photo by Jeff Hitchcock, from the Carload Flickr pool
It’s Day 134 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. Not counting the time spent waiting to talk with the Canadian border crossing guard, it still took almost two hours to drive from Oak Harbor WA to the Twilight Drive-In Theatre, east of Langley BC.
The Twilight seemed oddly familiar. On my first visit to British Columbia several years ago, I crossed the border at the same point, due north of Lynden WA, as on this trip. That first time, I was just looking for the Fraser Highway to take me to Vancouver, and just after I made the turn I was surprised to see a drive-in. If I weren’t so disoriented by Canadian politeness, I might have thought to take a picture.
The other reason the Twilight seemed familiar was that I just wrote about it a couple of months ago. Vancouver is Hollywood’s less expensive playground, and the Twilight is the place to go to film any drive-in scenes.
According to Vancounver’s The Georgia Straight, Jay Daulat built and opened the Twilight in September 2005 after his previous drive-in, the Hillcrest in Surrey, closed to make room for residential development. Now that Daulat owns the land as well as the drive-in, he should be able to stay in operation for as long as he wants.
I was very happy to have a movie to watch on a Sunday night, and if there’s a film I wouldn’t mind seeing four times in a week and a half, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 would be it. With some popcorn and slightly unusual Canadian candy (Maynards Wine Gums?) to fortify me, I was happy that this new extension of an old drive-in tradition was still around.
Miles Today / Total: 77 / 14646 (rounded to the nearest mile)
Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 / 61
Nearby Restaurant: The closest restaurant to the Twilight is the Mazatlán Mexican Restaurant, and it’s a hidden gem in a mostly industrial area. I loved the prawn tacos with a margarita on the side. If you want real Mexican food just north of that other border, this works.
Where I Virtually Stayed: I had a great time at the Holiday Inn Express in Langley. Plenty of hotels have indoor pools (which I don’t mention because I hate to swim alone), but this place has a steam room and sauna too. Add some good wifi, a fridge, a coffee maker, and the typically generous HIE breakfast (and the amazing HIE cinnamon rolls), and I was rested and ready for a serious drive to my next stop.
Only in Langley: 
Next stop: Park Drive-In Theatre, Prince George BC.