Downtown Bellingham Day

Our first stop with L and B on their first full day here was the Pickett Bridge over Whatcom Creek in downtown Bellingham. We thought our North Carolina visitors would be interested in seeing how far west Captain George E. Pickett came before his service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

Pickett arrived in Bellingham in 1856, leading Company D of the Ninth Infantry in protecting early settlers, who sheltered at night in Fort Bellingham's stockade, from raids by native peoples from what is now British Columbia. The house he built here is the oldest house on its original foundation in the Pacific Northwest.

Seven years later, now a Major General of the Confederate Army, he led a failed charge at the Battle of Gettysburg, known as "Pickett's Charge, which resulted in a great number of Confederate casualties.

We are always delighted to visit Whatcom Creek, which flows through Maritime Heritage Park downtown on its way to Bellingham Bay. The water level at this point in summer is substantially below the winter level, but it is still an impressive sight, and today's heron was a bonus. Come autumn, when the salmon are spawning, the creek will be lined with fishermen.

We stopped off at the Salmon Woman Totem Pole, a 20-foot tall hand-carved Lummi totem pole, erected in the park in 1997. You can read more about it here.

Boundary Bay Brewery was our lunch location, where B gave a thumbs-up to his beer sampler (shared with Phil). The seasonal Maibock (back row, middle glass) was his favorite.

A stop at the Community Food Co-op for local bread and yogurt, coffee beans, and fresh salmon for supper, followed by a visit to Mallard Ice Cream, wrapped up an excellent first day together!

(I'll catch up with commenting on Friday.)