Isn't this a lovely feature of the town? I'd be pretty happy to spend another month here again. My first wife and I spent a year in Happy Valley (just inland from Fairhaven) about fifty years ago after I got out of the army.

My apologies for mislabeling the Legislature buildings Jacquie! I went back and re-did those. Thank you for your other helpful info as well. We love Canada and I am sure we will be back again!

The two border crossings I’ve done on my bike from Canada into the US (Point Roberts and Peace Arch, where you crossed) both have signage for cyclists but you can’t see it if there are more than a couple of cars in line—which I don’t think ever happens at Peace Arch except maybe in the wee hours. They seem to expect you somehow to just know.

BC Ferries generally has cyclists wait with pedestrians except at the bigger terminals that have overhead walkways for pedestrians (Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay, Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay, possibly Duke Point), but those have a separate waiting area for cyclists and pedestrians with pets. On a bike, at those big terminals, you usually buy your ticket at the (vehicle) booth marked for cyclists then proceed to the designated waiting area for your berth. It’s certainly not always clear or well-marked.

Actually, that’s our provincial Legislature. Parliament is in Ottawa. But you’re from another country! As a Canadian, I have no idea how the US government works.

Thanks for your kind thoughts. The sting is fine today and I missed my chance to photograph it.

Well, that was more excitement than you needed in one day! I'm about full of urban riding also. Are you sharing a photo of your eye, for posterities sake? I hope you sleep tonight.

I waited a fair amount of time in the car line at the Canadian border last year. No one suggested I go to the pedestrian area either. Although they might not have had one way out there. I think that's where we crossed with you? We spent the night in Newport.

Genny so sorry to hear about the bee sting. I hope you recover soon

What was your position with your bikes as you waited for the ferry? This summer I was in the car line for 30-45 minutes. No one said a thing. Then when it was time to go, and I actually rode onto the ferry, I received a thorough scolding for being so unsafe as to ride on with the cars. That man came back and the end of the ride and stood right in front of me to (I presume) prevent me from being a scoff law as I debarked.

I think bicycle riders are treated nicely at borders. I hope that is still true. Of course, we are gambling Jacinto's American passport meets muster on our return. Mine too, for that matter.

Thanks Steve. Yes we do plan to ride the Lochside Trail to Sidney.

Hope you are aware of, and are planning to ride, the Lochside Trail up to the ferry. It is a scenic, and mostly off road, route north to Sidney.

You bring those memories right back! It's been a few years, but that caboose overnight was good for plenty of laughs. Note that it was in Canada and we had rain . . .

We’ve been over the Deception Pass bridge before. At least we’re going on the downhill direction.

You would enjoy a trip to southern Spain, where you find the freshest of fresh fruits and veggies, and a bidet in most hotels. These things confuse me a bit, because they have a spout that seems positioned to pour down your backside, but the bowl also commonly has a plug. Are you supposed to fill it first? The hotel commonly supplies a separate towel beside the unit, so while it may save on paper, it uses laundry more. Crocodile Dundee also had trouble understanding the thing, and I think I once found a Youtube tutorial. But after a brief one time infatuation, I gave up on it.

Another comment on your route, just so you're aware of it. Unless there have been improvements since we were there, Deception Pass Bridge is a pretty hair-raising crossing and a real bottleneck. There's a narrow sidewalk across it, but it's a tight squeeze with panniers. There's no real alternative though if you want to come onto the island from the north. Here's what it was like the last time we crossed it: https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/pdxbriefbreaks/seattle-to-bellingham/#2781_ea3b72ea1f702d367f3377795f0e4543