8/25-26 Ride to Whale Watching

Diva · 06-13-2012, 03:30 PM

Mark your calendars for a great 6hr/170 mile back roads ride from Redmond/Woodinville to Bellingham to go whale watching. The link for the route is a little long to post, but it includes some local favorites like High Bridge, Marine Drive, the nice and twisty part of Hwy 9 north of Hwy 20, Lake Whatcom and the Chuckanut Loop/Lake Samish.

The plan is to head out Saturday around 11am and get to the hotel around 4pm (hotel details to be posted later, but bring swimwear since it'll probably have a hot tub). Then Sunday we take the 10am whale watching cruise which returns back around 4:30. You can just do the ride, whale watching or both - your choice. If you want to join us for the whale watching, you can get tickets half off until end of Friday (6/15) at http://bit.ly/WhaleWatchingDeal2. Getting the deal is completely optional, but half off is real nice.

Working with my friend/sweep on the starting location, but will post when we decide. Again it'll probably be in Redmond O'Reilly's on Redmond Way or in Woodinville off Hwy 522. Let us know if you plan to ride with us.

gannonjf · 06-13-2012, 06:01 PM

I hear you ride really fast on that Marauder of yours, will this be noob friendly?

Grantizzle · 06-13-2012, 06:12 PM

what's the forecast? i don't like riding in the rain... or if it's too hot.

Diva · 06-13-2012, 06:23 PM

What's your defination of noob and noob friendly? Seems to vary in this forum.

crotalus84 · 06-13-2012, 06:28 PM

Diva · 06-13-2012, 06:35 PM

Gannonjf - sorry no. Others may though.

hellagrant · 06-14-2012, 06:38 AM

Cool idea. Keep us posted!

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 06:49 AM

What's the starting location for this?

wordsareforplay · 06-14-2012, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by Devil_Doc

What's the starting location for this?

If only she'd posted two tentative starting locations in her OP with a promise to update once it was final.

Originally Posted by Diva

Working with my friend/sweep on the starting location, but will post when we decide. Again it'll probably be in Redmond O'Reilly's on Redmond Way or in Woodinville off Hwy 522. Let us know if you plan to ride with us.

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 08:01 AM

Originally Posted by wordsareforplay

If only she'd posted two tentative starting locations in her OP with a promise to update once it was final.

Hey thanks, I completely missed that. Trying to bury the hatchet with Diva, as it were. Maybe we'll find out that we have a lot in common if we just get a chance to speak to each other, face to face. You know?

What time is this ride leaving?

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 08:04 AM

This is actually a pretty cool ride idea. No guarantees that whales will be around to watch if we aren't better stewards of our environment!

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/07...-stresses.html

Dwindling fish supply stresses endangered killer whales
BY LYNDA V. MAPES
The Seattle Times
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SEATTLE -- Lack of food - not noise from whale-watching boats - is most stressful to Puget Sound's endangered killer whales, researchers have learned.

Levels of certain stress hormones decreased in samples of orca scat gathered during the time of highest vessel traffic, instead of increasing, researchers found. They surmise this is because at the same time, the whales' favorite food, chinook salmon, was most abundant.

Interestingly, the orcas' stress-hormone levels only increased when vessel noise was higher if there also were lower levels of food available at that time.

"I like to call it my buffet-in-a-bar example," said Katherine Ayres, lead author of a paper on the study published in PLoS ONE, released Wednesday. Patrons in a noisy bar won't mind the racket if all their favorite foods are piled high on the buffet. "But you go there and they are only serving rice and potatoes, and it's super noisy and crowded, then it's, 'I am not getting a good meal and these boats are driving me crazy.'"

Sam Wasser, director of University of Washington's Department of Biology Center for Conservation Biology, said the study points to the importance of putting fish first as managers look for the priority management steps, amid reducing toxins and pollution, vessel noise and improving food supply, for orca recovery.

"If you are a manager, you really want to know what are the relative importance of those, and how do they interact, and our study did that; it found that fish are the most important," Wasser said.

Efforts to build up Puget Sound chinook have been under way since before they were listed as threatened more than 10 years ago.

Yet despite the knowledge that habitat is key to chinook survival, a review of the implementation of the recovery plan for chinook for NOAA Fisheries last year showed the region has continued to lose habitat since the listing.

From 2001 to 2006, the amount of developed land in Puget Sound increased about 3 percent, with nearly two-thirds of that converted from forests or agricultural land to pavement. That translates to a loss of about 10,700 more acres of forest cover and 4,300 acres of agricultural land over that period.

Western Washington Treaty Tribes reported in a 2011 White Paper that salmon returns have continued to dwindle to the point that tribes are catching fewer salmon today than before the 1974 Boldt decision, which secured their right to half the salmon catch.

To some it's no surprise that food supply and habitat that will support healthy salmon runs would be seen as key to orca recovery. Ken Balcomb of the Center for Whale Research said he remembered seeing far more orcas back when he also used to see far more fishing boats off the west coast of the San Juan Islands. The whales never seemed to mind the boats - back when there were lots of fish.

"This is what I have been saying all along," Balcomb said.

Posted on Thu, Jun. 07, 2012 07:08 AM

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/06/07...#storylink=cpy

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 08:15 AM

Here's a map to the Redmond Oreily.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&gs...ed=0CB4Q_BIwAQ

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 08:17 AM

Here's the location of the Woodinville Oreillys. Both great starting locations, IMO.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ba...ed=0CBkQ_BIwAw

Cyndy · 06-14-2012, 08:26 AM

Sounds like fun! I don't support whale watching tours, but if I did, I'd want to go!

Diva · 06-14-2012, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by Cyndy

Sounds like fun! I don't support whale watching tours, but if I did, I'd want to go!

Cyndy, you can do the motorcycle ride and not the boat ride, if that works for you. People have the choice of just the ride and head back that night if they don't want to stay.

Personally, I'm really excited about the route. Have't done some of these northern roads in years. They are nice, just takes a while to get there.

Diva · 06-14-2012, 08:55 AM

Devil-Doc: I don't see your comments along with a few others. Try sending me a PM, if you can, to see about burying that hatchet. I'm not here looking for "drama", I'll get enough of that in the opera this summer, I just want to ride and meet other cool people to ride with.

Speaking of which, have another ride to post....

:

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 08:55 AM

Originally Posted by Diva

Cyndy, you can do the motorcycle ride and not the boat ride, if that works for you. People have the choice of just the ride and head back that night if they don't want to stay.

Personally, I'm really excited about the route. Have't done some of these northern roads in years. They are nice, just takes a while to get there.

I think your route is awesome, personally. I know everyone is familiar with the southern roads, like high bridge, but maybe people aren't aware of the great roads further north?

I think it shows a lot of leadership and initiative to try and show the noobie riders what's out there.

Rep for you!

Cyndy · 06-14-2012, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by Diva

Cyndy, you can do the motorcycle ride and not the boat ride, if that works for you. People have the choice of just the ride and head back that night if they don't want to stay.

Personally, I'm really excited about the route. Have't done some of these northern roads in years. They are nice, just takes a while to get there.

I'm adding it to my calendar. Thanks!

Devil_Doc · 06-14-2012, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by Diva

Devil-Doc: I don't see your comments along with a few others. Try sending me a PM, if you can, to see about burying that hatchet. I'm not here looking for "drama", I'll get enough of that in the opera this summer, I just want to ride and meet other cool people to ride with.

Speaking of which, have another ride to post....

:

PM sent!

Bluuu · 06-14-2012, 09:10 AM

In, but only for the ride. I already see enough whales.


06-13-2012, 03:30 PM	#1
Diva Endorsed Joined: Feb 2007 From: Kirkland, WA Blog Entries: 2 I Ride: Sport Cruiser	8/25-26 Ride to Whale Watching Mark your calendars for a great 6hr/170 mile back roads ride from Redmond/Woodinville to Bellingham to go whale watching. The link for the route is a little long to post, but it includes some local favorites like High Bridge, Marine Drive, the nice and twisty part of Hwy 9 north of Hwy 20, Lake Whatcom and the Chuckanut Loop/Lake Samish. The plan is to head out Saturday around 11am and get to the hotel around 4pm (hotel details to be posted later, but bring swimwear since it'll probably have a hot tub). Then Sunday we take the 10am whale watching cruise which returns back around 4:30. You can just do the ride, whale watching or both - your choice. If you want to join us for the whale watching, you can get tickets half off until end of Friday (6/15) at http://bit.ly/WhaleWatchingDeal2. Getting the deal is completely optional, but half off is real nice. Working with my friend/sweep on the starting location, but will post when we decide. Again it'll probably be in Redmond O'Reilly's on Redmond Way or in Woodinville off Hwy 522. Let us know if you plan to ride with us. __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter Last edited by Diva; 06-13-2012 at 03:47 PM..


06-13-2012, 06:01 PM	#2
gannonjf Peg Dragger Joined: Apr 2011 From: Seattle, WA I Ride: for OPRT	I hear you ride really fast on that Marauder of yours, will this be noob friendly? __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-13-2012, 06:12 PM	#3
Grantizzle Joined: Feb 2008 From: Mill Creek, Wa I Ride: slower than you with a bigger grin!	what's the forecast? i don't like riding in the rain... or if it's too hot. __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-13-2012, 06:23 PM	#4
Diva Endorsed Joined: Feb 2007 From: Kirkland, WA Blog Entries: 2 I Ride: Sport Cruiser	What's your defination of noob and noob friendly? Seems to vary in this forum. __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-13-2012, 06:28 PM	#5
crotalus84 Permit Joined: Apr 2012 From: Seatac I Ride: 96 CBR900RR	__________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-13-2012, 06:35 PM	#6
Diva Endorsed Joined: Feb 2007 From: Kirkland, WA Blog Entries: 2 I Ride: Sport Cruiser	Gannonjf - sorry no. Others may though. __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 06:38 AM	#7
hellagrant Pit Crew Joined: Jan 2008 From: Seattle WA I Ride: a green turtle	Cool idea. Keep us posted! __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 06:49 AM	#8
Devil_Doc Superbiker Joined: Sep 2008 From: Puyallup-ish I Ride: 04 CBR1k	What's the starting location for this? __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 08:15 AM	#12
Devil_Doc Superbiker Joined: Sep 2008 From: Puyallup-ish I Ride: 04 CBR1k	Here's a map to the Redmond Oreily. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&gs...ed=0CB4Q_BIwAQ __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 08:17 AM	#13
Devil_Doc Superbiker Joined: Sep 2008 From: Puyallup-ish I Ride: 04 CBR1k	Here's the location of the Woodinville Oreillys. Both great starting locations, IMO. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ba...ed=0CBkQ_BIwAw __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 08:26 AM	#14
Cyndy Superbiker Joined: Aug 2009 From: Chicagoland I Ride: 2010 RC8R; 2009 ZX6R; Percheron/Paint (equine variety)	Sounds like fun! I don't support whale watching tours, but if I did, I'd want to go! __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 08:55 AM	#16
Diva Endorsed Joined: Feb 2007 From: Kirkland, WA Blog Entries: 2 I Ride: Sport Cruiser	Devil-Doc: I don't see your comments along with a few others. Try sending me a PM, if you can, to see about burying that hatchet. I'm not here looking for "drama", I'll get enough of that in the opera this summer, I just want to ride and meet other cool people to ride with. Speaking of which, have another ride to post.... : __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter


06-14-2012, 09:10 AM	#20
Bluuu Señor verde Joined: Mar 2011 From: Kirkland I Ride: behind the girls.	In, but only for the ride. I already see enough whales. __________________ Follow PNW Riders on Facebook and Twitter

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