Back in the USA

We were on the road out of Kelowna by 8:45 this morning.  We crossed over the Okanagan Lake and headed west.  It was a mountainous route with strong crosswinds and few towns.  We realized just before we got to the US/Canadian border that we still had 60 Canadian dollars left.  We stopped at a grocery store in Abbotsford to buy snacks, sparkling water, etc.  We spent 58.76.  We are so impressed with ourselves!  We found the right line to join to cross the border.  Then we sat for a very long time. 

Gayle reminded me that it is not wise to be playful with border control.  After we sat there for a half hour I told Gayle that it was starting to actually cause me stress to be so serious for so long.  She reminded me that I only had to hold my playful nature in check when we were in the presence of the customs officer. 

It was such a slow process that I began to think there was something we hadn't done.  I am a worrier deep to my bones.  I tried, unsuccessfully, to upload an app.  We finally got to the front of the queue and handed over our passports.  "What was the purpose of your travel to Canada?" the border patrol officer asked us.  "Travel," we said.  "How are you related?"  "Sisters," we answered in unison.  "Besides memories what are you bringing back with you?"  Gayle immediately said, "Nothing."  "Really?" he said in a voice dripping with skepticism.  "Well, we have a couple hats, some refrigerator magnets and some water."  "Good for you," he said.  "Did you buy any medications in Canada that you are bringing with you?"  "No," we said simultaneously.  "That's all I got,"  he said.  He handed us our passports and we drove back into the United States of America.

We drove back roads towards Bellingham, Washington, enjoying the agriculture.  When we got to Bellingham we headed to Western Washington University.  Gayle's grandson is a student here.  He is not here this summer but she wanted to see the university he attends.  It is a large campus and we had to park and find a campus map.  We found the center plaza and gave ourselves a tour.  A deer walked up while we were there and enjoyed the plaza with us.  

We returned to our car and found our AirBnB.  It is on a hill above the Bellingham Bay.  We enjoyed the space before heading down to the Black Sheep Restaurant.  We are obviously in a college town. The restaurant was packed and so very loud.  We took the first table available and ended up sitting on the same side of the table so that it was easier to shout into each other's ears.  Gayle got nachos and I got a chopped salad. Both of them were so spicy that we left much of it behind.  I felt every one of my 61 years of life as we limped past all these young adults and headed back to our car.  

I stopped to enjoy the sunset view from our front deck.

Back at our rental we connected with the family members we will be visiting the next few days.  This is the family portion of our trip.  We headed to bed early.  We are both very, very tired.  It is amazing how much stamina is required to enjoy so much beauty, adventure and wonder.