We arrived in Anacortes, known at the crown jewel of Fidalgo Island, eastern-most if the San Juan Islands and jump-point of the world-renowned archipelago.
Fidalgo, the "drive-to" island, is accessible by bridges from the mainland to the east and from Whidbey Island to the south. It is also home to the Washington State Ferry Terminal, serving the rest of the San Juans and Sidney/Victoria, British Columbia.
We arrived and seemed to have brought the sun along with us. Some of our friends that we meet here told us that the month of July had been lots of gloom and rain. Since our arrival the weather has been very nice. Some days begin with some fog or overcast, but the sun does manage to peek out in the afternoons.
To our fortune, we have discovered that on Friday nights there are free concerts in the park at the Marina. We pack up our chairs, picnic and wine and head to the park. What a wonderful way to spend the evening.
The view that we have across the bay from the Fidalgo RV Resort is of Mount Baker. A lovely view and a beloved icon and trademark of the area. It hails visitors for hundreds of miles before they enter the region, Mt. Baker's glacial peak towers above the landscape at 10,781 feet. The mountain holds the worlds record for the moat annual snowfall and is a recreational paradise for skiers, snowboarders and hikers. This is the mountain where snowboarding was virtually invented.
With a beautiful day forecast on Thursday
, the decision was made to take the ferry over to Orcas
Island, the largest island in the San Juan islands. There were 10 of us along for the trip, Tony and Lorraine, Gary and Courtney, Rhonda and Ken, Fred and Sharon and John and I. The fog was still over the water when we loaded the two cars on the ferry and headed over to Orcas Island. Once on land we traveled along the main road for 13 miles while enjoying the lush forests, lovely hills and farmlands toward Moran State Park.
Moran State Park has 5,252 acres, with more than 38 miles of trails, from gentle forest loops to challenging ascents. There are two mountains to scale, including Mount Constitution, which has a 2,409-foot summit - the highest point in the San Juans. Mount Constitution was our objective, the stunning views includes the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges. In the distance lay Mount Baker while spread below on the water are the green, forested San Juan Islands, Canadian Gulf islands and Vancouver Island.
Moran State Park opened in 1921 when Robert Moran, shipbuilder and former mayor of Seattle, and his wife, Millie, donated more than 2,700 acres to the state for a park. By 1928, the Morans had added another 1,000 plus acres to their original gift. To date, the park
has expended to include more than 5,200 acres.
In the 1930's, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) set about building many of the trails, roads and bridges in the park. What a wonderful way to spend the day!
We stopped in town for lunch before we headed back to the ferry dock for the ride back to Anacortes.
Since we have been here we have enjoyed the fresh seafood of the area, wonderful crab and wild salmon. Along with the wine and good friends and laughter. A perfect place to spend summer days.
This past weekend was the art festival here in town. They have a large number of artists that offer their treasures. A fun way to spend the day walking along the closed off streets to see what there is to buy. Friday night brought another concert at the Marina, great!
Well, that is all from here for now, hope all is well with everyone.
Candy and Johnny
