Peace Arch to Seattle by Transit
Sunday, June 25, 2006
The one thing you need is time. You won’t get down to Seattle until after 2 o’clock, when it is too late to use the transit system to get back. You must come back by other means or stay overnight and return another day. If you want to use transit back, you will have to leave by about noon. You should also be aware that the Saturday schedule is less accommodating and there is no Sunday service. (However, on Saturday, you can drive to Lincoln Park-and-Ride just to the north-east of Exit 252 and bus from there at 10:15 a.m.)
Blaine to Bellingham
We walked to U.S. Customs and Immigration and told them we were going to Seattle. They commented that it was a long way to walk but we countered that we were going by bus and they passed us through. We walked into Blaine and waited at the stop by the first gas station. The 7:50 a.m. 70X Bellingham Express arrived promptly; we boarded it and paid our 50c each. The WTA bus mainly uses the I-5 freeway but makes detours to take in various local communities. The first detour was into Birch Bay Market, a cluster of outlet stores now expanding its range of businesses. One man parking his car walked from it and onto the bus, as did a cyclist who had also just arrived. After a further brief stretch on I-5, the bus left to head east and then south along Portal Way to serve the community¾ a number of trailer homes and prefabricated houses, some seniors’ homes and small workshop businesses. The country was flat agricultural prairie that stretched to Mount Baker and the Cascades. Another brief stint on I-5 brought us into Ferndale Exchange where buses meet and passengers can interchange. Seven people joined our dozen or so to continue into Seattle. The rest of the journey followed I-5 to Sunset Drive exit where the bus followed James Street and State Street to the bus station. It was now 8:35 a.m.
Bellingham to Mount Vernon
The bus transfer in Bellingham involves an hour’s wait so we walked along Railway Street and found a restaurant for breakfast. The railway along Bellingham Bay used to come into a station here but the stub section into town is now occupied by a road and bus station. (From the bus station there is a beautiful hike which we often take for the day, walking over Sehome Hill to Fairhaven, stopping at Village Books and its restaurant and coming back along the waterfront walkway. A Blaine Express bus brings us to the border by 3:30 or 6:00 p.m.)
At 9:40 a.m. we paid our 50c each to the driver of the 80X SKAT (Skagit Transit) bus and were on our way again. We left through local streets to Lincoln Park-and-Ride which services Western Washington University students and some commuters. (One day when we were going to Mount Vernon for a hike, one student here had forgotten her purse and one of our party was able to give her 50 cents for her ride.)
We then rejoined I-5, with Chuckanut Mountain Parklands on the right followed by Lake Samish. The tip of the Alger Alp appeared on the left and Blanshard Mountain on the right just before the bus turned off into the Alger Park-and-Ride. (Trails up both Blanshard Mountain and Alger Alp offer excellent hikes). Commuters by car or bike can transfer onto the bus at the Park-and-Ride and there was a biker today.
Back on I-5, the highway descended and Skagit Valley farmlands started to open up on both sides of the highway. A road led off right going back to Bellingham along scenic Chuckanut Drive on the seaward side of the mountains. Another road went to Anacortes and a Washington State ferry to Sidney near Victoria on Vancouver Island. To the left, Highway 20 led to Sedro-Woolley and along the south side of Mount Baker to the Rainy River pass over the Cascade Mountains. The bus left I-5 to call at Cook Road Park-and-Ride and follow Old Highway 99 briefly before returning to the freeway to travel past businesses and shopping malls to reach Mount Vernon’s Skagit Station at 10:25 a.m. The Station acts as an interchange between buses and the Amtrak Railroad. The Visitors’ Bureau is located in the station building. They were very helpful to us on a previous visit, supplying us with maps and descriptions of the trails in the area. We went one Monday and walked a loop on a cycle route around the town. Another Monday we went up Little Mountain for views of the Skagit Valley.
Mount Vernon to Stanwood
We had 25 minutes to wait until the scheduled departure time to Stanwood but we didn’t feel we had enough time to stray from Skagit Station to get coffee. There are several pleasant coffee shops on adjacent streets; and not far away is Scott’s Books¾ a great old-style bookstore with a delightful Calico Restaurant which we had enjoyed on an earlier trip to hike up Little Mountain. However, the 411C Island Transit was early and we boarded and waited inside. Island Transit does not charge fares, so this trip was free.
We were the only people on this bus as it followed Old Pioneer Highway along a ridge with Skagit Valley farmlands below to the right. The journey took 20 minutes through gently rolling countryside until we turned right and stopped outside a Rite Aid drug store on the outskirts of Stanwood. Here we crossed the road to a stop, ready for a 20-minute transfer wait.
Stanwood to Arlington
We went to the nearby Quick Coffee store, which was warm and full of diners enjoying late breakfasts and mid-morning snacks. We got coffees-to-go and drank them sitting at the seat at the bus stop, awaiting the 240 Arlington bus’s prompt arrival at 11:30 a.m. We paid $1.50 and took transfers as the bus headed south through wooded country, stopping first at Warm Beach¾ a seniors’ home in a quiet rural setting. A resort area of seven lakes was the next milestone. two of the named lakes being Lake Martha and Lake Goodwin.
After passing the Lakewood High School, a railroad crossing named English and the I-5 freeway, the bus turned left and we were at our next transfer point. We got off and crossed the road to continue south. It was 12:05 with another 20-minute transfer wait.
Arlington to Seattle
From Arlington to Seattle, the route consists primarily of freeway, auto-related arterial streets and park-and-ride lots, each holding large numbers of cars. The #201 Lynwood bus arrived at 12:25 p.m., we showed our transfers and made our way to Everett Station, an interchange with other buses and Amtrak trains. We continued to Meridian Park-and-Ride and Ash-Way Park-and-Ride, where we changed, After a 15-minute wait, we boarded a #511 Express Sound Transit bus, showed our transfers and paid $1 more. This took us right to downtown Seattle, where we got off at 5th and Pike and walked down a block to Pike Place Market. It was 2:25 p.m.
Seattle as a Tourist
We visited the market, walked along the waterfront, took the Underground Tour and looked in the tourist stores. We had arranged with a friend who works occasionally in Seattle to be picked up at Pike Place Market at half after six. So at about six o’clock, we grabbed a passing bus, got off at 5th and Pike and walked down to the market. Buses are free in downtown Seattle (outside the free zone, you pay when you get on if the bus is inbound and when you get off if it is outbound). Our ride appeared and we were off home, with a stop at a freeway diner to break the journey. We were all let off at our cars waiting in the Peace Arch parking lot.
Bus Schedules
For the Blaine to Bellingham 70X (Mon-Fri) and 55 (Sat), see www.ridewta.com
For the Bellingham to Vernon 80X, see ridewta or www.skat.org
For the Vernon to Stanwood 411C. see skat or www.islandtransit.org
From Stanwood south, www.commtrans.org will plan trips for you.
Return to Further Walks
