Day Trip: Visiting Peace Arch Historical Park

The Peace Arch

It’s not an understatement to say that finding fun activities in the midst of a pandemic can be challenging. Enter the day trip. I love taking short drives to visit new places and thankfully there’s plenty to see in our area.

I first heard about the Peace Arch in May while reading an Associated Press article titled "Loved ones reunite at an oasis on closed US-Canada border." It highlighted the brief reprieve for couples and friends who have been kept physically apart when Canada shut its doors to Americans on March 21. Once I saw the photos of the park, I knew I wanted to see it in person. Last weekend we hopped in the convertible and traveled 95 miles north to Blaine, Washington.

Peace Arch Historical State Park is 19 acres. There’s an expansive lawn where quite a few people were out relaxing and grilling food. Almost everyone had on a mask and were spread out.

Peace Arch Historical Park. The houses in the background are in Canada.

An appropriate warning right beside the parking pay station.

Walking through the gardens takes you to the arch itself.

Whoa. It’s huge!

More specifically the arch is a 67-foot concrete structure representing peace. The Canadian portion was closed but I did do little wave to Surrey, British Columbia. Several markers around the arch share the history of its placement. According to the park’s website the arch “was constructed to honor the centennial of the treaties resulting from the War of 1812. These agreements between the U.S. and Britain established a peaceful, undefended border between the U.S. and Canada.”

The entry to Canada.

The arch has been a steady, anchoring fixture at the crossing since 1921. The irony of the inscription “MAY THESE GATES NEVER BE CLOSED” on its interior was not lost on me.

The American flag designed in flowers.

"Rocket Man" by Ron Simmer; recycled film prop rocket, recycled mannequin, clothing.

I thought this was a cool sculpture. Since there was no placard I'm not sure who the artist is. 

After the visiting the park we drove a little through Blaine which seemed empty. Turns out my suspicions were correct. After our trip I came across a Seattle Times article titled "The border town of Blaine, Washington, was on the rise. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit." detailed the significant dip in border traffic. Notably, “in June, just 12,600 people entered the United States from British Columbia, down from 479,600 during the same month last year.” The stop on nonessential travel is having detrimental effects as it continues.

After Blaine we headed over to Birch Bay. It's a quaint beach town that reminded me of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. We had lunch at The Beach Bar at Birch Bay, sitting outside of course and away from everyone else.

Birch Bay

Birch Bay

Next stop: Semiahmoo. It took me several tries to get the pronunciation (SEM-ee-AH-moo) right.

Drayton Harbor, which is just off Semiahmoo Bay.

If you squint, you can see Mt. Baker in the background.

Overall we had a great time. It gave us an opportunity to get out of the house for several hours and sight see. One of my favorite things about the Pacific Northwest is how beautiful it is.