Moving, Bellingham Style

I’ve lived in Bellingham for nearly 20 years, I’ve written numerous times of my affinity for bicycles, I’ve been a bicycle commuter for most of my last 10 years of employment, and I mention on my About page that the “bicycles” in Fish & Bicycles resonates with the fact that bicycles have an iconic presence here.

So, naturally, I strongly identify as a quintessential Bellingham resident.

Well, back in November 2011, I wrote about how my family and I moved to a new home here in town, and how that move kicked my ass.

But today comes a story of one man’s move across Bellingham that makes me question my B’ham street cred. The move looked like this:

Via The Bellingham Herald:

Bicycling caravan moves Bellingham man into new apartment

The mere thought of hauling a sofa, a dinette set, a bed and a bed frame down a flight of stairs and into a moving truck is enough for some of us to break a sweat.

Now imagine hauling all of that five miles across town, by bike.

Oh, and also bringing along everything else you own. Basically in one trip…

On Tuesday evening, March 27, [Tim] Flores recruited a few friends and acquaintances who offered to bring a ton of his things – literally, he estimated it weighed about one ton, in all – from the outskirts of northwest Bellingham to the Puget neighborhood.

After a morning practice run, Flores and Caleb Brown, a coworker at the downtown Comnunity Food Co-op, loaded about 600 pounds of stuff onto two bikes and bike trailers.

By 5 p.m., eight more bikers had arrived at his apartment complex at 915 Mahogany Ave. to help with the move, using only their cycles, trailers, bungee cords and backpacks.

I don’t know what’s more admirable, the fact that he actually pulled this off, or that he lives minimally enough to have made this possible.