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Robert
Mount Baker
Monday, June 20th Hazelmere to Bellingham- 40 miles Crossing the border By 9 am we were packed and ready to go, it was now south to the border. At the border there were no signs for bikes on where to go, we went to an area that we thought would be for us and were told by a person trying to cross that bikes needed to go into the building. There was very little communication or help from the border staff. We finally walked into the building, I thought we would be in and out fairly quick as there were more agents than people trying to cross, but they were having their Monday morning meeting with members standing around a door. I'm guessing they were being talked to by someone we could not see. Now 10 minutes in line, the agents went back to their desk and they just talked to each other for a while or were at their computer, no one was helping the process of getting people cleared, another 5-10 minutes go by and a lady agent comes from behind a section and asked us questions on where we had been where we were going and if we how much money we had in our possession.
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The people in the line ahead of us were given a hard time because they had lemons and a tomato. The border staff confiscated all their fruit. All this time that I'm listening to the agent giving a lesson about fruit and why they are so tight with what they let into the country, I am starring at the banana on top of Carmen's panniers, very visible just outside the glass from where we were standing. The lady processing us stepped outside the door and looked at our bikes and didn't say anything about the banana, she just said we were clear to leave, so we walked out, got on our bikes and began to ride. Just then another two agents asked us for our slip of paper, we told her we were told to pass and were not given any release form. When the 2nd agent stepped in and said that it was OK, that she had been radioed to let us pass. Now it was time for the ride to Bellingham, pain killer time again, the back of my knee now tight from not riding now for at least 45 minutes.
It was still early, we had lots of energy but we did not have a place to stay for the night. I searched online and the only campground I found would place us way off our route. We decide to take the scenic route toward Bellingham and went through Birch Bay, where we stopped off for some awesome breakfast burritos in a small restaurant on the coast. We sat there for a while while we all recharged our batteries; including the phone. We rode east towards Mount Baker to get on a road that would take us south, still no place to spend the night. I got on airbnb and found a room for $37, but once I added Carmen and the service fee we were now up to $55. Piper was our hostess, she had a house on a cliff right on the coast, outside of Bellingham. After we settled in Pipers house we asked her about a place to go eat, she told us there was a place about 10 minute away. About 40 minutes later we found a pizza place with only delivery and pickup and a few doors down was a liquor store. I picked up a bottle of Spumanti, and then from there we ordered some pizza and wings to go. Except we did not have our panniers to put them in and had to rig some nylon bags like a rope to hold the pizza in place on Carmen's bike and I held on to the bottle on my handlebar. What was supposed to be just a 10 minute ride turned out to be over an hour of riding with us just running on fumes, We went into Pipers backyard and enjoyed the dinner sitting on her deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Piper lives in a very secluded area so we felt safe leaving the bikes outside. We did a little laundry and in the morning with Piper already gone we made coffee and had some of the cobbler I had been looking at the night before.
It was still early, we had lots of energy but we did not have a place to stay for the night. I searched online and the only campground I found would place us way off our route. We decide to take the scenic route toward Bellingham and went through Birch Bay, where we stopped off for some awesome breakfast burritos in a small restaurant on the coast. We sat there for a while while we all recharged our batteries; including the phone. We rode east towards Mount Baker to get on a road that would take us south, still no place to spend the night. I got on airbnb and found a room for $37, but once I added Carmen and the service fee we were now up to $55. Piper was our hostess, she had a house on a cliff right on the coast, outside of Bellingham. After we settled in Pipers house we asked her about a place to go eat, she told us there was a place about 10 minute away. About 40 minutes later we found a pizza place with only delivery and pickup and a few doors down was a liquor store. I picked up a bottle of Spumanti, and then from there we ordered some pizza and wings to go. Except we did not have our panniers to put them in and had to rig some nylon bags like a rope to hold the pizza in place on Carmen's bike and I held on to the bottle on my handlebar. What was supposed to be just a 10 minute ride turned out to be over an hour of riding with us just running on fumes, We went into Pipers backyard and enjoyed the dinner sitting on her deck overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Piper lives in a very secluded area so we felt safe leaving the bikes outside. We did a little laundry and in the morning with Piper already gone we made coffee and had some of the cobbler I had been looking at the night before.
Carmen - Today's excitement was at the boarder crossing. I have experience at boarder crossings with my family going and coming from Mexico to US.....but the nerves are still the same. The agents always seem to be in a bad mood when coming to the US....not the same when we enter other countries. As we are standing waiting to be processed I hear the conversation of the couple that had the lemons and tomato. They had to endure a very long lesson on the reason why it is important to protect the US Agriculture from the bad bugs of other countries because their farming is not as sophisticated. I wonder if she ment that other countries may not use as many pesticides as the American Farmer. I make eye contact with Robert and we both know that my banana is on the bike. The banana that I was saving from breakfast- because I did not have time to eat it on the short ride to the boarder crossing. I think that if I declare it I will then have to have agriculture class, so decide to not say anything. As soon as we are allowed to go back outside, I quickly put my jacket over the banana and start pushing the bike. Robert gets on his bike and begins to ride up the hill and keeps going away from me. I begin to worry that I will be stopped, but I soon relax as I ride away from the agents on the sidewalk. I remembered my mom - getting upset when the border patrol officers would make her get rid of items she was bringing back from Mexico to Texas. Later I stop and declare the evidence of the forbiden banana must be eaten.