From Bellingham, take exit 255 off I-5. This is the Sunset Drive Exit.
Proceed east on Sunset Drive. This will turn into the Mount Baker Highway. Follow this road to just past Deming.
Turn right onto Highway 9. Proceed south on Highway 9 until Acme.
From the Skagit Valley, leave I-5 at the Cook Rd exit and head east on Cook Rd to Sedro Woolley. (~5 mi)
In Sedro Wooley turn left onto Hwy 9 and head north to Acme. (~14 mi)
Many of the group meet at the Acme store and gas station
approximately 1 hour prior to sunset and caravan up to the site. The
Store is across from the Post Office, next to the Cafe. you can't miss
it.
Leaving the store, go north just across the small bridge over the
south fork of the Nooksack river and turn immediately off Hiway 9 onto
the Mosquito Lake Road going East.
Zero your odometer and at 1.65 miles turn off on a dirt road to the left.
A large sign reads: "Welcome to Van Zandt Dike 9820 Acres of State Land Trust"
(A small plywood sign is posted on the right side with a crude
"CB7" spraypainted on it. That means that if you are venturing up that
road during the normal Monday-Friday work week you would be well
advised to monitor CB7 (Citizens Band channel 7) for reports from
logging trucks hauling logs out. The drivers of those logging trucks
often get quite confident that no one else but the loggers are on those
roads and because they announce their presence at various points on
their way in and out they tend to drive fast. If you have a CB radio be
sure to monitor Channel 7 and also broadcast your presence on the road
to warn them. Without a radio....be prepared to head off into the ditch
to keep from being run down. This risk should not exist on weekends.)
Re-zero your odometer.
Proceed on this main road making no turns for 2.1 miles. You may
note a newly created road being cut (perhaps now completed) off to the
right at .8 miles. Ignore it! Here you will take the LEFT fork.
Previous directions to our dike site had you stay to the right at this
junction.
Re-zero your odometer.
Go another 1.2 miles and turn right off the road onto a side
road. There is a ditch cut immediately at the road edge that looks
worse than it is. But go slow! This side road is almost hidden by the
presence of the ditch. Reset your odometer. Another cut across the road
follows within a stones throw. At 0.1 mile stay left and cross another
cut across the road, then between 0.2 and 0.3 miles find a place to
turn around. Telescopes are set up in the middle of the road where it
levels out with an excellent southern horizon. Please print these
instructions and keep them with your telescope and equipment. Often the
roads get changed in appearance from one year to the next but the
mileage between forks should be reliable. It is possible that other
forks might be created to further confound us and I will try to make a
point of scoping out the route every spring before our first Dike
starparty to revise the directions if necessary.
Wishing all many clear nights and smooth traveling to the Dike site!
