Geography quiz--can you guess where this picture was taken? (page 3)

ringo5

Is it part of the Semiahmoo Trail in BC?

cabasilas

Ok...you guys are getting very close. These are pictures from our recent vacation.

In the first picture...about 5 feet to the right of the road between the road and the row of trees is the 49th parallel. This divides White Rock, British Columbia, Canada from Blaine, Washington, USA. The park is part of Peace Arch park. If you've ever driven across the US/Canadian border on 1-5 you passed by the Peace Arch that was erected in the early twentieth century to commemorate the fenceless border.

The powerlines do not cross the street because on the left is Canada and on the right is the USA. Despite intensified border patrols by the US since 9-11 Canadians and Americans can mingle in the park which extends into both countries. People are watched, however. When we pulled into the Washington side of the park there was an American Border Patrol truck in the parking lot. We found out later that the US has erected heat sensers along the border to track movement into the US from Canada. We stayed at the Smuggler's Inn (a bed and breakfast) in Blaine, Washington which is along this same road about 2 miles down. In the last 3 years they've had 73 people arrested on his property for crossing illegally into the US from Canada. The owner says that they only catch about 2 per cent of all illegal crossings, however, due to the lack of manpower.

Anyway, I've always been fascinated with borders and just had to visit some of the border crossings while on vacation. Here's a picture of my wife at that same "pets on leash" sign but from the US side. We got a kick out of the disparity between both sides of the sign. The road and the houses behind her are in Canada.

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Sparkplug

Well i never had thought of what you just said about the power lines. That is pretty neat. Thanks

the_classicist

I was close! White Rock is basically Surrey.

sunshineToo

I don't see any palm tree so it can't be California. I was thinking more of Oregon or Washington state. I guess I was kinda close.

cognizant dissident

Crap, you posted the answer to soon. I lived right near there for years and was just about to post the answer when you I saw you had already given it. I think the building behind you is the Peace Arch hall where my sister was married.

Cog

cabasilas

Yes, Surrey is right next door. That's why I said you were partially correct. (Half the picture is in the US, however.) If you've ever been to the Peace Arch park, the Arch was right behind me just down a little hill. And, yes, palm trees can grow in this area. I live in Oregon and have one too. That would be the Windmill palm which originally comes from Switzerland. There actually was one just a few houses up from "0" (Zero) road that you can see in the first picture.

Here's one more picture. It's about 15 miles E of the Blaine/White Rock area. It's on the line but in a more rural setting. The nearest towns are Lynden, Washington and Aldergrove, British Columbia. You can see two parallel roads. The one in the foreground is in the US. The one across a small ditch is in Canada. That's all that separates the two countries here. As I was taking this picture a fellow was mowing his yard on the Canadian side. He smiled and waved. (He probably sees his share of border tourists!) The ever present border patrol passed by as I took my picture. If you look to the right you can see the tall steel tower on which is perched the heat sensing cameras.

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serendipity

I guessed Washington.

purplesofa

i guessed your shoes!

Jourles

Is this the same location where The Jon Stewart Show did an episode? I don't remember who the "correspondent" was, but there was an older man that parked his lawn chair out on the grass looking for people scurrying across the border. He would call the border patrol folks for backup. The guy didn't have any special legal powers, he was just a self-proclaimed spotter.

Geography quiz--can you guess where this picture was taken?

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