Though I am enjoying the beautiful “enchanted forest” of Newhalem Creek Campground, I am feeling the urge to “get high.” I know there are some incredible mountains around, but it seems as if most of them are hidden. Newhalem is only 500 ft in elevation, so any type of vista is tough to find through the thicket of trees.
It’s now the weekend, which means I have all day to hike. I am more of an endurance hiker than a speed hiker, so I like to do “big hikes” and take my time. Continue reading
In trying to make everything fit in before my planned September week-long vacation in Glacier National Park, I have to do a little mid-week travel, something I rarely do. But since I work Central Time Zone hours while on Pacific time, I am able to squeeze out a couple of extra hours of daylight. North Cascades National Park is an easy 76 mile drive from Anacortes, so I make a run for it mid-week, with the hopes of exploring the least crowded of our National Parks over the weekend. Continue reading
After my three day weekend in the San Juan Islands, I arrive back to the Anacortes Cap Sante Marina. Already the place seems more welcoming as Jim and Gayle, Debbie, and Kim have all arrived, and Karen and Hailey are on their way. The friendly faces and laughs help ease me through the “back to work blahs.” Continue reading
You know that old game, “If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would you pick to be there with you?” My answer these days would include Wheeling Nina, because I know if there is a lighthouse on the island, she would most certainly find a way to it! 😉 Continue reading
I awake early to the campground sounds, for which my tent offers little insulation. It’s not like the Winnie where I can close the windows and sleep in. It’s not yet 7:00am, and the neighbors have already started breakfast. I have no cell signal in the campground, which makes me even more restless, so I pull out my paper brochures and begin to do research for my next destination, Orcas Island. Continue reading
I am excited to arrive at Anacortes for many reasons, none the least of which is its proximity to the San Juan Islands. I have budgeted two weeks here, so I can spend the weekend island hopping. As an avid sailor, I have heard many tails of sailing the San Juans; short-distance cruising between forested islands, lots of marine life, and idyllic emerald green coves with mooring balls so you don’t have to anchor. I would give anything to be on a sailboat charter! But if I can’t get to these islands on a sailboat, at least I can get there by ferry! Continue reading
I am understandably reluctant to leave Port Townsend; a town that warrants three blog posts speaks for itself. But I have been told there is a place even better just a short ferry ride away…Anacortes. So I am eagerly anticipating my next stop, which helps ease some of the sting of departure. Continue reading
I am not so naive as to think my love affair with Port Townsend wasn’t tinted through sky-blue glasses. The weather was nothing short of perfect by my standards. Waking up to chilly mornings under the down comforter, looking out across the Sound blanketed in a soft, willowy layer of fog. Long before the alarm starts to shriek, I am awakened by the haunting sound of laughing gulls echoing across the Point. Continue reading
I always manage to find something I love in every town I visit, which is why my friends have often told me before, “You should write travel brochures, because you always make me want to go there.” But in all the places I have visited, I can’t recall ever being in a town where I have found so many of my passions all in one place as Port Townsend. I am falling for this little town, and falling fast… Continue reading
After a very brief overnight stop at the 7 Cedars Casino along Hwy 101, I roll into Port Townsend on a brilliant sunny Monday. I have reservations to stay at the Point Hudson Marina, yet another find that I lifted from the Wheelingit blog. I arrive during the midday heat, the marina smells of low tide, and there are enough laughing gulls to make a Hitchcock fan think they have arrived in the midst of a remake. Continue reading