The hike up Balu Pass was supposed to be fairly easy, beautiful and dotted with waterfalls, but when I talked to the park ranger and learned that Vancouver was an eight hour drive away, I decided to skip Balu and drive west.
I left behind this pretty view.
And drove many hours through pristine mountains, fewer and fewer snow-capped ones the further west I drove. Some of the valleys were flooded to make reservoirs, leaving scenic sights.
I eventually made it to Vancouver and drove right on through to Point Roberts USA, a five mile by five mile coastal land just below the 49th parallel and thus in the USA. The park ranger had suggested this as a good place to camp but being late of the Thursday night before the Fourth of July there were no spots available. I drove around instead and stopped at a forested coastal park. After ten minutes of walking I came to my first grand Pacific view with Mount Baker 60 miles east.
The San Juan Islands and Orca Islands could also be clearly seen, begging for a visit.
The previous two views were from 100 feet above the water, high up on cliff tops, but I eventually found a winding path down to an exotic beach with 270 degrees views an no one around. Panorama time. Zoom in and pan the horizon to be amazed.
The sun slowly set over the Cascade mountain ranges to the east and north over Boundary Bay. I took this pic to mark the moment and jumped in the calm but somewhat dirty waters.
Back in the van, I drove up the east edge of the point to the border of Canada and USA. A wire fence was all that separated the two countries. I drove around a bit more but eventually parked at Public Parking near the Boundary Bay corner of the point and stealth camped for the night.
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