Almost a decade ago, before terms like "bailout" and "recession" were household words, a bunch of overworked Xbox employees decided to go for a spring motorcycle ride. We spent the day in Washington's beautiful Skagit Valley at the Tulip Festival. It turned out to be one of the nicest rides of the year, so we've invited our friends each year since.
The Tulip Ride has grown from a small group to include the greater Puget Sound community. Each April, we assemble our pack and spend a day riding through the fields of [supposedly] blooming flowers. As the pack has grown, so has has the fun had by everyone who comes along as a rider or passenger. To give you a sense for what a fun ride this can be, have a look at the ride recaps from 2008, 2007, 2006, and 2005.
We're going to make this year's Tulip Ride the best ever. As always, this will be a diverse group of riders and bikes. We typically see everything from sport bikes to cruisers to freeway-capable scooters join us. Everyone is welcome to ride on the Tulip Ride!
Ride Logistics
- Date: Sunday, April 19th. We will ride in mostly dry weather, but if it's pouring rain we will postpone. Our backup date is April 25th.
- 8:00-9:00 a.m. - Meet up at Xbox Headquarters (18500 NE Union Hill Road, Redmond). We're moving back here because the parking lot makes it much easier to assemble a lot of bikes than it is at local coffee shops.
- 9:00 - Depart Xbox Headquarters
- 9:45-10:00 - Arrive at the Tulalip Casino (10200 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip). We park by the giant Orca fountains right in front. You can't miss it.
- 10:45 - Head up Marine View Drive to see the tulip fields blooming.
- About 1:00 p.m. or so - arrive in LaConner for lunch at the La Conner Pub & Eatery (702 South First Street). They are right on the water, and will have their patio cleared for 60+ hungry motorcyclists. This is a new eatery for the 2009 ride.
- 2:30-3:00 p.m. - depart for a ride down Highway 20 over Whidbey Island, taking the Mukilteo/Clinton ferry back to the mainland.
I've put a ride plan online along with a downloadable PDF version. It's a relaxed day so don't worry about the route. Just watch the pack and enjoy the scenery.
Giving Back
As always, the Tulip Ride strives to remind the community that bikers are some of the most charitable, socially responsible people on the plantet. This year, we're focusing our charity close to home:
Northwest Harvest is Washington’s own statewide hunger relief agency. Northwest Harvest secures 18 million pounds of nutritious food each year for distribution to nearly 300 food programs across Washington State, serving 36 of Washington’s 39 counties. In today's economy, we can help people locally who truly need it.
Thanks to the artistic skills of Ryan Gunn, one of our riders and a lead designer for Microsoft's entertainment products, we have a great logo this year (pictured above). We've created an online store where you can buy merchandise with the Tulip Ride 2009 logo, from t-shirts to coffee mugs to stickers and more. 100% of the profits from these sales will be matched by corporate giving campaigns and donated to Northwest Harvest in the name of the 2009 Tulip Riders!
Important Links
No matter what you ride and no matter what your skill level, the Tulip Ride will be a day of fun with good friends. We'd love to have you join us! We have a Facebook event page for RSVPs, or feel free to drop a comment here with your name and your ride and we'll keep an eye out for you on ride day.
When the tulips are bloomin' our engines are vroomin'
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bikers,
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LaConner,
motorcycle,
Mt. Vernon,
Northwest Harvest,
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Skagit,
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Tulip,
Tulip Festival,
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