We ventured out further than usual, up to Blaine, WA on the Canadian border. Peace Arch Park is beautiful, and is right on the border of the U.S. and Canada and shared by both countries.
This area is the vehicle border crossing, which is erie and quiet right now.
The peace arch signifies 100 years of open borders between the U.S. and Canada from 1814 to 1914, and the border has now been open for over 200 years.
The inscription on the inside of the Peace Arch.
And now for the first time in over 200 years, these borders are closed. Not because of war or disagreement, but because of a pandemic that we can't seem to control.
It was sad to visit this border crossing today, but we're still glad we did.
After leaving Peace Arch Park, we made our way to the Jorgensen Pier to take a look around. It is an active fishing pier.
Looking across to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Oh my, the blackberries up here are unbelievable!
Our final stop in Blaine was the county park on the Semiahmoo Peninsula. Super fun beach area with huge colonies of live sand dollars!
And more blackberries! Most of them aren't ripe yet.
But a few are.
The semiahmoo resort.
On our way out of town we headed back near the Jorgensen Pier to pick up some lunch.
Halibut and cod fish and chips.
Our final stop for the day was Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham, WA.
It was too crowded, so we walked in, saw the falls and left. But it was a great place to stretch our legs on our journey back home.
Point Defiance Park is owned and operated by the city of Tacoma. It has absolutely everything you could want for an outing. There is a beautiful beach, hiking trails, a large zoo, an aquarium, a heritage center, and even a high school math and science institute.. Most of the park was pretty busy today, so we chose a quiet trail for a walk. A beautiful stroll through Point Defiance Park on a gorgeous day!
Our final stop on the Olympic Peninsula was the giant cedar tree grove. It was just off the highway, and a very short hike. There isn't a lot of parking, but the lot is an appropriate size for the trails in and out.
OK, these aren't cedar trees, but it was so pretty with the rain drops.
