On Saturday, July 20, 2024, we got back on the road and drove Washington State Route 539 to Canada. Here we go again!
A state highway to be known as state route number 539 is established as follows:Beginning at a junction with state route number 5 at Bellingham, thence northerly to the international boundary in the vicinity east of Delta.
Highway 539 begins in Bellingham at this interchange with I-5. And thus our journey resumes.
The highway is also known as Guide Meridian, since it is on the meridian between Range 2E and 3E from the Willamette Meridian. It goes as due north as the early surveyors could measure. The suburban mall-land abruptly ends at the urban growth boundary, but there's still plenty of traffic and plenty of traffic lights. Between the farms are scattered businesses along the highway. Roundabouts! They were added for the 2010 Winter Games, apparently. Here's a roundabout at the junction with SR 544 near Wiser Lake.
The highway cuts right across Wiser Lake itself and over the Nooksack River. Watch for bicyclists, especially in the roundabouts! Straight ahead in the distance, the whole drive, are the mountains of Canada. After passing through Lynden, the road slows down and narrows to two lanes, and then we arrive at a non-roundabout junction with SR 546. What happened to my roundabouts?
Still going due north, we pass many working farms. Ignore the ice cream! We roll to a stop in front of someone's house just south of the border. Twenty minutes later (or so), we arrive at Canada. Still ten minutes to wait. At first it seemed odd that the code says "east of Delta" since we're fifteen miles east of the eastern edge of Delta, B.C., but there is a small community of Delta, Washington, just a mile away from this border crossing.
It's good to restart this project. Hopefully the rest will zip along just like Highway 539.
Welcome back!
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