Point Roberts, WA: Finale

Continuation of Previous Entry:

I remember when I was a youngster, we used to come down to Boundary Bay regularly. Boundary Bay is on the Canadian Side and there was another border crossing along the East side of the Peninsula, which has since been removed. This section is comprised of older cottages/summer homes which you will see shortly.

Currently there is only one crossing and the normal route would be to head due south after crossing the border for about a mile then turn right at the intersection where there is a grocery store and gas station.



Marine Drive winds its way along the Western Shore and eventually you will round the corner heading East along its lower edge


(looking straight ahead: East)


(view Right: South)

The homes on the right side of this road are beachfront properties and there is a mix of new and old. Dead ahead, there is a "subdivision" of newly constructed homes that would resemble any affluent area in the country. The mix of the residents are slowly changing from temporary little used vacation/summer cottages to those of permanent year round dwellings. I have now turned right on the loop road and this is what you see


(Waterfront homes are on the right)

I decide to head over to the older populated section on the East side. You travel about a mile or so on a country road passing cottages, homes with larger lots and notice lots of vacant land as well as abandoned homes


(If only the walls could talk)

Unlike the cottages on the West side of the Peninsula which are on the beach, these cottages have a view of the beach but they are on the opposite side of the road


(Typical Point Robert cottages)

Notice that the road winds its way along the water with the beach on one side, and cottages on the other side separated also by a cement wall which is there to minimize ocean surges during stormy weather.


(Point Roberts along Boundary Bay, looking North)


(again a contrast of old and new)


(view looking South)

At periodic places along the way, there are stairwells to allow access to the beach


(Stairwell access to the beach)

There are new condos on the left. There is no parking allowed along this section so I decide to pose my Wee for a photo opp



Notice that left turn sign about a block ahead. That building directly in front is in Canada. Here is a closer view of the corner. There are no barricades to prevent you from walking through that opening into Canada (from the USA).


(Canadian homeowners lounging on their sundeck are only a few feet from US soil)

After you make the left turn you will notice the chain link fence which separates our two countries. The condominiums are Canadian and the road is American.



Looking through the chain link fence at the homes in Boundary Bay (Tsawwassen) reveals a normal subdivision. This was where the previous border crossing was located, since removed.



Notice the contrasts of more recent construction on a densly populated Canadian subdivision as compared to old summer cottages on the American side, all living in harmony together separated only by a chain link fence, and unrestricted access through the border when walking along the beach.



That minivan just ahead of my bike had Canadian licence plates. Presumably the homeowner wanted to park behind his Condo and had to transverse through American customs first.

While the Point Roberts border crossing is at the top of this hill, they changed the access for security reasons



This particular section of road has a likeness to any country road anywhere, but we are only about a mile from the Border crossing. There are lots of vacant land and forested areas on this peninsula.



Heading back to Tsawwassen (Canada), earlier the cars were lined up back to this point. Now the road is clear.


(The Border is approx 1 km ahead)

It's interesting how this section of land has remained in custody of the USA and is only accessible by transversing through Canada. I fondly think of it as the Key West of the North (a Peninsula accessible by only one road) . The next time you are in the area or visit Vancouver, it would be worth a trip to explore for yourself.