Day 4: Everett, WA to Clinton, BC

Everett, WA to Clinton, BC - 340 miles

Well....we spent another half day in the RAIN. Relentless. Constant. Not fun. But the further north we got, the better the weather turned. By the end of the day we were in the sun.

We got up really early to try to get thru the Customs & Immigration checkpoint as early as possible. After talking to the folks at our hotel in Everett and hearing "it could take 30 mins, could take 3 hours", an early start was a must.  We feasted on in room coffee (ew) and Cliff Bars for breakfast (double ew), and then got on the road.

But first we had to deal with our wet gear from yesterday. Here is Kate using the blow dryer to try to do something about her boots.

 As we approached the border, we lucked out in that there was only a 5 minute wait. I went first. I got grilled by the agent after handing him my passport:

Where are you coming from ? What is your address in the US ? Where are you going ? How long will you be in Canada ? Have you ever been to Canada before ? Where will you cross back into the US ? What do you do for work in the US ? Do you have any alcohol, tobacco or firearms ? What is in your bags ? Are you carrying any self protection items like mace or pepper spray ?

The last question: "Is that your riding partner behind you ?". My answer: "Yes"

Kate pulls up, and he asks: "Have you ever been to Canada ?". Kate's answer: "Yes". 

She got waved thru. What the hell.....? 

We rode thru Vancouver - the traffic ! Oy. It was worse than the Bay Area.

Once we got out onto the open road, Hwy 99, the views and scenery were AMAZING ! Lions Bay, Furry Creek (who named that place...), Squamish, Ganbaldi - and then we stopped in Whistler for lunch. 

Between Whistler and Clinton (our final stop for the evening), we rode through canyons, along rivers, alongside lakes, and over multiple passes. Here are some shots from that section of the ride.

No filter here - the water really is that green !

About an hour from the hotel, the sun FINALLY came out. We stopped for gas at a place in Lillooet, BC. The had some hysterical signs in the window !

We finally made it to our hotel around 6pm - thankful that we finally got some great weather, and ready to have an adult beverage and some dinner. But first, we had to unpack the bikes. We were tired, and this was the result. Bed dumping.

Some Molson Canadians (...of course....), and Kate's shot of Jack Daniels. Oh - and a few veggie burgers as well.

Here are a few videos I took from the ride on Hwy 99 today - a simply gorgeous north/south route thru British Columbia.

Here is our route for the day:

Tomorrow is an easy day - we will be doing a loop around the area and staying at the same hotel.