A Walk to Grandma's Cove

The sun came out and it was time to take a walk. Roving is what it is called. You are in uniform walking the trails checking for litter, seeing that the information booklets are fully stocked, and visitors are having a good time.

So off I went. The sun was shining, with a good breeze from the west. It became stronger as I approached the cliff overlooking the water which was the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the snowcapped Olympics to the southwest. Then, there amongst the white caps, I saw a black shape. Then there was a spout of breath like from a whale. Wow, there's another.

I found a spot on the hill and sat down and pulled out the binoculars. For the next fifteen minutes I watched the pod (of about 6 or 7 animals) swim past. It was great fun. I do not remember even noticing the wind other than it was difficult to hold the binoculars steady. After they had moved out of sight, I further explored several beaches nearby looking for that perfect piece of driftwood. It is still out there.

Night Walk

Last night I took the "girls" out for their walk before going to bed. In past nights it has been so dark that I walked out to the road, I needed to look up to the sky to tell that I was on it. I could not see the girls I just knew that they were there by the tugs on their leashes. If we were walking along and I would feel a tug, I knew that it would be for one of four reasons; poop, pee, taste, or smell. Life is simple for a dog.

But last night so some reason, it was not as dark. The stars were not visible but maybe the moon was making the clouds lighter. I could see where we were going. I could see the girls and actually watch them explore the roadside as we walked.

First Impressions of San Juan Island

After four days on the island several words come to mind.

Money Lots of it all over this place.

Green Lots of green trees, grass

Water Everywhere. You cannot drive very far in any direction without seeing it.

Whales Orcas They swim close by in the Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Cost of Living High, High, High Everything on the island has to come by ferry.

Gas is high, Food is high, home prices are ridiculous

Shopping is strange.

There are only three places to buy fuel on the island. Two in Friday Harbor one block apart and owned by the same guy and (they tell me, but I haven't seen it) one in Roche Harbor. Two food markets in FH both owned by the same outfit. One is on teh main street and basically for the tourists and one is on a back streeet and for the locals because it does not even have a sign on the outside of the building with a name on it.

Restaurants and businesses are tucked here and there around the town and the island it seems with the understanding that if you want them bad enough you will search for it.

There are about 6000 residents on the island, with the population doubling in the summer. So there is a small town feel here. Most people know each other.

Like everywhere there are plenty of real estate signs to see as you drive around. Even at reduced rates home prices, especially those near water, are high.

No chain stores. No Arches, No box stores, no fast food. The only signs I have seen that are corporate are Shell on the two gas stations, and Ace on the hardware store. That part is great! The island works very hard to keep it that way.

Cell phones are semi useful. With the hills and distance from towers, AT&T coverage is spotty at best. (Verizon too)

Schools

I have heard that it is a good school system here. Possible because the expensive homes have created a high tax base giving good school funding. One high school on the island with busing in from the outer areas. High school students from Lopez ride the ferry every day and walk the three blocks from the ferry landing to the school.

All that being said it seems like this place is a good place to raise a family.

Rainy Day

It's a rainy Labor Day. Off and on periods of heavy rain followed by periods of mist. No sky just gray. I'm sitting at the table in the trailer listening to a radio station from Vancouver, Canada playing 60's and 70's music that sounds just like the ones American stations play. Wow!

The RV park has emptied out with about 60% of the rigs gone. The spots are quite close together so not having someone right next to us is a good thing. The WiFi works again too. Too many people during the week-end.

Yesterday we drove around the Deception Pass area. It is very beautiful. The state park has a campground, but it was put in when rigs were smaller. The road through the campground winds up and down the hills and between some trees that would present a challenge to navigate through without adding addtional pinstripes to your unit, not to mention repositioning a roof vent.

Anyway the skies were blue, the sun bright and warm and scenic vistas abounded.

Seattle

Seattle

What I know about Seattle could fill a thimble. It is a very large city in a picturesque location near lots of water. It has a temperate, albeit rainy, climate that allows lots of green trees and blooming flowers. It has major businesses, Boeing, Micro Soft It has three professional sport teams, the Mariners, the Sea Hawks, and the Sounders. It also has traffic that would scare a Californian.

So we went there today. Why? It does have a major airport, SeaTac and my sister was departing back to Minnesota. So the plan was to go early, do some shopping, and drop her and her husband off at a hotel near the airport. So we did, we did, and we did. Shopping was at Pike Place Market near the waterfront in downtown. A great experience! The place contained fresh fish,potato chips cooked on the spot, small craft vendors, street performers, lots and lots of beautiful fresh cut flowers and hundreds of people enjoying the place with us.

The only “fly in the ointment” was the parking. Lots of cars, not much parking. We got there fairly early and found a lot with several spaces available. What we didn’t know is method of payment for the spot. I assumed that the self-service pay station out front was the one for the lot. After putting in my credit card and printing a sticker to put in the window, I realized that it was for parking on the street. Seattle does not use parking tickets. Instead these stickers are purchased and stuck to the inside of the window to prevent a parking ticket. Well that sticker will not provide you with parking time at a lot. It is a self-service booth is located over in the corner of the parking lot away from the other booth. So I was offered the opportunity to donate money to the city of Seattle as well as the lot owner by buying both stickers.

I felt really stupid when I figured out what transpired. Then I felt angry because the situation is one that preys on visitors. Locals and frequent visitors would know about the situatuion, but tourists would not realize it until it was too late. When we were done shopping and returned to the lot, another individual had just done the same thing. I walked over to him and informed him of the situation. He felt as happy about it as I had been. He came to the conclusion that we had gotten ripped off just a little. Because he now belonged to my club, I offered him my parking sticker and the 45 minutes remaining on it and we left.

Ferry to Friday Harbor

You want a fun day at a reasonable expense. Take the ferry from Anacortes, Washington to Friday Harbor. Park you vehicle at the ferry terminal, and purchase a walk-on ticket. It is about $13 round trip and takes a little over an hour. So you can stroll aboard at 9:00, get to FH at 10:00, walk the streets of town for several hours, buy a t-shirt or a painting, have lunch, hop on a return trip and be back to your car before supper. A great day I would say

Bellingham

Bellingham WA is an interesting place.

We spent four days in the Bellingham area. Google it and you will find out that it is a city of 80,000 about an hour north of Seattle and a half hour south of the Canadian border. It has a lot going for it. Lots of water nearby (lakes, and the sound) the Alaska ferry docks there, lots of trees and hills and flowers. A vibrant college ( Western Washington University ) An interesting downtown complete with a Saturday Market and a shopping experience called Hardware Sales.

Hardware Sales started small and now occupies five buildings in the downtown area. Think of your favorite hardware store when you were a kid. This is very much like it. A rabbit warren with tools. If you are a tool person or just curious this is a must see when you are in Bellingham.

Another is NW Handspun Yarns downtown Bellingham at 1401 Commercial St. Meg Jobe has just bought the store, but she has worked in it for several years. It is a great store if you are a knitter, spinner, or weaver. It looks like a town I could retire in.