And now, the final installment!

We started the day with Takaza making some extremely tasty breakfast burritos. Since we weren’t on any schedule, we didn’t actually get everyone motivated until around noon. Linnaeus, Aeto, Mirko, and Roho elected to rent sea kayaks for the afternoon and cruise around Bellingham Bay. Takaza and Genet elected to stay at the house and relax for a bit.

Frysco and I decided to tour some of Bellingham. We walked around the Fairhaven neighborhood for a while and got a quick snack.

We walked down to the Alaska Ferry Terminal, where the ferries leave weekly for Ketchikan, Juneau, and points north, as well as to the Orcas Islands and Victoria. It was amusing to see the Homeland Security guys hanging around the sleepy little terminal – yes, they get international traffic, but only occasionally.

Eventually, everyone in the group met up at a local Fred Meyer where we did a little grocery shopping. While everyone else went off to Boundary Bay Brewery to sample their wares, Takaza and I headed back to the cabin to relax a bit and get a start on dinner. Dinner was grilled burgers and hot dogs with potatoes grilled in foil with garlic and rosemary. Afterwards we played a fun game of Say Anything, then wound down the evening chatting and reading.

After a delicious breakfast of French toast casserole made by Genet, we piled everyone into two cars and it was off we went up the Mount Baker Highway. The town of Glacier, where we were staying, is the last civilization on the Mount Baker Highway before you enter Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. From there, it’s approximately a 20-mile drive to the end of the highway, up in the mountains. We headed east but before we got into the mountainous heights, we stopped at Nooksack Falls.

These beautiful 88-foot falls made a nice backdrop for exploration of the area and some fun pictures. Takaza played with time lapse photography a bit and took some nice shots of the river, including two of Linnaeus and me over 10 seconds where the rushing river behind us looks like smoke.

After the falls it was time to continue east into some of most enjoyable mountain driving I’ve done since I was in Europe. We drove up to Artist Point, the very end of Mount Baker Highway. At 5,100 feet above sea level, we were treated to beautiful views in all directions, and a nice break from the heat of the valley.

We goofed around on the snow a bit (the road had been plowed to make Artist Point accessible only three weeks prior) and admired the view for a bit, then it was back down the mountain we went. I was driving pretty conservatively, but once I realized that the weird smell I was smelling was our car’s brakes, I decided to take things a bit faster (sorry to my passengers!). I had fun, though.

After a brief stop at the cabin where we made a fine lunch of the previous evening’s leftovers, it was back into the cars for a trip back to Bellingham. We walked around Fairhaven a bit more, bought some fun tschochkes, and then had one final dinner together before Aeto and Frysco drove back to Seattle and Vancouver, respectively. The rest of us drove back to the cabin one last time and spent the evening packing, then chatting and relaxing before heading off to bed.

On our final day we loaded up everyone into the cars, cleaned the cabin as required by the (many) signs posted there, and locked up the place. After dropping off the keys, it was back to Vancouver International Airport via the Peace Arch crossing in Blaine. It was uneventful, and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare. After clearing customs, we had time to grab a quick bite to eat before it was onto the plane for the flight home. Our flight caught some good tailwinds, and although we left on time we got to O’Hare about an hour early. After bidding farewell to Linnaeus and Mirko, Takaza and I caught a ride home with Roho and Genet, where we promptly collapsed.

So there you have it! The Great Pacific Northwest Trip of 2009. It was a fantastic trip, and I really had a great time. You know you’re doing something right when you’re on vacation and you can’t quite remember what day it is, and you don’t really care, either 🙂 We’re already making plans for next year, when we invade Canada once again to explore Montreal!