The road to Artist Point, the final 2.7 miles of State Route 542/Mount Baker Highway, is closed for the season.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 20, 2021

MEDIA CONTACT:
Amy Guerra, Marketing Director
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
amy@bellingham.org
(281) 433-3428
https://www.bellingham.org/ricksteves

Travel Expert Rick Steves Enjoys the Top Northwest Corner of His Home State of Washington in the Second of Three Video Episodes

Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County announces the release of the second of three video segments hosted by Rick Steves which feature his explorations of Whatcom County, Washington. Episode two, “Extremely Northwest,” shows Steves learning about the exclave community of Point Roberts, enjoying the borderless zone at what is both a Provincial and State Park on the Canadian border, and soaking up seaside living in the uppermost Pacific Northwest. Produced and distributed by Seattle Times Content Studio, the second of the three episodes is now live at seattletimes.com/sponsored/rick-steves-explores-whatcom-county-seaside-and-peace-arch-state-park/, and at Bellingham.org/ricksteves.  


September 2021 also marks the Centennial of Peace Arch State Park, with its cross-border monument erected to celebrate the Treaty of Ghent (1814) that ended the War of 1812. Because of WWI, and then the Spanish Influenza, the monument wasn’t finished until 1821. Steves stands before the arch in the segment, learns from a border policy expert, and reflects on the arch’s insignia, “I just love that. ‘Children of a common mother,’ the two flags flying together, people coming together here picnicking. It's like some romantic painting about two nations that share a border and live together peacefully.” 

As an example of what is in all three segments, Steves visits a working oyster farm (Drayton Harbor Oyster Farm), learns about turning Washington apples into alcohol (Bellewood Farms), and actually plays an original 1927 movie palace Wurlitzer pipe organ (Mount Baker Theatre). Steves’ fans can find the videos at Bellingham.org/RickSteves, or be alerted about the next release by following #BellinghamExperience on social media. 

Whatcom County is in the top northwest corner of the state of Washington, bordering both Canada and the Salish Sea. Some experiences and places featured in these videos include the bayside Bellwether Hotel, Blaine by the Sea, Drayton Harbor Oyster Company, Aslan Brewing, Chuckanut Brewery, Sustainable Connections’ Eat Local Initiatives, Downtown Bellingham Arts District, Fairhaven District, Lynden farmlands, the Schooner Zodiac, Spark Museum of Electricity, Whatcom Museum, and a poem read by Washington State Poet Laureate Rena Priest. Priest, a member of Lummi Nation, is Washington’s first indigenous state Poet Laureate. 

The videos were filmed, directed, and produced by All is Well Studios out of Seattle, WA, under the creative direction of Seattle Times Content Studio, Rick Steves, and Visit Bellingham | Whatcom County.  

Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism is an independent, 501 (c)(6) nonprofit economic development organization whose purpose is to improve the economy by marketing Bellingham Whatcom County as a premier, year-round visitor, sports, outdoor recreation, arts and cultural, and meetings destination, which supports all travel, tourism, and hospitality businesses and nonprofits in Whatcom County.  

        We acknowledge that Whatcom County is located on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples. They cared for the lands that included what we’d call the Puget Sound region, Vancouver Island and British Columbia since time immemorial. This gives us the great obligation and opportunity to learn how to care for our surrounding areas and all the natural and human resources we require to live. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors, the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
Visitor Center Located at I-5 Exit 253 - Check Hours
904 Potter Street, Bellingham, WA 98229
Phone: 360-671-3990
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