Mount Baker owns the skyline here. On a clear day the volcano rises white and enormous above the Fraser Valley, across the border in Washington State, and it seems much closer than it is. This stop lies in the farmland east of Aldergrove, between Langley and Abbotsford, a landscape of berry fields, dairy farms and horse paddocks, with the Fraser River to the north and the border just a few kilometres south.
The valley is one of the most productive farming areas in Canada. Abbotsford is known for its raspberries and blueberries, and in summer farm stands along the roads sell fresh fruit by the flat. The soil is rich alluvium, laid down by the Fraser over thousands of years, and the river still floods in wet years.
Across the river, on a hill above Mission, stands Westminster Abbey, a Benedictine monastery with a striking modern church and views over the valley. The monks welcome visitors to the church and grounds, and it is a peaceful place to stop.
The ride to Mount Baker crosses the border at Aldergrove or Sumas, and you will need a passport and the right documents for the United States. Queues can be long on weekends and holidays. Once across, the Mount Baker Highway climbs through forest to Artist Point, with views of glaciers and peaks, but the upper section is open only in late summer and early autumn, depending on snow.
Down in the valley the roads run on a grid, flat and quick, with the mountain sliding from one side of the visor to the other at every turn. Fill up in Aldergrove or Abbotsford before the border, and in July stop at any farm stand with a hand-painted sign. Berries eaten warm from the field taste of the whole valley.