Presidents' Day ride - Ducati.ms

Bill_Anderson · Feb 18th, 2008, 10:22 pm

I got word of a group ride to Sumas which was meeting up in Everett. I couldn't get up early enough to get there on time, so I slabbed directly up to Sumas thinking the group would be eating lunch at Bob's, popular eating place for motorcyclists. When I got to Sumas, there were no bikes at Bob's so I rode around town and took some photos.

Sumas sits on the Canadian border at the end of state Hwy. 9. The border crossing is the eastern most crossing point west of the Cascade Mountains. I rode Jones Road to its dead end where Vedder Mountain meets the Canadian border and got some nice shots. After that, I returned to Bob's to see there were still no bikes. The waitress said no motorcyclists had been there today, so I ate lunch and left.

After lunch I rode east on Rock Rd. for more photos of Vedder Mtn. to the east, Mt. Baker to the southeast, and the peaks north of Vancouver, BC. I then headed west, trying to try to stay as close to the border as possible. This entailed riding two different sections of East Boundary Road between Sumas and Lynden. For those who have never ridden East Boundary Road, it is a unique way to experience the world's longest undefended border. There is only a small ditch and median separating East Boundary Rd. on the US side with a parallel road on the Canadian side. At intervals along the road are small markers officially delineating the border.

At one point I could look over and read the Canadian distance and speed signs, which are in kilometers. East Boundary Road ends at the Lynden border crossing, where I took some more photos. Last year authorities discovered a tunnel which ran from a house on the US side, under the US and Canadian roads, to a house on the Canadian side. Who knows how much of BC's largest ca$h crop passed under the border.

I continued west on H St. Road to Blaine. After gassing up, I paid a visit to the Peace Arch Park for more photos and a step into Canada. There is a piece of THE Mayflower and a Canadian steamship inside the Peace Arch, which sits on the border in a wide, park-like median between north and south bound lanes of I-5. I'll bet I used the only crosswalk on an Interstate Highway in the US. I made one more stop at the now vacant railroad station near the border before heading straight back home on I-5.

Wildlife for the day included trumpeter swans in a field along Rock Rd. east of Sumas, a coyote who crossed my path on a side road west of Sumas, an eagle who kept violating Canadian or US airspace while flying directly overhead at the corner of E. Boundary Road and Northwood Road, and some deer who crossed the road ahead of me in the woods along H St. Road east of Blaine.

Stay tuned for photos, which I'll post up after I am done editing them.

Bill_Anderson · Feb 19th, 2008, 12:10 am

#1: Sumas border crossing
#2: Canadian livestock holding pens across the street
#3: Trumpeter swans off Rock Road east of Sumas. The hills and peaks are in Canada.
#4: left: road in Canada. Center: Vedder Mountain (US). Right: Mt. Baker (US).
#5: Aptly named East Boundary Road.

Bill_Anderson · Feb 19th, 2008, 12:14 am

#6: Bald eagle overhead circling the border. Real bird or unmanned surveillance drone?
#7: Parallel roads. Left: US. Right: Canada.
#8: Border marker on East Boundary Road. Car is in Canada.
#9: Closeup of border marker.
#10: Lynden crossing.

Bill_Anderson · Feb 19th, 2008, 12:20 am

#11: Peace Arch Park; Blaine, WA. Helmet in US, rider in Canada.
#12: Peace Arch Park: helmet and rider straddle the US-Canada border.
#13: Peace Arch. Looking north at the Canadian crossing in the distance.
#14: I-5 cross walk from Peace Arch Park to the Peace Arch.
#15: Helmet and rider looking south at the last few inches of northbound I-5. US crossing in the distance.

Bill_Anderson · Feb 19th, 2008, 12:25 am

#16: Boundary marker along I-5.
#17: We're not in Kansas anymore!
#18: Aptly named "Zero" St., the street in Canada which runs along the border.
#19: Looking east along O St. The ditch is the border. On the right is the north side of Peace Arch Park.
#20: PNW version of a border security fence.

Bill_Anderson · Feb 19th, 2008, 12:28 am

#21: Looking north over Sumiahmoo Bay to White Rock, BC.
#22: Vacant railroad station. Trains used to stop here to clear Customs before crossing the border into Canada, which is about a quarter mile north.

I hope you enjoyed your Presidents' Day tour of the US-Canada border in western Washington.

redpato · Feb 19th, 2008, 1:25 am

Bill, thoroughly enjoyed your President's Day trip report and especially the pictures. Always have wanted to visit that part of our country. Been to Prince George once while in the Air Force by flying over the border and landing in our helicopter. Nice bunch of folks up there. So really, a guard rail is all the border there is in some places? That's great!

"in accordance with the prophecy"

Draven · Feb 21st, 2008, 11:09 pm

Mr. Anderson,

Very nice write-up! Enjoyed the photos and the interesting little known factoids you presented. Thanks for sharing that!! Hope you can find those elusive bikers next time!

Bill_Anderson · Feb 21st, 2008, 11:17 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by redpato

So really, a guard rail is all the border there is in some places? That's great!

The guard rail was only on that corner. Once the road straightened out, the border was only that small ditch you see running between the two roads with the occassional boundary marker.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draven

Hope you can find those elusive bikers next time!

I am glad I didn't, or I would not have ridden the border and stopped for photos. I have taken several solo weekday rides since I retired almost a year ago and have found them to be a nice change from group rides, especially the ones where I lead. There is no pressure to keep up, keep going, or find roads that please everyone; plus I can stop whenever I want and snap photos of scenery, birds, trains, or whatever I find interesting.

Bradboy · Mar 4th, 2008, 4:49 pm

I agree Bill, I like group rides sometimes but find the majority are either too gung-ho or too slow and it's either tiring or boring.
This weekend I did a small solo ride up to an area in Andalucia called Castellar which has a castle and some ageing hippes from the 70's in old buses and vans, mainly dutch and german.
Also it's famous for the bird life with many eagles, vultures and kestrels about.
Plus massive Cranes/storks that nest on the top of power poles where the authorities have put small platforms to assist their nesting. You just dont want one of those mothers swooping down low over the road as at best its a smashed fairing

, at worst a broken neck

Cheers,
Brad