Peace Arch Provincial Park.

I got together with my 2 high school friends, Jen and Aaron, for a jaunt down to White Rock beach today. It was a beautiful day out for a walk so we followed the path along the promenade to East beach, and when the promenade ended, we continued East walking along the railroad tracks to the Semiahmoo Indian reservation and beyond. Taking the bend along the crescent, Peach Arch border crossing came into view shortly after. At the marker marking the International Boundary between the USA and Canada, we cut across the stand-still US-bound traffic and took in the beauty of Peace Arch Provincial Park and basked in the rays of the late afternoon sun.

The Peace Arch Provincial Park is an interesting and unique park in that the 9 hectares of the north end is managed by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, while the 20 hectares to the south is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. During the Vietnam war, thousands of Americans fled the US and came to Canada to avoid being drafted. Between 1967 - 1974, Canada harboured more than 30,000 of them, many of whom entered through this border crossing to start a new life and settle in Vancouver.