"The Guide"

Location, Lynden, WA

Not much doing today. We drove over to Candi’s after she got off work. She and Clyda went to downtown Lynden to check out the stores. The down town area retains some of its old world Dutch charm. It is a very clean and neat town.

Washington Hwy 539 is the North-South route from Bellingham to the Canadian border crossing at Alderdale. It also passes through the western edge of Lynden. Hwy 539 is called Meridian Ave on the exit from I-5 in Bellingham. Its real name is “The Guide Meridian” but locals call it “The Guide”. Looking at a map with GPS coordinates shows Hwy 539 as having a longitude of 122 deg 30 minutes west. I assumed it would be on a prime meridian but it is not. More investigation is needed. It is a main through fare for Bellingham and Lynden traffic as well as traffic to and from Canada. At present, it is mostly a 2 lane road. To say that it is a busy road is an understatement. Many times during the day, it is very hard to get into the flow of traffic from a side street without the benefit of a stop light. The Guide is being widened for about 5 miles north of Bellingham. It has major utilities, trees, and drainage which must be moved before widening can begin. Two bridges need to be built also. The utility work is in progress and as the traffic builds for summer, major delays are expected.

We finished the day with dinner at our RV. It was a nice evening so we ate outside. Tomorrow it will be HOT. Expected temperature is 91 degrees.