undersides of many of the street overpasses before heading to Swartz Bay to board the ferry and return home.