Deception Pass – La Conner

Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.

Friday rolled around and it was another minus tide.  Minus tides bring unusual scenery and opportunity to the shoreline.  In addition to the many starfish in the previous blog, it's a time when clam diggers look forward to getting out their shovels and heading to the beach.  The downside is that the water can literally disappear where you might normally expect it to be.  Even this sailboat was left high and dry until the tide came back in.  Hopefully, the owners weren't planning on sailing away in it.

Not only was it a minus tide, it was very foggy over the water.  Well, actually, not just over the water but everywhere.  We took a little ride down to the local dock to check out the beach and this is what we saw.

 

We could see more starfish in the shallow water, mussels hanging onto the wharf plus we also got to see a little clam digging.  Now that’s the type of clam digging I used to do as kid.  You use a rake and just rake them in.  The easier it is, the better we like it. Not all clam digging is this easy but I think it's the best way to go. Other types of clams require a special clam gun ... that's not quite as easy a task.

There is a lavender farm on Whidbey Island.  We decided to check it out.  Advertisements were everywhere advertising the lavender farm so we figured we'd just make a quick stop.  The aroma was wonderful.  The fog hadn’t lifted yet but it was still a pretty sight.

In the afternoon  Joe wanted us to take a drive to La Conner.  La Conner is a little town on the mainland.  He had another favorite little restaurant he wanted to take us to.  Besides, Janice was looking for a package that had been sent to her at the Thousand Trails park there.  She was hoping to get that package before they sent it back.  Once there she discovered that the park had already returned it to UPS.  So, it was off to Burlington and the UPS Customer Service Department to save the box.  And, save it, she did.

On the way back to Whidbey island and Joe's place, we drove across Deception Pass.  It’s such a beautiful area.  This day the fog just wouldn’t go away and it certainly made for some very interesting pictures.  The boys drove across the two bridges while Janice and I walked them. 

We weren’t through with the day yet.  Late that afternoon Terry and I took a little trip to the beach area at Fort Casey about six miles away.  He had wanted to pick up a few little pieces of driftwood but we hadn’t had a chance to do so yet.  So, we walked the beach a little and picked up a few pieces.  The RV sites there were still packed and none of them were empty.  It’s a great place to stay but since this park always seems to  be full, it’s obvious others must feel it's a pretty nice place to stay too.

When we returned Spiker and the Hyders were already well into their own little happy hour.  That was it for us for the day as the next day was the festival at Coupeville and the car show.  We hoped to visit early and depart before the crowds showed up.






-- August 12th

Starfish Eating the Mussels

On a New York subway you get fined for spitting, but you can throw up for nothing.

The following morning after our arrival on Whidbey Island was the day that Joe decided to show us how HE caught crabs.  Now Joe’s a professional at this since he’s been doing it in the same place for years. 

It was a beautiful morning.  Just three of us wanted to go put the crab pots in the water.  However, the offer was made to everyone so no one was left out.  It was just neither Janice nor Terry really wanted to go out in the boat at that time.  The sun was shining, the water was like glass and the best part of all was that it was a minus tide.  We got to see starfish feasting on the mussels on the wharf.  The minus tide is what made it so phenomenal.  As the water had receded with the tide, lots of starfish remained on the ramp and on the wharf.  They were waiting for the tide to come back in.  In the meantime, with camera ready I really enjoyed snapping dozens of photos.  I had never seen anything like it before.

After the boat was launched, we circled to the main wharf to grab a bunch of mussels and take a look at the starfish that were busy sucking the bodies of the mussels out of their shell. 

The crab pots were dropped using chicken and mussels as bait. The plan was to leave them in the water to tempt the large male crabs.  Later a few of us would go back to collect the treasure.  That was the plan.

Next, we went back to Joe's Place to catch up with Janice and Terry.  Joe was itching to show us the little town of Coupeville.  On our way there we circled the bay where mussels are farmed.  I had eaten a lot of mussels but had never seen a mussel farm. It was interesting.

One of Joe’s favorite places to eat in the little town of Coupeville is Toby’s.  So, that’s where we went.  We had to agree with him that the food was excellent.  I had the halibut fish and chips along with a cup of fabulous clam chowder so I can vouch for those items.  Coupeville was a cute little town.  They had a festival planned for the weekend so there was lots of activity.  Two ships were tied at the end of the dock.  They were intended to battle each other during the festival on Saturday.  Jerry and Joe hung around the ships sizing them up for a while, Janice went shopping and we just wandered around a bit.  With five people, coordinating things can be a little difficult and awkward at times.  Eventually, we all finished with our scouting around and headed back .... well, kind of.

However, the day wasn’t over yet.  The crab pots needed to be fetched and the catch checked out.  Then, there was the Happy Hour down the street that Joe had been invited to.  Since he was instructed to bring all of us with him, we crashed their party until they kicked us out.  Well, they didn’t kick us out but you’ve got to remember we still had the crab to cook.  Then, of course, we had to eat it.

It was a long day but we did it all.  Joe’s a hard one to keep up with.  No one got a nap.  He kept us pretty busy but it was certainly an interesting day.  We learned a lot about a lot of things.

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As a little treat for all of you trying to sell your home, I’m sending you this Saint Joseph. We saw it in a gag shop in Coupeville, thought it was cute and knew everyone would have to have it.  Now it wasn’t that I was too cheap to buy a dozen of these (but I was), I just knew it would be hard to forward it on.  So, here’s a virtual one.

Isn’t it worth trying everything!! 

-- August 11th

First Class on the Port Townsend – Coupeville Ferry

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun every year.

The ferry the following morning didn’t quite work out as smooth as we hoped. We left early but the problem was we left too early. We discovered you don’t really want to arrive until the ferry before yours departs if it’s full.  We didn’t check to see if it was full but that’s what we were told.  We just thought we’d park in the line and wait until the one we had a reservation on showed up.  It doesn’t work that way. 

We had to make a u-turn through the ferry payment booths and find another lot to wait in.  Whee! That wasn’t fun. However, it did mean that we were absolutely first in line for the next ferry. It was like being upgraded to first class.  Being first in line also meant that we had a front row seat as the ferry traveled across the water to the Coupeville Terminal on Whidbey Island.  What a gorgeous view that was.

Our original plan was to spend a few nights on the waterfront at Fort Casey before heading to Spiker’s RV Resort.  However, we all know plans are made just so we have something to break … and, that’s what we did.  Actually, it wasn’t really our fault.  The RVs were packed into the sites at Fort Casey.  Two spaces were not to be found. So, up the road to Oak Harbor we went.

Mr. Spiker himself had told us he wouldn’t be back until the next day.  That’s what he told us but that’s not what happened.  Just about the time we pulled in and got set up, he came hauling around the corner. We had no time to raid his place before he arrived.  I think he did that on purpose.

Then, it was catch-up time …………… and, that’s what we did.

Catch-up time

-- August 10th

Port Townsend Arrival

Do not insult the mother alligator until after you have crossed the river.

Instead of it being a Monday like we had originally planned, we pulled out of the Kelso Elks park to head north to Whidbey Island on Tuesday.  Actually, it was a beautiful day and very little traffic was on the road.  The route traveling north on Hwy 101 around the Hood Canal can be pretty slow over the weekends with all the traffic.  Traffic or no traffic it’s still a beautiful drive as the highway hugs the water’s edge for a good portion of 45 miles.

Our plans had been to spend a couple nights at the Elks RV park in Port Townsend but with the delayed departure we were only going to be in town for the one night.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that we pulled in, set up and rested.  You could have bet that wasn’t going to happen.  It didn’t.

The Hyders were there to greet us and since it was just about lunch time we headed out for a drive through town and to find a place for lunch.

 

Port Townsend is in a fabulous location.  It sits on the edge of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where it turns south into the Puget Sound.  The town is a haven for antique seekers.  Many of the buildings are Victorian in style and the streets are usually flooded with tourists especially on the weekend.  It was busy enough and it wasn’t a weekend.

We actually didn’t do a lot around town this time.  We just walked up and down a couple streets, looked around in a few shops, ate lunch and made a quick stop at Fort Warden.  We didn’t have a lot of time left in the day.  This time this trip wasn’t about spending time in Port Townsend.  We had reservations on the ferry to Whidbey Island the next day.  That’s where we were heading.

You might have guessed that we did eat lunch and then we ate again at the Elks lodge in the evening.  That’s right.  We certainly couldn’t pass up meal times.  At the Lighthouse Café  we had a great meal but we’ve had so many meals out recently I can’t even remember what we had.  Was it fish and chips?  The only thing I do remember is that I thought it was great.  I also thought the clam chowder served there was pretty delicious too.   At the lodge that evening  they were having taco night.  We were pretty happy with our taco salads too.

It sure works out great when we can order something and then find out we really like what we ordered.  If we graded this day on the food we were served and ate, it would definitely get a good grade.

Then, it was off to bed because the next day we needed to get in line for the ferry.  It was going to be a gorgeous day also.  At least that's what the weatherman said and you know they are always right!

-- August 9th

Ten of Us --- One More Wonderful Time

Family faces are magic mirrors looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and the future.

Family photo in 2007 -- 4 years ago

We have had a lot going on.  As a matter of fact, we have had an awful lot going on.  We were still parked at the Elks RV park in Kelso.  Grandson, Justin, was leaving and  daughter, Tammi, was arriving.  At first we weren’t sure whether Tammi’s family would make it before Justin’s departure.  We actually didn’t expect her to make it because of the distance moving across country from New Jersey to the Portland, Oregon area.  We thought they were going to sightsee along the way.

 

Their trip started on August 3rd and just about 3,000 miles later they pulled into a hotel in Vancouver, Washington late on August 7th!!  What a trip.  What a distance and so much different than  most of us travel across country in an RV.  They showed up but their furniture wasn’t expected to show up for another week or so.  I'm sure we can relate to that.

Our plans had already been made to head towards Whidbey Island for a few days. We wanted to take the ferry across to the San Juans.  We had never done that and were certainly looking forward to the trip.  With their arrival we postponed those plans just a bit so all of us … all ten of us … could get together.  All of us hadn’t been together at the same time in the same place since 2007.  That’s just what we did the following morning.  We got together for breakfast … all ten of us.  Then, we all made a trip into Vancouver to check out Tammi's bare apartment.

Four years later and together one more time!

It was also Tammi's birthday.  We just had to get together but then you already read about that a few posts back when it was actually posted on the right day.

-- August 8th

Portland’s Saturday Market Again

I’ve learned to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

Why does it always seem that when you have nothing going on you really have nothing going on? Then, why is it when something is happening, everything is happening?

Every year my mother’s side of the family has a reunion in Port Angeles.  This year was no exception and I fully expected to attend.  However, it just seemed everything else was going on that weekend.  It just wasn’t going to be possible.  At that point we had to start prioritizing.

To begin with that same weekend and 200 miles south was Justin’s going away party (previously posted).  We also had Tammi arriving the day after.  These are the things we chose to do.  That also meant that we had a day in the middle free.  What did we do?  We went to the Saturday Market on the waterfront in downtown Portland.  This is what Jerry and Janice wanted to do so we went with them .... or, they went with us.

The Saturday Market is huge.  It’s loaded with street entertainment, lots of crafty things and food.  Amazingly enough, no one bought anything.  There were a few items that caught our attention but nothing enough to warrant getting out those wallets. 

We did stand in line at Voodoo Donuts for a few minutes.  It was only for a few minutes after we figured out that the line for donuts was well over an hour long.  No donut is that important to me!!

Instead of waiting there any longer we walked right down the street to Dan and Louis’ Oyster Bar.   Guess what Terry had?  You’re right.  It was oyster stew … again.

This place has been in the same location for years.  It’s a unique seafood restaurant where my folks used to take out of town guests for a meal.

 

It was back to the Kelso Elks RV park after that.  The following morning the Hyders were heading north and we were staying put for a few more days.


--  August 6th

Clark County Fair

I’ve learned that life is tough but I’m tougher.

Friday was the first day of the fair.  Usually on the first day of the fair free admission tickets are available.  In addition to the free admission, a free breakfast is served.  We got the free tickets to get in but we certainly weren’t interested in standing in a line for several hours to get a free breakfast.  Lots of other people were but not us.


The fair was packed.  One thing about the Clark County Fair that is different than many other county fairs is that it is HUGE … just huge.

There are so many exhibits of just about every kind and so many vendors.  In addition to all the daily activity, top entertainers perform in the evening.  The entertainment is extra but it still is usually  jammed packed.

Home brew competition

The food court was packed.  Jordan works at the food court during the fair.  It’s amazing how many people they can pack in there.  The lines were long this day and the food vendors were certainly working hard to keep up with all the orders.

We always enjoy checking out the different exhibits.  One area full of activity that we usually stay away from are all the rides and games.  I’m sure there are those who visit the fair just for that part of it but not us.

We enjoy looking at the animals.  They have cows, horses, goats, rabbits, pigs, dogs, cats and many, many more.  It certainly is interesting.  If the Parks need goats, they can get them here.

One exhibit we enjoyed was that of all the old fire trucks.  There were many, many of them that looked to be in very good condition.  John Deere equipment and many antiques were also on display.  There was actually so much to see that it would be impossible to do it all in one day.

We had a great time.  We always do at the fair.  It's a little hard to write up a blog when we're so busy doing everything else.  Thank goodness the pictures are there to remind us what took place.

--  August 5th

Home Base: Verizon Vs. ATT

Solid Advice:  If you always tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything!

Tuesday was Lee’s birthday (August 2nd).  We aren’t always able to celebrate the birthdays and holidays on the actual day.  Many times we celebrate them days or weeks away but when we can, it’s nice.

We had procrastinated long enough.  It was time to re-visit the home base we had purposely stayed away from this summer.  The last time we were there the weeds needed to be sprayed and winter cleanup needed to be performed.  We sent Justin up to weed-whack.  The problem with weed whacking is that the weeds grow back.  It’s not a permanent fix.  We knew that.  We also knew it meant that there was work waiting for us. 

There were a couple other reasons we needed to visit.  One was testing the satellite and the other was testing the internet. Receiving satellite for TV is extremely difficult in the area due to the abundance of trees.  We had a tough time originally getting a signal so needed to have a 20’ pole installed and the dish placed on the top of it.  This time our mission was to test the satellite to see if it was still pointing in the right direction.  We disconnected the DVR in the motorhome and took it along with us.  And, we are pleased to report our Dish Network antenna is still working perfectly.

The other thing we wanted to test was internet reception using our new Millenicom Verizon aircard.  Previously we had used our AT&T aircard.  This had always worked perfectly but before cancelling we had to double check Verizon.  We’re glad we did because with it we could get no signal at all.  It’s just that Verizon is not available in this area.  We already thought that but hoped there was a chance it just  might be.  We haven’t cancelled our AT&T yet but we certainly don’t want two. 

We’ve had the Verizon aircard for about 2 months and been comparing it along the way to AT&T.  Verizon users tend to think it is better than AT&T and AT&T users tend to feel it isn’t.  We’ve always figured it depended where folks go.  After having both, we still say it depends on where you’re at. We’ve noticed very little difference between the two except for where we really wanted it …. our homebase.  The biggest difference is that Millenicom offers a 20 gb plan for the same price as other carriers offer their 5 gb plan.  What to do?  We don’t really know.  I guess that’s something we’ll have to think on a bit.  I wonder if we can start and stop it only when we need it.  We’ll just have to think on that a while.

After testing the satellite and the internet, we got to work spraying and pulling the weeds.  We’ll head back in a couple days and probably spray the ones we’ve missed.  Hopefully, we’ll get most of them taken care of.  We also need to order more gravel and fix a few other things.  Ugh!  This isn't relaxing at all.

We had one little visitor.  Terry got out the wet cob we had stored away from last year and provided a good meal for the young doe.  I'm sure we'll see the rest of her friends when we come back from Whidbey Island.  We're off to see other creatures .... the Orcas, we hope.

Then, it was off to dinner with a different type of deer.  These were two more dears of the other variety..  Justin and Jordan drove to the Elks where we were at so we had no choice but to invite them and take them with us.  Remember …. if there’s food, they’re there.  And, we love to have them go with us.  We actually think (or is it, hope) it’s not just the food but the company they’re after too.

I have discovered again just how great Windows Live Writer is with blogging.  I can write these blogs offline, upload them, set the post date and not have to do a thing while they post automatically. It's a great feature and I don't even have to be around when they post.  We can be off doing other things.

-- August 3, 2011