Leaving Vancouver

As Sherry recently posted, it seems there is no sign on the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Vancouver to Portland that indicates one is leaving the fair city of Vancouver.  There is a sign declaring one is entering Vancouver, and twin signs both indicating the crossing over of the Oregon state line and the city limits of Portland, and one more (heading north) that indicates that you've now left Portland.
 
But there isn't one that says you've left Vancouver.
 
Maybe it's because you never really leave here.  The spirits of Lewis and Clark, who camped here, the pioneers who risked all along the Oregon Trail to get here, and the traders and ol' Doc McLoughlin of Fort Vancouver seem to work their way into your blood once you've been here a while.  Vancouver, I've come to find out, has come a long ways since it was the center of operations for the Hudsons Bay Company here in the early 19th century. Vancouver has gone from being a rather rough-and-tumble biker town to the classy community it is now.  I can walk down the street from my subdivision and look at our new Red Robin restaurant and Borders Books going in right by our 16 screen movie theatre.  Oh, and the ubiquitous Starbucks Coffee that went in on the corner across the street, a block down from our new Spaghetti Factory.  I know to some, this is ugly (sub)urban sprawl, but, to me, who grew up among the planned communities of Orange County, it's really livin'.  
 
I guess hearing the hitch in Sherry's writing voice at leaving this place makes me appreciate it that much more.  And, don't worry, Sherry, there's always a place for y'all here. We all love you, and will miss you...and we look forward to seeing incredible photos and posts from the wilds of Montana.