Passing Time On Fidalgo Island

Continuing good weather plus quality time spent with great friends makes for memorable times here on Fidalgo Island.  We've taken several day trips out to the surrounding scenic areas.  Here's a photo album of some highlights.

Our day trip to North Cascades National Park, where we were joined by our friends John and Suzanne, was impressive.

A view of the Gorge Dam on the Skagit River.  Water levels are low, no water is released at this time.  Studies are also on going now at the possibility of removing this dam.

 A view from the Gorge Creek Falls Lookout, near the Gorges Dam.

 We're standing at the Diablo Lake Lookout.  Ronnie and I made a day trip to Cascades National Park when we were in this part of Washington in 2016.  For a look back on that trip, click HERE.

 That's a tour boat circling Diablo Lake, what impressive views those passengers have!

 The obligatory selfies to mark our visit.

That's Ronnie standing on the Diablo Lake Dam.  You can actually drive over this dam to access a recreation area on the other side.  The dam was built in 1927, completed in 1930 and began generating electricity in 1936.  Water levels low, no water was being released.

 We all enjoyed a tranquil stroll on the Trail of the Cedars Nature Walk in Marblemount.  We saw some amazingly tall western red cedars!

 Suspension bridge over the Skagit River leading to the Trail.

Skagit River as seen from the bridge.

One of the many tall trees lining the trail.

 

 

 

 A day trip to Ebey's Landing on Fidalgo Island was our relaxing day at the beach.  A picnic lunch, warm temperatures and no wind made for a near perfect day.

Easy beach access here, we just parked the Jeep and stepped over the tree trunks that were washed up on the shore.

 

 

We opted not to hike the trail that travels up to the top of the bluff. 

 Stacks of wood logs dot the beach.

 This en plein air artist also discovered the picturesque ocean views this day.

 

 

 The mountains of Olympic National Park from across the Salish Sea.

 

 Colorful sea weeds, kelp and shapely pebbles were scattered across the rocky shore.

 

 

Our delightful day trip with John and Suzanne to Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Sequim was fun and filled with shared stories of travel experiences.  The weather wasn't as cooperative this day, it was grey, cool and foggy.  We of course made the best of it and still had a memorable time.  A short 30 minute ferry trip from the Coupeville Washington Ferry terminal on Fidalgo Island to Port Townsend on Washington's mainland made this road trip easy.

Port Wilson Lighthouse, circa 1897.

A foggy view of the ocean from the Port Angeles wharf.

We ordered a scrumptious lunch at the Dockside Grill located at Sequim Bay's historic John Wayne Marina. This Marina is most noted for its establishment by the family of John Wayne, his vision here for a marina where he frequented with his own family yacht the Wild Goose.

Unfortunately no views this day of the beautiful mountains across Sequim Bay.

And we have savored the bounty of Skagit Valley's fresh and tasty fruits and vegetables.  We've made good visits to the Mt. Vernon Framers Market, the Anacortes Farmers Market and the locally sourced, organic Waxwing Farm Stand. 

 

More later from Fidalgo Island, Washington.

Day Trip: San Juan Island

 Fortunately we picked a nearly perfect weather day for our ferry trip from Anacortes to San Juan Island.  The day began cool and foggy but ended warm with blue, sunny skies.  Ronnie and I made this same ferry day trip in 2016.  Our San Juan Island visit today was enjoyed with our friends John and Suzanne.

Morning fog layers between the San Juan Islands

 Arriving to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, we immediately boarded one of the trolleys that take tourists to different Island highlights.  Our first stop was historic Roche Harbor, located on the northern tip of San Juan Island.  We found here a bustling boating community rich with history, sailing and fishing.

Our lunch view from the patio of the Madrona Bar and Grill. 

 This photo is the Madrona Grill from the harbor side.  I neglected to include a full view of the historic Hotel De Haro, located to the right of the restaurant in the photo.  The Hotel's most famous guest was President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903.

What a fun and memorable day!

Located on the Roche Harbor waterfront, we discovered one of the original historic stone lime kilns left on San Juan Island.  Large deposits of limestone were found right on the shoreline of the Island and with deep-water harbors prime for shipping, this area became known for producing quantities high quality lime used in construction.  These stone and wood kilns were used to process the lime, most of that shipped to various ports around the Puget Sound.  Info plaques indicate much of the lime processed here was also quickly shipped to San Fransisco for that city's reconstruction shortly after the 1906 earthquake.

The trolley takes us by several points of interest on the Island: Lime Kiln State Park, English Camp National Historic Park, San Juan County Park, a winery, an alpaca farm plus a couple of high end resorts.  We opted to take an hour stop at the Pelindaba Lavender Farm.  Sampling the smells of the lavender bushes, the lavender fields, processed dried lavender and several different lavender products we also tasted lavender-infused chocolate ice cream. 

Flowers peak in July.  We're a little late in the season but the pale violet mini blossoms still give off aromas.

Field irrigation is needed, note the water pipes threaded through the fields.

This sunny day brought out the bees.

Farmland views span the San Juan Island along with those thick, evergreen forests.

As the trolley traveled along West Side Road, we caught some gorgeous ocean views.  This is Haro Strait, across the water is Canada's Vancouver Island.

Gotta get that photo fast, unfortunately this trolley did not stop at this impressive viewpoint.

It's very dry. Notice the dead, brown grass.

Finally arriving back to Friday Harbor, we spent a couple of hours strolling the shops and art galleries.  We ended our day with a bite to eat and a relaxing ferry ride back to Anacortes.

Many fond memories made once again.

More Later.

Coupeville Day Trip

 Haze and smoke from the eastern Washington wildfires was evident as we made our day trip from Mount Vernon to Coupeville.  Located on the northern section of Whidbey Island, this quaint coastal town is home to the famous Penn Cove Mussel Farm.  Due to the community's location on the southern side of Penn Cove, gray whales can also sometimes be seen here feeding for small fish during March-June.  We didn't see any whales this day but enjoyed views of blue water.. with tourists (like ourselves) strolling the pier, sidewalks and shops. Coupeville is the second oldest town in Washington state, founded in the 1850's.

 We recalled our visit in 2016 (click HERE to see that blog post) and how we found the village quiet and serene.  Today it was bustling with visitors!

 Low tide exposed the rocky shore and lots of mussel shells.

 Penn Cove

Smoke and haze obscured Mt. Baker, its snow cap was barely seen on the horizon.

Coupeville's water front shops

 Coupeville is also the original home of Seattle's Best Coffee.

 We continued southward on Whidbey Island's Highway 20 and drove by the Price Sculpture Forest.  The entrance with its towering trees and richly wooded entrance was tempting, so we made a quick stop to explore and stretch our legs again.  It was a dusty walk due to the rainfall shortage.

 To learn more about the Price Sculpture Forest click HERE.

 Certainly not a crowded day on the trail, we only saw 5 other folks enjoying this quiet forest.

 We discovered a mix of realistic and abstract sculptures scattered throughout the trails.

 Sections of the trail surround you in ferns.

 

Sunlight illuminated the dry, thirsty leaves.

 Not everyone was as interested in the sculptures.

 We made our way a bit further south on Highway 20 to the Fort Casey State Park and the Port Townsend-Coupeville Ferry Terminal.  We arrived just in time to see a cruise ship depart with the Olympic Mountains in the background.

 And a quick side road discovery lead us to Ebey's Landing National Historic Preserve on Whidbey Island.  More to discover!

 More later.