Monday, September 4, 2023
We left Friday Creek Campground in Burlington, Washington this morning at 9:15 a.m. It was a cloudy 55 degrees, that would reach 68 degrees in the afternoon. We had only 85 miles to reach the Birch Bay Thousand Trails in Blaine, Washington.
As we began our drive today, we soon realized that it was only 16 miles to Bellingham, Washington.
There were some clouds high in the sky and a few raindrops from last night on the windshield.
We continued on down I-5 and now Bellingham was only 9 miles away.
Soon we're just 5 miles from Ferndale, Washington and 18 miles from Blaine, Washington.
We crossed the bridge over Nooksack River. The Nooksack River sometimes overflowed the levees and banks along the east bank of the river from Hovander Park downstream to Marietta, causing widespread flooding from near Ferndale downstream to the mouth with swift waters in residential areas and over farmlands and roads.
Ferndale is a city in Whatcom County, Washington with a population of 11,415. It is the third largest city in Whatcom County and located near the Lummi Nation. A Lummi settlement was historically located on a prairie on the east bank of the Ferndale area. Early European settlers called the area near the Nooksack River the "lower crossing" to distinguish it from the principal river crossing at Everson. Billy Clark, a Texan who came to the Northwest during the Gold Rush, was the first European full-time resident of what eventually became the City of Ferndale. He lived here with his wife and family for over a decade. First settled in 1872, Ferndale was given its name because of the ferns that once grew around the original school house. Ferndale was originally called Jam because the town was located next to a log jam on the Nooksack River, but the original schoolteacher decided it needed a more picturesque name. Ferndale was officially incorporated on March 19, 1907.
(Shown above is the rail bridge over the Nooksack River.)
We're now 12 miles from Blaine, Washington.
We drove by the Birch Bay State Park.
We turned right off I-5 at Exit 270 to Lynden Birch Bay Road.
Birch Bay is a protected bay of the east shore of the Salish Sea -- between Semiahmoo Bay and Lummi Bay -- approximately 100 miles north of Seattle and 35 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. The bay gives its name to a census-designated place (CDP) along the bay's shore in Whatcom County, Washington.
The population of Birch Bay was 8,413 in the 2010 census. By 2020, Birch Bay had grown to approximately 10,000 people. Birch Bay was named in 1792 by Archibald Menzies, a member of the Vancouver Expedition. Vancouver's two ships used Birch Bay as an anchorage for several days. Menzies noted a number of species of birch and gave the name to the bay.
(Birch Bay, Washington in 2008.)
We're now in Blaine, Washington. Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington. The Peace Arch Park is located in Blaine. Blaine is located on the International border between Canada and the USA. The first name of Blaine was Concord. The name was changed in 1884 in honor of James G. Blaine (1830-1893), a Republican leader.
We arrived at the Birch Bay Thousand Trails in Blaine, Washington at 10:05 a.m., but we weren't allowed to check into the campground until 11:35 a.m. because there wasn't a ranger there to check us in. We were first in line, so Mel walked through the gate and went for a walk to check on the available campsites.
Birch Bay Thousand Trails Campground is situated just a few miles south of the US/Canadian border on Birch Bay, which is Washington's largest tide flat. There is also a beautiful saltwater beach located just a few miles away.
We got set up on site #246 for nine nights (September 4 - 12, 2023).
After we were all set up and around 2:00 p.m., we drove back into town and went to Lynden, Washington to the Nooksack Northwood Casino.
Lynden is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, located 15 miles north of Bellingham and approximately 5 miles south of the Canada–US border. The city is located along the Nooksack River and State Route 539. The population of Lynden is 15,749, and Lynden is also home to the annual Northwest Washington Fair. Lynden was founded in the 1870s by Phoebe Judson and her husband, Holden, near the site of the Nooksack Indian village Squahalish. Judson named it after the riverside town in Hohenlinden (Linden) and a poem called, "The Battle of Hohenlinden" by Thomas Campbell that follows:
On Linden, when the sun was low,
All bloodless layth' untrodden snow,
And dark as winter was the flow
Of Iser rolling rapidly.
But Linden saw another sight,
When the drums beat at dead of night,
Commanding fires of death to light
The darkness of the scenery.
By torch and trumpet fast array'd,
Each horseman drew his battle-blade,
And furious every charger neigh'd
To join the dreadful rivalry.
Then shook the hills, by thunder riven;
Then rush'd the steed, to battle driven:
And louder than the bolts of heaven
Far flashed the red artillery!
The combat thickens! on, ye brave!
Who rush to glory or the grave.
Wave, Munich! all thy banners wave,
And charge with all thy chivalry!
Few, few shall part where many meet!
The snow shall be their winding-sheet,
And every sod beneath their feet
Shall be a soldier's sepulchre!
(Shown above is historic downtown Lynden, Washington.)
Judson changed the spelling of "Linden" to be more visually appealing to Lynden, which was officially incorporated as a city on March 16, 1891. The city lies in a broad valley formed by the Nooksack River, which empties into nearby Bellingham Bay. The surrounding area is filled with dairy, raspberry, strawberry, and blueberry farms. The region saw significant Dutch immigration in the early and mid-1900s, spurring the growth of dairies. The city pays homage to its Dutch heritage through the design of buildings on Front Street and local businesses with "Dutch" names and products. In the early 21st century, the population nearly doubled in size, with Dutch being more predominant than other ethnic ancestry.
When we were in Lynden, we drove to the Nooksack Northwood Casino located on Northwood Road in Lynden, Washington.
Nooksack Northwood Casino is owned by the Nooksack Tribe and opened in 2007. The Nooksack Tribe is a federally recognized American Indian Nation near the Pacific Northwest Coast with over 1,800 enrolled members. They are part of the Coast Salish people and have traditionally spoken Nooksack, one of the Salishan family of languages. It is closely related to the Halkomelem language of coastal British Columbia, and at one time was considered a dialect of the latter. At the time of European encounter, the Nooksack people occupied territory extending into present-day British Columbia. But the setting of the border between Canada and the United States split the people into two territories. Halkomelem was still dominant in the Nooksack watershed in the US.
(Shown above is some of the Nooksack Indian tribe.)
Like most Northwest Coast indigenous peoples, the Nooksack long occupied a watershed area where they relied on fishing, hunting, and clamming, as well as gathering root vegetables and berries, and processing these for sustenance. Their territory extended from the mountains to the coast of present-day northwest Washington state in the watershed of the Nooksack River, and into British Columbia, Canada. They set up seasonal camps for hunting or fishing, such as timing when they could harvest salmon runs.
In 1934 Congress and President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed the Wheeler-Howard Act, also known as the Indian Reorganization Act. It was intended to help improve the condition of indigenous peoples by enabling them to revive and restore Indian self-government, which had been largely reduced, especially on Indian reservations. Because the Nooksack had not been granted reservation land by the U.S. government in the 19th century, they were not recognized as a tribe at the time by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
In the 1930s, the Nooksack tribe voted to accept the Wheeler-Howard Act and began working on a tribal constitution to establish an elected government under its model. They took a census in 1942 of persons considered members of the tribal community. Their constitution also provided for other forms of documentation and identity recognition.
The Nooksack acquired a one-acre parcel of land in 1970, as their reservation, and gained full federal recognition in 1973. That land was taken into trust by the US Department of Interior, as has been much of the other lands they have acquired. Their land base has subsequently increased to 3,133.61 acres, which includes fee land, trust land, and individual trust land. Federal court decisions in the 1970s, including what is known as the Boldt decision, have affirmed Native American rights in Washington state to fish and gather food in their traditional ways from their historic territories.
We went inside Nooksack Northwood Casino and each got a new player card, which gave us each $5 free play. It didn't take us long to play their free $5 away on the slots.
We did notice that they had RV parking available on site. We checked it out and all you have to do is visit the cashier with your Winners Club Card and pay only $7 per night for RV parking, which include electricity - 30 amps only! Plus, you could earn one FREE night after 3 paid nights. Pretty good deal!
(Shown above is the RV parking at Nooksack Northwood Casino.)
After we left the casino, we went to the Safeway in Lynden to pick ups a few groceries. We then drove to the bay area in Blaine, Washinton.
We then went to the Beach Cat Brewing that is a micro brewery located by Birch Bay in Blaine, Washington.
Mel gives a "thumbs up" before we go into the brewery.
Mel enjoyed a few craft beers.
After we left the brewery, we went back to the campground. For dinner tonight, we had rockfish tacos with homemade pico de gallo.
Translated in Spanish, pico de gallo literally means “beak of rooster.” Some believe this is because it was originally eaten by pinching it between the thumb and finger, making the shape of a rooster's beak.
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
After a breakfast of a toasted English muffin topped with bacon, a fried egg and cheese, we took off at around 9:15 a.m. The weather was a sunny 57 degrees.
Bellingham is a college town, county seat, and a natural wonderland. These are just a few descriptors that set Bellingham’s identity apart. Named for its bay, which George Vancouver dubbed after Sir William Bellingham in 1792, it’s the largest “Bellingham” in the country — before Massachusetts and Minnesota namesakes. As locally themed designs show, Bellingham landmarks have become iconic. Many nicknames and symbols characterize this city that has a population of over 90,000.
(Shown above, “Velveeta Jones,” the chicken sculpture that inspired Northwest Corner Goods designs has outlived the Homeskillet restaurant which closed in 2019.)
We then took our groceries home and put them away and had a lunchmeat sandwich. We then drove back into Ferndale, Washington to get gas at the 76 gas station.
Here at the gas station, we saw several 3,500-pound, 6-foot-8-inch Sasquatch statues on concrete pedestals (see above and below).
Next we crossed the bridge over the Nooksack River and we soon were at the Silver Reef Casino in Ferndale, Washington.
Tucked between the Salish Sea and the Cascade Mountains with easy access from I-5 using exit 260, Silver Reef Casino Resort is only 20 minutes south of the Canadian border and a little over an hour and a half from Seattle. The resort sits on the Lummi Reservation, due east of Neptune Beach.
We went into the casino and got signed up for a new player card. With our new player cards, we each got $5 free play, a $5 food coupon, and $10 more free play for being over 50 years old.
Mel and I both played with our $15 in free slot play for awhile. When we both had lost the free play money, we then decided to get chili dogs with our $5 food coupons (see below).
After that, we drove to FrinGe Brewing. Located on the edge of the Pacific Northwest and the outskirts of Bellingham's craft beer scene, FrinGe Brewing is Ferndale's only craft brewery and tasting room. While hanging out with some brewers back east, Scot White (owner) told them about his plans to open his own brewery. When they asked where it would be, he told them where Bellingham was located, and about the great craft beer scene in Whatcom county. "That's way out on the Fringes of society" they commented and the seed was planted. FrinGe Brewing: a brewery named for it's location at the very edge of the continental U.S. and the outskirts of the Bellingham beer scene.
With so many breweries already in Bellingham, Scot White (owner) and Jeff Lazzari (co-owner) decided to look look outside the city. Ferndale, with its close-knit community and growing population seemed like the ideal spot to establish the new business, and a new hub for the community . . . and so the location was determined. Once Ferndale was chosen, the building location was found in Ferndale's old downtown, which was once the Post Office, then the Library and then the Police Station. Scot and Jeff signed the lease and spent a year repairing the building, constructing the production area, and creating a tasting room for the citizens of Ferndale to enjoy. On March 19, 2019 FrinGe Brewing officially opened its doors, and the rest is history.
Mel give a "thumbs up" before we go inside FrinGe Brewing.
The owners of FrinGe Brewing decided to build picnic-style seating for their patrons that could be pushed together -- reminiscent of long brewpub tables in Germany.
Mel enjoyed a craft beer on the outdoor patio of FrinGe Brewing. After that, we drove to District Brewing, also in Ferndale, Washington.
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On September 8, 2020, District Brewing opened a second location in Ferndale, located just two blocks from FrinGe Brewing. With District Brewing’s arrival, it creates an up-and-coming Ferndale brewing district, however District Brewing isn’t a production brewery — it’s a taproom and barrel-aging space.
Mel give a "thumbs up" before we go inside District Brewing in Ferndale, Washington.
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District Brewing is housed in a former True Value Hardware building, with a taproom that takes up a sprawling 7,000 square feet. Inside, it’s sort of set up like a house with a large “living room” offering plenty of space to spread out -- with various seating options, pool tables and a bar. Several separate rooms branch off from the main area, each with its own theme.
Mel enjoys a craft beer or two at District Brewing (see below).
We then went back to the campground and had a dinner of grilled hamburgers, cauliflower salad and corn, calling it a night.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Today started out partly cloudy at 56 degrees. We hung around the camper today. Mel waxed ther trailer and then had to go to O'Reillys to get more wax. I worked on my blog.
For dinner, I made Mexican goulash and Mel made a blackberry crisp for dessert.
Thursday, September 7, 2023
We had waffles for breakfast. It was a cloudy morning with the temperature starting out at 57 degrees. We just hung around the camper waiting for it to warm up a bit. Then around 3:15 p.m., we decided to go for a bike ride. We rode out of Birch Bay Thousand Trails and then turned at the gas station and continued until we got to the bike trail. After trying to ride on the bike trail that was full of asphalt-covered tree roots and was very bumpy, we decided to get back out on the road -- hoping to have a smoother ride.
We rode for an hour and went 7.7 miles from the Birch Bay Thousand Trails to past the Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club (see the GPS screenshots below).
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It was a very beautiful and scenic bike ride. For dinner tonight, we had salmon and cauliflower salad.
Friday, September 8, 2023
This morning it started out very foggy at 54 degrees. We hung around the campsite until the fog lifted.
At around 12:10 p.m., we left and drove to the Taco Bell in Blaine, Washington to get our favorite lunch (the cravings box).
We then drove along Marine Drive toward Birch Bay to Blaine Marine Park to enjoy the views across Boundary Bay and Semiahmoo Bay to Pt. Roberts, White Rock, Semiahmoo and the San Juan Islands. Blaine Marine Park is a charming waterfront park that sits between Drayton Harbor and Semiahmoo Bay on the Salish Sea.
Marine Park is a passively developed park with marine shoreline upland features. The adjacent tide flats are home to many species of birds and are usually filled with large flocks of various types. The park also contains an amphitheatre, a salmon wall art piece, a large totem pole, and Orca whale sculptures.
(Map of downtown Blaine Marine Park.)
The Phil Claymore totem pole watches over Blaine Marine Park guiding visitors to choose the right path. The pole was started by Phil Claymore, a marine biology teacher. Claymore died before completing the pole, and the last third was finished by his students in his memory. The pole was installed in Marine Park by the City of Blaine in August, 1995.
We then turned onto Milhollin Drive and headed out to the end of the Blaine Harbor Public Boat Launch.
The Blaine Harbor Marina is home to the 32-foot Historic Plover Passenger Ferry (see above) that runs weekends in the summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend. The Plover shuttles passengers from Blaine Harbor Marina, Gate 2 Visitor’s Dock, to Semiahmoo Resort Boat Dock and is part of the Coast Millennium Trail. The ferry is Washington state’s oldest operating foot-passenger ferry, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Even though it was still a bit foggy, we caught a glimpse of the Peach Arch. The International Peace Arch is a 67-foot dramatic white arch that rises from the green lawns and flowering gardens on the US/Canada border at Blaine. It is the iconic feature of this Washington Historical State Park which is devoted to peace and serenity. The Peace Arch is unique among parks because it consists of two parks in two countries. The southern half of the park is owned by Washington State Parks and the northern half is owned by British Columbia Parks. The arch, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed to honor the centennial of the treaties resulting from the War of 1812. These agreements between the U.S. and Britain established a peaceful, undefended border between the U.S. and Canada.
Shown above is a direct line-of-sight view of the Peace Arch and the border. The long roof to the left of the Peace Arch is where the Canadian border guards are and where you need to drive through to get into Canada. The long roof on the right is where the U.S. border guards are and where you need to drive through to get into the U.S.
Shown above, the entrance into the U.S. can handle 18 vehicles at once — same with the entrance into Canada (shown below). We didn't go across the border here, but it’s a busy border crossing!
Above is a close-up view of the Peace Arch.
Above is the Peace Arch and Canada’s administration building.
Above is the Salmon Waterfall Wall in the Blaine Marine Park, which is located by the amphitheatre.
As we drove along Marine Drive our eyes were surprised. Wait, is that an Orca surfacing out of the land (shown above)? It sure is! This is the Orca Whale Sculptures in Blaine Marine Park. Also from this viewpoint, we could see the Peace Arch and the border between Canada and the U.S. behind the Orca Whale Sculptures.
It was so realistic -- including the tail of an Orca diving back into the water (shown below).
After viewing the harbor (shown above), we turned around and went back toward the beginning of the Blaine Marine Park.
We drove by the Marine Park Playground area.
We then went to the Safeway in Lynden to get some groceries before returning to the campground for the evening.
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Today was a sunny day starting at 52 degrees and warming to 73 degrees in the afternoon. While I worked on my blog, Mel went for a 14.43 mile (1-1/2 hour) bike ride from Birch Bay Thousand Trails campground all the way to the Semiahmoo Bay and back through Sunrise Park and the Cottonwood Beach area (see GPS screenshots below).
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For dinner tonight we had leftover goulash. We relaxed for the rest of the evening.
Life's a beach -- and we sure have been enjoying the opportunities to spend time around the coasts. We will continue to enjoy every minute of every day!
Shirley & Mel
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