Month: April 2022

A laid back morning with a long walk to and around downtown, sitting on piles of driftwood by Jackson Beach and sipping coffee at the harbor until time to board the ferry. Calm waters and sunshine make it a smooth passage back to Annacortes.

Ray notices in a visitor’s guide that the Skagit Valley tulip festival is going on and it is just up the road in Mt. Vernon. We’ll check it out with hopes we can get in today but as we drive over, we see multiple fields already topped off. Are they still in full bloom, we wonder? The parking lot is full…people are going in…and we see fields of color. It takes our breath away. I’ve always pictured being in Amsterdam for tulip season and here we are in the midst of tulip season much closer to home. The colorful patterns are magnificent in the sunlight with the Cascades in the background. Pure chance in timing. Sometimes you just end up in the right place at the right time.

And… the Warriors win to end the night.

The Washington Ferry System is amazingly well organized. Vehicle reservation in hand, we line up and are out of the harbor right on time. From Annacortes, the ferry meanders through the strait, past Orcas Island, stopping at the heavily forested Lopez Island before ending the journey at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. We head out to the western coast, through lush woods, green rolling farmland, past alpaca farms and to the coast overlooking the east side of Vancouver Island. The area below a lighthouse is frequented by whales and other sea mammals. We see a sea lion but no Orcas today. The old English soldiers camp sits in a picturesque cove and the walking paths are pleasant. Huge billowing clouds make for a cool, breezy beautiful day.

The Discovery Inn is not as charming as its website photos but is quiet and clean. Off season and midweek, most of the restaurants are closed but the Downrigger serves up tasty clams in curry sauce and a healthy buddha bowl.

Formerly seasoned travelers, it has been over 2 years since we have been on a plane and the packing, parking, check in process feels so foreign – do we still have to separate liquids?

The airport is reasonably busy and I am surprised at the sea of cars parked in long term parking and the parking garage. unfortunately the mask mandate was overturned just this week, such timing, and half the people on the parking shuttle and waiting area are maskless. we choose to wait near those with masks on. i feel excited, apprehensive and anxious. fortunately it is a short flight. The plane is almost full; I had booked a window and aisle and trade my window for the middle, feeling grateful for the young asian guy wearing a mask who is leaning far over to the window, probably more scared of me than I am of him. I turn the air vent to high.

it is now lunchtime and despite our big breakfast, my stomach is rumbling, but I am not about to remove my mask. strange times!!

We land to gray misty skies and head north to Anacortes, a 2 hr drive through pretty heavy 5pm Seattle traffic. is this still pandemic traffic or is Seattle no longer telecommuting? Anacortes is a lovely harbor town, still off-season sleepy, with limited dining, but we find great salmon and cod at Anthonys, and eat in our room at the Salish Inn. The small new hotel reminds me of a modern European hotel, simple, clean and unadorned. We take an after dinner drive through a deserted historic and quaint downtown, a reminder that these are the places most affected in the past 2 years. It is a ”yacht” town and one looks cool lit up against the dark sky. We take an afterdinner stroll through a local market for fruit, cereal and snacks. I am amazed at the variety of muesli cereals, then Ray points out the entire row of frozen pizzas! I guess Annacortes has healthy eaters and fast food eaters!