We wanted to camp close to the border to do some last minute shopping, get the tires rotated and organize the inside of the RV better. It was an all day drive for us coming from Riffe Lake to Ferndale, Wa. We didn’t get much cooperation. The roads were mountainous, there was hundreds of traffic lights, and then when we made it to the highway it was bumper to bumper even though we took 405 around Seattle. Anyways we did finally make it to Silver Reef Casino. There were a number of other people camping out there and they also had a free dump and freshwater fill, so it was a good place to prepare to cross. We had dinner at the buffet one night. Zygi made a mess with the oyster crackers so we left the waiter a big tip. We felt like we were in the movie, “The Hangover”, walking through the smoky casino with him in the front facing baby carrier.
We got up and left early for the border, we crossed at Lynden because we read it’s not used a whole lot. There was only one other person there and they were seriously checking his car out. I was thinking “Oh boy were going to be here for a while”. Luckily it only took 30 minutes or so. They checked to make sure I gave them the correct serial number on our shotgun and went through our passports and that was it. They didn’t ask for Marilyn’s paperwork or search the RV. Easy peasy, like every border crossing for us so far(crossing my fingers).
We then went and camped at another casino, Starlight Casino, just outside of Vancouver so we can drive in and see what some people say is the most beautiful city in the world. I agree with them. The mountains and the city planning are both just stunning, one natural and one man made.
We parked the truck a couple streets away from the 22nd street stop and caught the train in to town. First we went to Chinatown and bought the best falafel I ever had, weird I know. Then I went to a congee restaurant, it’s basically rice porridge with meat or other things in it that is usually a breakfast food. They also use it for baby food in Asia. Anyways, it was fantastic. I’ve loved it since eating it every morning in the streets of Thailand with the locals for breakfast. It’s not something you can find a lot of places. We then got some fantastic Dim Sum and that was as much as we could eat.
We then walked to Gastown, an upscale and historic area. It was beautiful to walk around. Unfortunately we went down one wrong street (Hastings) and saw the homeless problem that I’ve heard so much about in Vancouver. Luckily it was only a small area and it seems lately the west coast has been cleaning up their cities somehow. I for one am glad as it chases off a lot of tourists. We then walked to Canada place which is basically their cruise ship terminal. There are some neat educational displays about the port and train yard.
All in in it turned out to be a fantastic visit to a fantastic city. Vancouver reminded us of San Francisco but we both agreed that we liked Vancouver better. Vancouver seems more affordable and cleaner, especially when comparing the two Chinatowns. The homeless are confined to one area instead of spread about the city. Even the suburbs feels urban because they don’t allow building single family homes. Instead there are several high rise apartment buildings and town homes. It really is a cool city.
Up next, driving through some of the most beautiful mountains in the world.
Written by Tim and Victoria