June 24-29, 2017
Whatcom Falls Park
Whatcom Falls Park is a 241-acre park in Bellingham. The falls are on Whatcom Creek,
which leads from Lake Whatcom to Bellingham Bay.
The park has four sets of waterfalls and several miles of hiking trails.
The bridge over the falls
Whirlpool Falls is a very popular swimming hole within the park.
The falls themselves are only about ten feet high, but the cliffs reach about 30 feet high which make for some great jumps into the punchbowl! Caught this kid in mid-flight.
Bellingham
Now the Whatcom Museum, this building (built in 1892) was originally the city hall
for the former town of New Whatcom, before it was joined with surrounding towns to form Bellingham, Washington.
This pathway leads from the Whatcom Museum to Maritime Heritage Park.
The park not only had beautiful landscaping but fun oversized games to play while enjoying the gorgeous weather. The games include chess, connect four, jenga, and corn hole.
There were also walking trails along the river.
Zuanich Point Park is another beautiful park in Bellingham.
The 4.4-acre park overlooks Squalicum Harbor
Fisherman's Monument in the park
Perfect place to set up our chairs and relax for the rest of the afternoon
Mt. Baker
None of the trails at the top of the mountain were open for hiking with boots
So we had to stick with well trodden paths or the roads.
We definitely wanted to be in the snow today, since the temps were well into the 90's.
We hiked all the way to Artist's Point
On the way up, a "beach party" was getting underway so we stopped by to watch the action.
This is called the Slush Cup. It was really fun to watch!
Wish I could share videos on our blog site, but it doesn't seem to work. So go to this link if you'd like to see footage of Slush Cup 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiYZEnhZGaM
Vancouver
The Peace Arch at the border with Canada
Rode the bike path around the circumference of Stanley Park
It was a beautiful ride along the water
View of Vancouver skyline
Got off the bikes occasionally to enjoy the views
Siwash Rock in the background
Siwash Rock is a 32 million-year-old sea stack (rock outcropping).
According to Squamish first nations legend, a man was transformed into Siwash Rock "as an indestructible monument to Clean Fatherhood" - a reward for unselfishness.
Totem Poles
The nine totem poles at Brockton Point are British Columbia's most visited tourist attraction.
Our lunch stop for the day at Brockton Point
Girl in Wetsuit
Flower gardens throughout the park
Big Leaves
In the Rhododendron Garden
Prospect Point is the highest point in the park
Gorgeous views from here
Lions Gate Bridge
Our last stop of the day was Third Beach
Just relaxing
Had the whole place to ourselves
The collection of totems started at Lumberman's Arch in the 1920's, when the Park Board bought four totems from Vancouver Island's Alert Bay. More purchased totems came from Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) and the BC central coast Rivers Inlet, to celebrate the 1936 Golden Jubilee.
Brockton Point Lighthouse was built in 1914
The life-size statue was created by Elik Imready and placed in 1972
This is a replica figurehead of what was once the fastest ship on the Pacific that operated between 1891 and 1922 - RMS Empress of Japan
The Ole Bamboo
Drove to Prospect Point
Stopped at Stanley's Bar and Grill for some refreshments
On sunny Tuesdays, a drum circle breaks out at sunset.
Luckily we were there on a sunny Tuesday!
The circle of drums was so huge I couldn't get them all in one shot. But I took some great video of the entire group.
Spent our last day in the area at the beach in Semiahmoo Park
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