Travel With Whippets: Anacortes WA --- Our Home for August, 2021

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Anacortes WA --- Our Home for August, 2021

A scene from Washington Park (an Anacortes city park)

Roger here... At the last minute, we managed to find an amazing RV resort for the month of August in Anacortes, Washington on Fidalgo Island. We were very lucky (the magic of serendipity). More about the campground later.

49TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY...

We celebrated our wedding anniversary two days before we occupied our new spot. Using Google, I was able to find an ideal restaurant that was only 30 minutes from our RV site at the time. The Secret Cove, in Anacortes, was on the water. I called and secured reservations on an outdoor deck so that we could bring Bandido and Poquita.

Gazing at the incredible view from our table occupied a great deal of our dining experience.

Too bad we did not get a photo of the seal in the water watching us eat.

Dianne seemed to approve of my choice.

Our fresh seafood was great, as was a glass of an interesting rose Sangiovese wine.

We both splurged on our favorite desserts.

Key lime pie for Dianne and a melted chocolate cake sundae for me.

Poquita and Bandido were given a bowl of water. They were well-behaved as they patiently lounged underneath our table.

PIONEER TRAILS RV RESORT...

The city of Anacortes is on Fidalgo Island. In order to access the island from the mainland of Washington (without a ferry), it is necessary to cross the bridge in the photograph.

The next photo was taken from the top of the bridge and shows the waterway that makes Fidalgo Island an Island.

Our RV park was only 2-3 miles from the bridge. The entrance area certainly made a good impression. We knew we were going to be happy there.

Flowers abounded throughout the large office area. A really cool old covered wagon filled with flowers was a centerpiece.

Four of the park loops descended from the entry area like the arms of an octopus. The heavily wooded sites looked so inviting.

After some time, effort, and Dianne's help I was eventually able to back our Airstream up an entrance hill to the large flat outdoor area that would be our home. The process was stressful, but the outcome was well worth the new gray hairs. We have a great space.

My favorite view from our site

Bandido and Poquita also had opinions about the RV Park. Poquita said, "Hey dad, be sure to write about the trail in the woods. Oh, and that giant slug I got to sniff, but mom wouldn't let me eat."

Bandido said, "The trail was great, but the gigantic dog park in the woods was amazing. I could not believe all the new smells." I drag dad down there all the time.

Get a load of Poquita doing a reverse rockette kick. (Her signature move)

Bandido said, "Me 'n dad had fun at the dog park."

Moving along, we had two unforgettable days of hiking on Fidalgo Island (and that was during the first week!) Special thanks goes to the lady at the visitor center who suggested these two hikes, as well as other adventures.

TOMMY THOMPSON TRAIL...

The Tommy Thompson Trail is one of those classic "rails-to-trails" hikes. This unused rail line was converted to a paved hiking and biking trail. We opted to access the trail midway so that we would only be walking for 4.5 miles total (out and back).

Parts of the trail highlighted the various views of Fidalgo Bay....

... other parts showcased green wooded areas.

After about a mile, we approached the mudflats of low tide and some interesting rock formations.

The trees faded after another quarter of a mile as we approached the bay.

As the asphalt trail invaded the bay, we found ourselves dodging broken shells and bird poop. (not a place to walk barefoot)

The intelligent gulls that could not open the living shells with their beaks, dropped them on the hard surface (cracking them open), which gave them access to the meal inside. Dianne and I were busy protecting the dogs' feet and preventing Poquita (the scavenger) from licking/eating the shells.

Eventually, we were able to walk over the water of Fidalgo Bay to the other side on a mile-long bridge. (definitely something different for us.) Seals and otters played near the bridge as we viewed Anacortes and the harbor area across the bay (far away).

I wish I had gotten a better photo of this seal, who stopped his antics to watch us on the bridge.

We continued across the bridge. Our trek was then half-way completed. We needed to retrace our steps back to our SUV.

Before moving on to the next hike, I need to focus on the human touches that mixed with mother nature.

This totem pole appeared as we exited the forest and neared the bridge.

We walked past this free public library where people could leave and borrow books. No librarian on duty.

Time to move on to the next hike:

WASHINGTON PARK (CITY OF ANACORTES)...

This location was one of the most scenic of any place we have traveled during the past eleven years. The jaw-dropping beauty took me by surprise. The docent at the visitor center, when suggesting activities for us, emphasized how important it was for us to visit Washington Park. I need to go back to personally thank her.

This 2.2 mile loop hike is at the edge of the city on a peninsula. It might as well be in a National Park. The asphalt surface (that is not always flat) serves as one-way traffic for the occasional car, bicycle, and hiker. The views are spectacular around every turn.

The views in this park are actually from three different sides of the peninsula. All of them are amazing.

We wandered, and sometimes struggled uphill, along the trail from time to time before another show-stopping panorama came into view.

Look below and you can see low tide tidal pools. We opted not to go down there this time, because a family with young children and a dog was exploring. Why would we ruin their fun?

At one point we surprised two deer, or they surprised us. We were very surprised that our dogs did not bark, and that the deer did not bolt.

We had forgotten about these Manzanita trees with their striking red bark that we marveled at during our prior trip to the Pacific Northwest.

My favorite view was from a Serpentine rock formation. (Serpentine meaning the very old rock/mineral type, not the shape). The huge reddish-brown formation showcased what were the most spectacular of the spectacular views.

I need to mention the ever-present deep white fog. It is other-worldly. It does not appear to ever move. I watched one of the island ferries disappear into it. It is a fascination for me.

The green whirlpools and rapids in the photo below seemed to disappear into the fog. The opening picture at the beginning of the blog that Dianne took is the best depiction of this phenomena.

My favorite picture (other than the opening picture) from the Serpentine point

All this only covers three days in this wondrous place. Stay tuned for more fun, which we hope will include ferry rides in the San Juan Islands, a whale watching boat trip, a trip to North Cascades National Park, Deception Pass State Park, and more.

PET PICTURES OF THE DAY...