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.
