Studio711.com – Ben Martens

2009 Tulip Ride

For the past few years, I have been heading out on motorcycle rides with the same group of riders. It started as a Microsoft thing but is growing to include lots of riders from the area. Last weekend’s Tulip Ride doubled our previous turnout record. Over 80 bikes joined the ride with well over 100 total people. The weather was beautiful and we had an awesome ride.

We started off at Xbox HQ and drove up I5 to Tulalip Casino. We met more riders there and attracted the attention of the Tulalip Tribal Police. They offered a police escort through town to block traffic at the intersections so our group could go through as one. It was a huge help. Thanks!

Unfortunately there weren’t many tulips in bloom yet. It had snowed up there 10 days earlier. We did find a large field of tulips and got some nice shots. That many people will overwhelm any restaurant, so Tyla and I split off from the group and had lunch at a little cafe in Anacortes. We then headed across Deception Pass and down Whidbey Island, caught the ferry over to Mukilteo, and headed home. It was a long day but we both had a blast.

Jeff, the organizer, put together a great video of the day. Look closely and you might be able to spot Tyla and I in the first two drive by shots. You can view all my photos in the photo gallery. I also posted my own video to YouTube that shows a walk down the row of bikes at Tulalip.


Tulip Ride 2009 from Tulip Ride on Vimeo.