June 4, 2026 – Squamish, BC to Redmond, WA
It is time to say goodbye to Canada and close this adventure.
We have been impressed by the kindness of of proud Canadians. Everywhere we visited we were graciously welcomed and many offered advice on the best places to go and places to eat. We were amazed that every town – no matter how small – had dedicated trained staff at their information center, slick brochures, and many had a well-curated museum.
For example, in Quesnal their museum had a “who done it” mystery that you could solve by hidden clues in their exhibits – felt like an escape room as we found hidden letters in wooden mailboxes. In Clearwater, the knowledgeable staff gave us ideas to explore off the beaten path that most people didn’t get to see.
We also liked that Candians seemed to trust that you would use some common sense when traveling. We were surprised that we were able to walk to many cliff edges to see waterfalls or get to the best viewpoints and there were no ropes, fences or anything. We are thinking they must not be as litigious as Americans.
They are also very proud of their country, especially what has been happening in the last year and a half.
In every city we saw signs declaring “Canadian owned and operated” and labels in grocery stores informing you which items were Canadian brands. Several Candians have told us that they have purposely chosen not to travel to the US at this time – for all the reasons that we all knew. They were glad to see us traveling in their country and wished us all the best back in ours.
Our last stop before leaving town was the interactive Brittania Mining Museum which included a real ride into the old mine which closed down in 1974. It was one of the world’s largest copper mines and operated for 70 years. They did a nice PR job talking about the importance of mining and even touched on the environmental disaster that was left. Fortunately, it started to be cleaned up in 2001 and now the local Howe Sound is slowly coming back to life.
We headed home and did not quite get a Canadian welcome home at the US border. We got stopped. Maybe they noticed the Tim Horton bag with one glazed donut left, or we seemed too happy to be hanging out with the locals. Nothing found, so zipped back up the bags they had opened and closed the hood and off – with an elevated blood pressure. Not quite the welcome home we imagined.
But, in no time, we were in Bellingham, then Everett and back in our own hometown of Redmond. A few more blooms on the dogwoods greeted us and few left over iris and rose blooms too. Then our daughter and a happy dog got home – and then it was a very fine welcome.
Now to unpack, start to catch up with friends and family, and remember the people, places – and grizzly bears.
We are off walk our dog – till the next adventure. Take care and safe travels.
Siri and David Adventures 