Little Towns of Whatcom County
When I’ve spoken with friends about here they have been in Whatcom County, if any place at all, most have told me that they had traveled to Bellingham or through Bellingham on their way to Vancouver. Others have mentioned their trips on Chuckanut Drive, and some may have found beautiful places to hike near Mt Baker or on the North Cascade Highway. But no one I asked had been to Everson or Nooksack.
Surprisingly, Whatcom County extends 110 miles from the Strait of Georgia on the west to to Okanogan County on the east, but it is only 26 miles from north to south. Close to 100% of the population of Whatcom County live in the areas west of the Cascade Mountains, with 80% living in the 4 largest cities: Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale and Birch Bay. The other 22 residential areas are either cities, villages, or towns.
In the towns we visited, what we found most enjoyable were the people. Every place we went people easily shared information, they offered help when we asked (as well as when we didn’t), and they were just downright nice. As we drove along Main Street in Everson and Nooksack, in the Nooksack Valley, we were amazed to see volumes of flowers everywhere. Gardens were planted at every corner, and beautiful hanging baskets decorated the street for its entire length.
Both communities lie near the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and are on the banks of the Nooksack River. They are known by their residents to be quiet, friendly, and safe. In 2008 the two communities were merged and now known as Everson-Nooksack.
We stopped for breakfast at the 544 Restaurant where we really felt the small-town atmosphere. The wait person knew everyone’s name and we met people who had either lived in Everson for their entire lives, or they had returned, seeking the character of the town and the warmth of the people.
Also in Everson-Nooksack, we discovered the Samson Estates Winery, famous for its award-winning wines of all types, including fruit, dinner, and after-dinner wines. The fruits for those wines are growing right outside the winery. We could not resist he most delicious chocolate wine truffles, made from their dessert wines. The bottle of hazelnut wine I bought just didn’t last very long.
We traveled on such delightfully small scenic roads between each town. There was very little traffic and, as the car’s passenger, I enjoyed the surrounding countryside of fields of berries, orchards of apples, and pastures of cows and horses. Whatcom County is known as the Raspberry Capital of the World, producing the largest per capital crop of frozen raspberries Blueberries are second in berry production. And I can attest to the quality of the dairy industry, as we sampled the ice cream at the Edaleen Dairy in both Lynden and Blaine.
Lynden was the largest town we visited, and we fell in love with its beauty and its history. As we entered Lynden we were excited to find Showcase Mosaics. Their website shows the vast number of fine-art mosaic pieces of all sizes and designs that the artists, Sandra and Carl Bryant, had created. From 7 x 23 feet to 18 x 18 inches, they are truly magnificent. Most of their work is commissioned, and hanging in people’s homes, in a hospital in Texas, and in many commercial and public buildings throughout the country. Sandra and Carl work out of their home and their business is all on line. We didn’t know that when we were searching for a shop or gallery. But they invited us in to take a look at a few pieces they had in the house and were extremely gracious.
The 236-acre Hans C. & Lida H. Berthusen Memorial Park features seven miles of trails in a 30 acre old growth forest. Walking among the majestic trees, as we followed the trails, was quiet and peaceful. This area of the park is separated from the busier areas by a wooden bridge that crosses the Noosack River. It is a salmon spawning ground and is protected and improved for salmon habitat. On the other side of the bridge several historic features made from trees grown on the farm are listed on the Register of Historic Places. A permanent display of old farming equipment is owned by the Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery Club. Unfortunately there was no identifying information available about the vast collection of equipment. In addition to an old barn, there was a sampling of other buildings including a pioneer cabin and a chapel. The park is a great place for individuals or families to spend their day with playgrounds, group shelters, and playfields.
We fell in love with Lynden and its Dutch heritage. It’s a religious community. coming from the Netherlands, that began immigrating there in the 1800’s. It’s estimated that about 50% of the community have some Dutch DNA. Most of the buildings are from the 1920’s and 1930’s and have been restored. The Post Office stood out to me with both Dutch and English displayed over the entrance as well as its beautiful architecture.
We had our first breakfast at the famed Lynden Dutch Bakery where we had trouble making a decision among the vast pastry options . Our selections were delicious. Since it’s so easy to have conversations,, we met several ladies, two of whom had grown up in Lynden. One had been one of the several owners of the bakery during its long life, in the community since 1907. On the wall is a display of the history of the bakery. Oh - did I mention that the pastries were delicious?
The small farmers market, open on Saturdays during the summer, has beautiful produce as well as other items including ceramics and delicious honey. As in Everson, downtown Lynden is filled with flowers. Street corners feature magnificent displays of petunias and other flowers of a variety of colors. Along the sidewalks are smaller sculptures and 19 blooming baskets hanging on light poles. Dave Van Wingerden, the founder of Pacific Growers, started creating “Lynden Baskets” for downtown Lynden businesses in 1995. His gift expanded to the larger “city baskets” which are seen on the light posts. In 1920 Dave and his sons designed and installed eight “flower towers” on each street corner. Pacific Growers produces more than 100,000 hanging baskets every year.
Have you been in Point Roberts? Have you heard of Point Roberts? It’s the most unique piece of land that is part of the United States, but not physically connected to it at all. In order to get there, we drove 25 miles through Canada (passport check #1), and re-entered the U.S. through the Tsawwassen Peninsula, at Point Roberts (passport check #2). It is accessible only by car or boat. Point Roberts was created when the United Kingdom and the U.S. settled the Pacific Northwest American-Canadian border dispute in the mid-19th century. Because its location south of the 49th parallel corresponds with the U.S. parallel, Point Roberts remains a pene-exclave* of the U.S. (definition: a part of the territory of one country that can be conveniently approached, in particular, by wheeled traffic – only through the territory of another country.)
The area of Point Roberts is 4.8 square miles, consisting almost exclusively of residential neighborhoods. There is one grocery store which contains the only public toilet that was revealed to us. There are several restaurants, but we were unable to find them. As a peninsula, Point Roberts has beaches extending around three sides. We visited several of the beaches, including the Lighthouse Beach., whose lighthouse was destroyed many years ago. The tide was out during our visit, and families were playing on the beach, in their boats, and in the water.
Although beaches were the predominant activity, there are other opportunities to explore the peninsula. We walked through the trees of Lily Point Marine Reserve Park with its 275 acres of forested bluffs and 1.4 miles of saltwater shoreline, and found the two lookouts high on the bluff looking over striking Boundary Bay. Although we didn’t see any, the park is known for numerous eagles, herons, and looms.
Returning to the U.S. we had planned on stopping at Monument Park, located at the northwest corner of Pt. Roberts. However, we missed any signs about it until we had already passed through Passport Control. We saw the monument - but from the Canadian side. From that location, the signage was very clear about the risk we would be taking if we crossed the narrow ditch to return to Pt. Roberts.
The Peace Arch Park is impossible to miss. But I never realized that it has so much more than what we see crossing the border. The 43-acre park is really two parks, joining each other where Canada and the United States meet. It extends beyond the busy roads leading to and from Passport Control. We enjoyed walking around seeing the arch up close with its engraved quotes). Each side of the part has its country’s flag created from flowers that are removed and replaced every year. There were families having picnics, and people of many different cultures walking around, taking pictures.
That morning, we were eating breakfast and a couple sitting near us asked what we were doing in the area. They both very strongly recommended that we stop in Semiahmoo to see the seals sunning on the dock. We made a stop there and indeed, there they were. Dozens were sleeping on top of each other, apparently sleeping. But closer to us there were four seals, wide awake, and looking around to see what they could see. Maybe just looking at all the people admiring them.
After stopping for ice cream in Blaine just outside of the park, we left Whatcom County having learned so much about its communities and the people that live there.