There's always something to do and see on these trips and today was the day we planned to head up to Canada. But first we wanted to see the Northwest GWTA's Drill Team do their stuff. We got a "seat" early (photos 1 & 2) and waited while they marked off the street, measured distances, cleared people back from the curbs, did some practice maneuvers, and generally got ready for the show (photos 3 & 4). I was impressed.

A couple of things crossed my mind while I watched these eight riders on GL1500 Goldwings do their stuff (photos 5, 6 & 7). One revelation was, "I didn't thing those big suckers could turn that tight." The other was the fact that half the team were women, one of which must have been all of 5' tall, weighed about half of what I weigh, if that much, and she was making that big Wing turn and twist like it was a Honda 250. It will humble you friends. So much for sex role stereotyping.

After the show, it was time to say our goodbyes and get on with our trip. You always hate to leave your kids and especially your grandkids, but even us retired folks have to finish long trips before the weather changes. We headed north to Canada.

Now we've been remarkably lucky on this trip, no rain. But as we got about fifteen miles north of Anacortes, we started to pick up, first sprinkles, then some bigger drops. We pulled off into a fish market parking lot and put on our rain gear. That's all it took, the rain stopped and as we got closer to the US/Canadian border it started to get warm. Go figure. That's the northwest, I guess.

As we got to Blaine, WA, the furthest Northwestern town in America, Linda snapped some shots from the back of the bike of the flags, the peace memorial, the peace park entrance, and the border check in (photos 8, 9,10, 11 & 12). There were five lanes of traffic trying to check into Canada and it took us about 45 minutes of waiting in line to get through. The process is they check your ID, ask if you have any guns, how long you're going to stay, where you're going, and then they determine if they should pull you aside and check you thoroughly. We were lucky; they accepted our answers and let us through. Of course, by that time, I was sweating a bucket from sitting in stop-and-go traffic for all that time, but hey, we were in.

Next stop, Vancouver. We took Hwy 99 north for about 50 kilometers (31 miles) and rode at 100 kilometers per hour (60 mph). It was great fun converting metric to the American system. This type of thing lets you know immediately that, even though the place looks a lot like America, it's a foreign country, with different laws and customs. The countryside is at first dryer than I had expected but as we got closer to Vancouver, you could see the mountains in the background.

We arrive at the Sands Best Western and settle in on the top floor, number five, with a great view (photos 13,14,15,16). I've included several shots from our room balcony of the city and the bay, one at 5:00, when we arrived and at 10:00 at night. It takes a long time to get really dark up here.

We head out to explore some of the city close around us before stopping for dinner. This sure seems like a young persons city. They are everywhere along with lots of eateries, and dessert shops to cater to the crowds. I think it must have something to do with the beach being so close by. At any rate, Vancouver is a beautiful city if you like big cities. Tomorrow we will take a ride around Stanley Park and then head east.