Monday, September 10, 2012

Trip to the South On Chuckanut Drive

I mentioned a few days ago that I had taken my first trip south of the border in many years.  I've been wanting get away from the usual spots and see some "new-to-me" scenery. but I did not want to go too far.

I thought if I went south I would have some good scenic views of the ocean to share with you.  I chose, Whidbey Island off Washington State's west coast.  I'd never been to Whidbey Island before but read on line that it wouldn't take more than 1.5- 2 hours to get there not counting potential delays at the border. I packed an overnight bag just in case I decided to spend the night.

Here is a map to show you that we are heading south on Highway 99 through Richmond, Surrey and White Rock in British Columbia,  just before reaching the Peace Arch Border Crossing (north side of Blaine, Washington).  From Blaine we will be on Highway 5, known in the USA as I-5 (Interstate 5) which takes you all the way to California. The highway is 1381 miles (2222 kilometres long).



As we get near the border, this is what we see.  The Nexus lane is for people who travel frequently to the USA You must apply to become a Nexus card holder and get quicker processing times at the border crossings.

The line up at the border looks deceptively short. Once you pass by the buildings in the far left, you will come across the scene in the next photo.
 
This is the Peace Arch Border Crossing into Washington State. There is a lovely park area here. I wonder how many people actually use it. 

Online, I read that the Chuckanut Drive route (Highway 11 on the map below) was a scenic route so that is the route we decided to take.  All the photos below are taken along Chuckanut Drive.  There were few places to stop to take photos but I managed to get some good drive bys.  We did stop but once or twice also.  There are many places where one could turn westward and go on hiking trails but that was not on the agenda for the day.



Click the photos to enlarge.

 


 





Come back soon for more photos from Washington State.

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday this week.

36 comments:

Denise said...

Thanks for sharing, enjoyed this.

Fred Alton said...

Lovely country, Penny! That looks so inviting for a good hike into the wilderness. I'm back from the beginning of my hike of the Appalachian Trail, a much wiser Fred! ☺

clairz said...

I love taking trips with you, Penny. I moved from Vancouver, B.C. to Washington state many years ago. It looks like they have been getting some wonderful sunny weather. We always said that if the weather were always clear there everyone would move there, as the scenery is so gorgeous. Can't wait to see your island photos.

LindyLouMac said...

Lovely photos, it is good to widen your horizons and we get to see the photos. :)

KT said...

The last time we went into Canado, it was near Glacier-Waterton parks...and we were the only ones at the border crossing. So the pictures you have paint quite the different picture! After the Olympics were in Vancouver in 2010 - we decided we need to make a trip up!

Joyful said...

KT, I don't know for sure but that border crossing you are talking about is probably no where near as busy as the Peace Arch Border Crossing. Even at the Peace Arch, the wait times fluctuate a lot. The day we went it was not so busy. I think the waiting/processing time was about 30 minutes both ways, give or take a few minutes. Some days you could be the only one in the line up. It depends on the time and day. I hope you make it back up north. If you haven't already been, the Jasper/Banff area is spectacular.

Joyful said...

Welcome back, Fred. I look forward to hearing more about your journey.

Joyful said...

I always say the same about Vancouver. Whenever people come from the east and it is raining, they inevitably ask if it rains all the time. I say "yes"! This last year, it did seem like all there was, was rain.

Sabine Gimm said...

What a nice trip and great pics.
Many greetings Sabine

OneStonedCrow said...

Thanks for taking us along Penny - the light is so different there - do you notice a change in the light when you visit Africa - in the Desert it can be very harsh?

Joyful said...

Hi Graham, I think the sunlight in Africa is much brighter so I find it harder to get good photos of people with all the shadows. Other than that it probably just depends on the time of day. Here I am often out at the brightest time of day, making it harder to get good photos of the ocean when the sun is shining right at me.

Joyful said...

Thank you, Linda Lou. Glad you stopped by!

Joyful said...

Thank you, Sabine. Greetings to you too!

Joyful said...

You're welcome, Denise!

Unknown said...

Great scenes!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

Sylvia K said...

One of my favorite places and I love your photos! I didn't get over to Whidbey this summer, but hope to before much longer! Really beautiful captures! Thanks for sharing the beauty!!!

eileeninmd said...

Lovely photos from your from trip to Washington. It is a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for sharing, have a great week!

carol l mckenna said...

Magnificent photos ~ Wow! ~ (A Creative Harbor)

Fun60 said...

Great trip. Thanks for sharing the photos.

❀~Myrna~❀ said...

Thanks for taking us along on such a beautiful trip!Great Pics!

Anonymous said...

What marvellous scenery!

Indrani said...

Wow! They are all great.
Very pleasing to eye!

Minoru said...

Nice captures1 I enjoyed them very much.

Joyful said...

Wonderful that you get over to Whidbey a lot. It's handy to Seattle and beautiful too.

Joyful said...

Thank you, Eileen. So glad you enjoyed the visit :-)

Joyful said...

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.

Joyful said...

Glad you enjoyed the Washington coastline, Myrna.

Joyful said...

Thank you, Ladyfi.

Joyful said...

So glad you enjoyed the view, Indrani.

Joyful said...

Thank you, Minoru.

Caro * said...

Great post, beautiful pictures ;)

Joyful said...

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos ;-)

Linda said...

Oh, Penny, I loved reading your post! Chuckanut Drive is one of my life-long favorite drives, which my family and I started taking when I was age 8. We started from the south, from the Edmonds, Washington, vicinity. Oh, the memories I have of that lovely place. Thanks for sharing your photos. You've inspired me to take that drive again next time I'm "home" in western Washington. I don't think I've taken Chuckanut Drive since I was about 20 years old--too long!

Smiles,
Linda

Jan said...

How blue those photos are, the weather looks still warm? Is that the case. Thanks for sharing your trip. x

Unknown said...

Dear Friend,
I'm so glad that you were able to explore the U.S. I have never been to Washington, but it sure looks beautiful!! thanks for the tour love me

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