[Kntr]

I have been thinking about moving to Washington. I want to be closer to Whistler and the coast. I also want to be able to ride year around. I would like to be as close to local trails as possible. I am into all types of riding, but prefer FR/DH.

These are the town that have possible openings for my line of work.

Bellingham?
Ferndale?
Anacortes?
Burlington?
Oak Harbour?
Marysville?
Everett?

 

[TtotheJ]

Bellingham is the place to be if you can find a job here. Local riding 5 minutes outside of town with a good mix of tech XC and light freeride. Plus its only 20-30 minutes from the border and anywhere from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour from the North shore mountains. Ferndale is just outside of Bellingham and closer to the border but has no riding I know of (everyone comes to Bellingham and rides Galbraith). I've heard Anacortes has some fun riding but haven't been there yet, mostly XC from what I understand. All the other places are further south and you start having to deal with more people and traffic and just generally crappy living. If you can live in Whatcom county then you pretty much have it made, aside from living in BC.

 

[MinorThreat]

Spokane. Drier, all the riding you could want, 8 hours from Whistler and the real estate prices won't kill you.

 

[Sam B]

Im trying for Bellingham. They have a Port Angeles opening. hmmm

PA is cool, but PA is very "out there." It depends on what else you like to do. You can hike, kayak, surf, ski, rock climb (not sure on that one) all that stuff is right there. But yeah it takes some time (and $$) to get from there to not there; that is not so much the case with Bellingham, which is obviously right on the I5 corridor.

As Mark said. Jobs are the hard part in Bellingham.

 

[TtotheJ]

Spokane may have the cheap housing and drier weather but the winter is much colder and snowier then the west side. As long as you don't mind riding in the mud and rain, you can ride pretty much year round. Also you're much closer to Vancouver and Whistler. From Bellingham, Whistler is only a three hour drive (assuming the highway construction and border traffic isn't bad).

 

[MinorThreat]

Spokane may have the cheap housing and drier weather but the winter is much colder and snowier then the west side. As long as you don't mind riding in the mud and rain, you can ride pretty much year round. Also you're much closer to Vancouver and Whistler. From Bellingham, Whistler is only a three hour drive (assuming the highway construction and border traffic isn't bad).

I was kinda pullin' his leg. Bellingham is beautiful. My son went to Western and we fell in love with the area in visits over there. But the real estate market is out in the stratosphere. There's no way we could come close to having what we have over here; so I guess we're staying put for the time being. Good luck, Kanter.

 

[allsk8sno]

i think house prices suck...but hey...i don't already own one...soon though!! but seriously don't move here...the riding really sucks, its all flat galby...or steep nasty stuff, or flowy tech jumps...it really sucks!!

 

[Kntr]

I looked at houses with 3-4 bedrooms and 2000-2500 square feet today on the internet by Galbraith Mountain. Prices were $300k-450k. These prices are not too bad compared to Montana. Do these prices sound about right?

 

[MinorThreat]

I looked at houses with 3-4 bedrooms and 2000-2500 square feet today on the internet by Galbraith Mountain. Prices were $300k-450k. These prices are not too bad compared to Montana. Do these prices sound about right?

Yowsa. Sounds like B'ham. Now I know why I'm staying put.

 

[muddy beast]

I personally like Everett, I live super close to the local trails, Japanese Gultch...there is TONs of room for potential back there, its just a matter of guys like myself, locals, to get involved (Myself and a few friends have been doing alot of work latly). Plus we have a pretty good hostpital and walk-in clinics (which there are two walk-ins close to the trails) like it or not, they are good to have. Schools are pretty good, especially if you get in the Mukilteo district like me where the Public High School (Kamiak) is known for being the most expensive and best to most of Washington if not all (I'm close to the Mukilteo boarder) if thats important. And there's atleast 4 shops within 10miles of my house, which is always good. Not to mention the parks around this area are pretty nice and the neihborhoods are good for the most part, (just stay away from Casino Road area period).

So with that said, I'd recomment Everett...I recently went to Victoria, BC which took about 2.5 hours, including the wait at the border...so we're not to far from Whistler. I could help as far as telling you good areas to live that are both close to work and trails, but I dont know what you do...

P.S. The local scene around here is huge for Freeride and XC, considering some places. And although we arnt as close to the border as B'ham, Seattle isnt as far, so the famous SST flowpark is near...and most of the DH races are South...

 

[Kntr]

Holy Crap. I only made 2 emails and got a call today and was offered a job. They want me to start in November!!! Now, I just have to make the decision to take it or not.

Help me out here. How is Bellingham? How is the weather? Pros? Cons?

 

[joelsman]

it rains a lot but ya just go play anyways, weather is mild compared to montana, not as hot or cold.

Bellingham is a bunch of hippies.

 

[gotnoname19]

Hey man, I used to live in Montana and now I live in Bham. This place is amazing. I spent years traveling the states before I moved here, and of everywhere I went (which was everywhere), Bham was my favorite. It is so well rounded; unreal snowboarding, mountainbiking, one hour from the shore, people are cool, town is friendly and wise. If you can afford to live here, and it sounds like you can, it's the greatest place in the country. Accept the job and move here immediately.

 

[Sam B]

Does it rain all year or mostly in the winter? Does it ever get snow?

Can you ride Galbraith year around?

Yes you can ride Galbraith year round, actually you can ride many spots year round. Joel's weather comment is spot on. It pours an average of 5 days a week, year round Anywhere west of the cascades within WA is like that. Yeah... tons of rain. From Wikipedia about Seattle, but similar to Bellingham:

Despite being on the margin of the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, the city of Seattle has a reputation for frequent rain. In reality, the so-called "rainy city" receives an unremarkable 37.1 inches (94.2 cm) of precipitation a year, which is much less precipitation than New York City, Atlanta, and Houston and most cities of the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Seattle's worldwide reputation for rain derives from the fact that it is cloudy (not rainy) an average of 226 days per year (vs. 132 in New York City). Most of the precipitation falls as drizzle or light rain, with downpours happening only occasionally. The spring, late fall, and winter are filled with days when it does not rain but looks as if it may because of cloudy, overcast skies.

 

[Kntr]

Yes you can ride Galbraith year round, actually you can ride many spots year round. Joel's weather comment is spot on. It pours an average of 5 days a week, year round Anywhere west of the cascades within WA is like that. Yeah... tons of rain. From Wikipedia about Seattle, but similar to Bellingham:

Does it really rain 5 days a week? I dont know if I can handle that.

 

[MinorThreat]

Does it really rain 5 days a week? I dont know if I can handle that.

Probably rains more in B'ham than where I grew up - - Martha Lake - - but what you will find even more than rain is that it can stretch days/weeks on end of grey overcast.

The wetness is tolerable; that it gets punctuated by so much dreary overcast is another thing. That's one reason I escaped to the sunny side of the state. But it is beautiful over there.

 

[ummbikes]

Does it really rain 5 days a week? I dont know if I can handle that.

The trick is to ignore the rain.

Don't carry a umbrella, act nonchalant about and it is very tolerable.

The rain we get here in the winter is steady but light and my God do the summers make up for it.

 

[gotnoname19]

The summers here are beautiful. It pretty much never rains. The rain here is like the snow in other places; when the winter comes it rains instead of snows. I've been here five years and you can believe me that this is how it is.

When I moved here I couldnt believe how exagerated the rain rumors are. I think people proliferate the rumors to keep people away. So........uh ya, it rains constantly.

 

[Sam B]

Does it really rain 5 days a week? I dont know if I can handle that.

Dude, I was messing with you... Check out that wikipedia quote... it does a pretty good job of explaining the exagerated rain claims.

It does NOT rain 5 days a week all the time. Maybe in the winter; but it would be a stretch to call that "stuff" it does those 5 days a week "rain." It's just enough moisture at some point during the day to keep the ground wet all day. Mostly grey gross clouds and not being able to see the sun. Personally I like it.

 

[DBR X6 RIDER]

It's not so much rain as it is perma-drizzle. Tacky trails rule!!!

 

[Kntr]

I am printing all the paperwork for my job right now.... about 30 pages of BS to fill out.

Thanks for the info.

No one answered my other question. Does it ever snow?

 

[trailhacker]

Snow - Bellingham more than Seattle. BH gets hits harder because the weather comes down the straight of Juan de Fuca and hits BH head on.
But realisticly in the lowlands (BH, Seattle) you only get a few days of snow a year. And it only lasts a few days then melts away. Usually...
Lots of wind storms though. Well maybe not lots, but they do cause lasting issues.

So what are you going to do about your other hobby in W. WA?

 

[buildyourown]

B'ham is what you want.
Houses are somewhat affordable and jobs aren't scarce if you're in the trades.
Port Angeles is decent and cheap but it's still pretty redneck. Logging and fishing is still the majority of the economy.

Good trails at both. B'ham is better and a LOT closer to whistler. PA's far north but an expensive ferry ride from CA.
It is a quick ferry ride to Mt Washington which has great trails and NO crowds.

The rain makes you stronger. If you can handle a cold, gray MT winter, you can handle the rain. It's the lack of sun that gets to you. I believe the flathead valley has the same lack of sun.

And yes you can ride all year long. Get a good jacket and you're set.

The snow under 1000 ft is almost non existent. Nobody knows how to drive in it so it makes for a very entertaining commute.

The snowsports scene is decent. Plenty of skiers and sleds.

 

[buildyourown]

The trick is to ignore the rain.

Don't carry a umbrella, act nonchalant about and it is very tolerable.

The rain we get here in the winter is steady but light and my God do the summers make up for it.

Only people who work downtown and have to look nice use unbrellas. The rest of us wear hoodies 340 days a year.

 

[Kntr]

So what are you going to do about your other hobby in W. WA?

Might have to give it up or drive to Montana 5-6 times a year.

The rain makes you stronger. If you can handle a cold, gray MT winter, you can handle the rain. It's the lack of sun that gets to you. I believe the flathead valley has the same lack of sun.

Flathead has no sun in the winter and gets depressing. If I could ride in the winter it would be less depressing. Since you can ride in the winter in B-ham it would make it lots easier.

Where is the closest ski area?

 

[TtotheJ]

Mt. Baker is the closest ski area to Bellingham and home of the world record for most snowfall in a season. Plus you have several other ski areas within a 2-4 hour drive if you get bored of Baker.

Oh yeah Baker is only a 1 to 1 1/2 hr drive from town.

 

[Kntr]

Which side of Gailbraith has better trails? North or South.

Which side or Galbraith is better for houses and neighborhoods?

I want to live as close to the trails as possible. I want to be able to ride from the house before or after work and get a ride in.

 

[joelsman]

birch st/ north side

 

[mr_dove]

Interesting thread. Bellingham sounds very nice but I don't think I could move there. My mother and sister both live in Bellingham and they are the definition of dysfunction. I've love to find something in the Northwest that was at least a few hours away from any of my family.

 

[trailhacker]

Might have to give it up or drive to Montana 5-6 times a year.

Sucks. As I get out of DH more and more the motorsports are looking more interesting all the time.
I get on another forum for Chev/GMC trucks and a guy posted some pictures of an event he does every year in PA or OH. They race on a trail(?) that is a mile loop and they do 30 laps. I believe they do classes for 2wd and 4x4. The 4x4's own, but the 2wd's are more entertaining to watch? I'd like to get into some sort of off-road racing, even if that meant racing a truck-bomber class at the speedways. Not sure if that exists west of the Mississippi though.
I caught some sort of "Trophy Truck" racing on NBC a while back and I think they were racing in a stadium or some fairgrounds. If their is an amateur class for that and somewhat local I'm game.

Where is the closest ski area?

Baker is very close to BH and did set a record for snowfall a few years ago. Word on the street is that places like MT have this stuff called powder that you ski on. In W. WA you ski on what is refered to as "Cascade Concrete". I've never skiied on this powder stuff so I have no point of comparison but I've heard the wet concrete takes some getting used to for the spoiled powder-hounds. But once you get it, it makes you a more powerful skier/boarder?

 

[MinorThreat]

I thought the south end trailhead was the better access?

 

[Kntr]

I going to look around Bellingham on Sat, Sept 8th on our way to Whistler. Im thinking the south side next to Padden Lake would be pretty nice, but the Whatcom Lake is a lot bigger. hmmm


Which ferry is cheapest from Bellingham to Victoria?
Whats ups with Sudden Valley? Im hearing bad things about that area.

 

[allsk8sno]

sudden valley is very dark, huge old growth forest lets little light in, also the roads get bad in the winter if it frosts/snows, which it does more than B'ham, also the power can go out often in the winter as trees fall etc....its really beautiful though! and you can get alot of house for the $$, also there isn't anything out there but a small corner type grocer...and its 10minutes or so to anywhere, i would suggest whatcom falls park area! close to everything!! i wish i could afford to buy there...i am house hunting in b'ham..

 

[Kntr]

Can you access Galbraith from Sudden Valley?

 

[joelsman]

I heard you can, try to be away from the water and next to lake louise rd.

 

[Kntr]

sudden valley is very dark, huge old growth forest lets little light in, also the roads get bad in the winter if it frosts/snows, which it does more than B'ham, also the power can go out often in the winter as trees fall etc....its really beautiful though! and you can get alot of house for the $$, also there isn't anything out there but a small corner type grocer...and its 10minutes or so to anywhere, i would suggest whatcom falls park area! close to everything!! i wish i could afford to buy there...i am house hunting in b'ham..

Sudden Valley is out. Thanks for the heads up. One of the places I applied for a job said the same thing. I cant believe the job opportunities over there for healthcare. I made two emails and got two job offers within 24hrs. One place called me within two hours after I emailed them.

The more I look at houses around the Whatcom Park area, the more I like em. How far are the trailheads at Galbraith to Alabama Street. I want to be able to ride my big heavy FR bike (42 lb) from the house to the trails.

What house price range are you looking at? My wife is finishing school in Nov so we will finally have two incomes. I just dont want to get in over my head. BTW. She is going to need a riding buddy.

 

[T.Rex]

Nobody mentioned Whidbey Island; when you get tired of the rain/mucky-mud and just head over to Whidbey. Whidbey is in the rain-shadow; when trails are washed out and it's too wet to ride in Seattle, Whidbey Island trails are usually in better shape.

Whidbey Island is beautiful too and you can find good prices on houses; not that I have ever looked cause I have no money. There's more hospitals near Bellingham, but there's work for health care on Whidbey; it's worth checking out.

Some of the Community Health Centers have jobs on Whidbey and around Bellingham and Mt. Vernon; the PNW is a pretty cool place for health care jobs. Not sure what you do for work, but Sea Mar Community Health Center, St. Joseph's, Peace Health and Compass Health are possible options; Sea Mar pays more than Compass Health; do you speak Spanish?

I work in health care, but I'm on the behavioral health side. The PNW is hard to beat; especially when you get north of Everett. I can't tell you how many times, I've finished a ride on Whidbey and looked for places to rent on my way home. It's probably a good thing I haven't made it to Galbraith; I probably would have packed up and moved by now. I've got a few more loose ends to tie up before I head north.

What I'd really like to do is hook up with a lady from CA and get married; that way I could work up there without all the beaureaucratic nonsense; of course she would need to ride and live close to the trails:: The Pacific North West is nice, especially for young people; Bellingham, Mt. Vernon, Whidbey Island are at the top of my list.

 

[gotnoname19]

The health care opportunities are so prevelant here because we attract more old people than almost anyplace else in the country. And thats what old people do, they die.

 

[allsk8sno]

there are a fair number of women who ride, lots of xc though, some do FR stuff, also the interurban trail runs around the area(alabama hill) strait to whatcom falls park and the main parking area for rides up the ridge trail. i ride from the haggens(corners the north side of trail and right side of woburn) to galby trailhead in about 20 minutes, its mostly uphill but not steep, nice on the ride home

here is a map i whipped up, loan me money so i can move into a place in the blue fuzzed area!! nice houses, for reference anything towards the lake from St. Claire up and over the hill is pretty nice!

 

[Kntr]

The houses Ive looked at on the internet are on Alabama Street in the blue. I looked at another house in the blue right next to the Park. OK, so I have the right area.




Now I have to save for the move and get my license in Wa. Haggen actually called me about a job. Thats funny. Im not sure which Haggen store it was though. There are 2-3 in the area right.

How many trailheads does Galby have?