Three weeks of goodbyes, and between hugs and tears, we left Nelson. Countless blessings and so much love in every word, every embrace. We felt held by so many people, and it was in that current of love and joy that we set off toward Brazil - Floripa, to be exact.
And already, this early in the trip, we can say we've met beautiful, interesting people. Everywhere we've stopped, we've been met with love, generosity, and good energy. 🧡
On July 17th we left Nelson heading for Vancouver. Midway, we spent a night in Oliver, on a farm where goats and piglets came right up to the fence looking for a scratch. I'd never seen a pig lean into a fence like that before. It looked just like a dog asking to be petted. It was a quiet night, the kind that works as a pause between one destination and the next: rest, stillness, a sky full of stars before moving on.
We continued to Vancouver and parked right at Carolina's cousin Fernanda's birthday party. Good conversation, wonderful people, and delicious food. Getting to give Fefê a birthday hug in person meant a lot to us.
We slept in our motorhome parked in front of their house, and the next morning we all had coffee together before getting ready to cross the border. We knew American border officers can be picky, so we did one last check of our documents (and the dogs', Mila and Maya). We finished off our fresh fruit and left all the vegetables behind in Canada. We set Carol and Miguel up with new phone numbers for the Crossings, went over everything once more, and drove up to the "portal."
Crossing the border turned out to be far easier than we'd expected. It took a while, but they didn't look at the dogs, and never asked for vaccination records.
We've always believed there are two good rules for getting through a border crossing: answer exactly what's asked, clearly and briefly. And tell the truth. Our sense is that once they see you're trustworthy, they stop looking for problems that aren't there.
There were two officers: a woman who seemed fairly new to the job, and an older man beside her. She asked when we'd be heading home. We told her we weren't sure, and she looked a little thrown. Her colleague stepped in and rephrased it:
"How long are you planning to stay in the U.S.? And when do you go home... to Canada?"
We explained we'd be in the U.S. for about 45 days, but that we'd be exiting through Mexico and continuing on to Brazil from there.
She gave us a half-smile, asked the same question again, and we gave the exact same answer. She shrugged, glanced at his colleague, and said:
"Well..."
And waved us through. Another border crossed - and we always celebrate those, because this journey has a way of keeping us guessing.
From there we headed to La Conner, where Larry and Nancy White welcomed us in. They live on a stretch of land right on the coast, surrounded by artists and land cared for by the local Indigenous community. There's a light there that's hard to put into words: sunlight bouncing off the water makes everything feel alive. Even once the cold evening wind picks up, there's a warmth to the place that has nothing to do with temperature and everything to do with colour.
Joining this wonderful couple was Keith McCandless, who brought cheese and wine for an afternoon among friends. The kind of conversation that's easy and deep and funny all at once - the kind that wanders through a dozen topics and, without you quite noticing, leaves something different floating inside you.
To top it off, Nancy prepared a delicious black cod, and we can say without exaggeration that it's earned a permanent spot on the list of unforgettable meals from this trip. Just thinking about it, we sigh.
Two days of rich conversation, shared meals, and a lot of time outdoors. Being folded into their family dinner was a gift. Nancy and Larry welcomed us with a kindness that's rare, making us feel at home.
It was the best possible way to begin our journey through the United States.
We left La Conner with the feeling of having filled an invisible tank: not with gas, but with affection, friendship, and good energy. And that kind of fuel takes you a long way.
From La Conner we headed back north a little to see two more dear friends: David Westerlund and Meg Harris. Together we prepared and led a day of Liberating Structures Introduction for the local community of facilitators and educators in Bellingham. Technically it was two days of work, but when you're doing what you love, alongside people who are thoughtful, dedicated, and genuinely bringing out the best in each other, work and fun end up sitting side by side. They were seriously fun days.
Then, finally, we pointed Going Merry south again, toward Highway 101 (a tip from another friend, Mike), and set off to see the beautiful coastline of Washington and Oregon.
Our first stop was a wild campsite thick with blackberries. Before turning in for the night, we picked a whole bucket of them, which Carolina cooked into a batch of delicious jam the next day.
Our second stop turned into a surprise, and a one-of-a-kind experience: East Dunes, an enormous area given over entirely to ATVs of every size. Small ones, massive ones, plus pickup trucks, semis, trailers and motorcycles in constant motion and noise across huge dunes lined with coastal brush. An odd, curious meeting point between gas-powered engine culture and nature. And one detail worth mentioning: quiet hours were "only" from midnight to six in the morning. And the engines and music coming off those vehicles stuck to that schedule…
Luckily, it was only one night in the "ATV circus," because the next day we moved on to a campground further south, near beautiful dunes wrapped around an inlet where the sea reached into the land. That view on the map was actually why we picked the spot in the first place. What we hadn't done was read the reviews...
Lesson learned: the map alone isn't enough - the reviews matter too!
At Sandbeach, we stayed three nights of real peace and quiet, biking, walking, and wandering the sand.
Our next stop is California, where we'll head inland, away from the coast, to visit the famous Mount Shasta.
And like any good trip, we only know part of the route. We're shaping the rest as we go - through the people we meet, the conversations, the flavours, the colours, and the good surprises that only show up for those willing to keep moving forward.
We're curious to know:
What's the last "border" you crossed, literal or otherwise?
Tell us in the comments, or just reply to our email!
Carolina Ribeiro de Almeida and Fernando Murray Loureiro
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