Well – after that exciting adventure at the U.S. Open, there were 2 additional stops to the north before Magic headed toward Park City.  AND, both were American Gems – the first was cousin Marta’s Rainbow Chicken Ranch on Orcas Island and the second was the North Cascades NP;-)

 

So – off to Anacortes and a lovely spot at Pioneer Trails RV Park where we would park Magic while we took a day trip via ferry to Orcas Island.  But first, a quick excursion around the Anacortes area to check out Whidbey Island where a NAS resides. And, of course, you have to go across a bridge to get to an island – –

 

 

 

Bright and early Father’s Day morning (7:30 AM), we boarded the ferry bound for Orcas Island.  Orcas is one of the islands in the San Juan Islands chain in the northwest corner of the contiguous US between the US mainland and Vancouver Island.   The islands have long recent histories going back to the 1700’s when the Spanish explored, charted and named the area.  But, the origination of the islands goes back millions of years when the surrounding glaciers carved the channels between the islands, the glaciers melted and the land shifted downward and the seas came into the carved valleys.

 

Anyway – by 8:30 we were approaching the quaint village of Orcas on Orcas Island and about to meet up with cousin Marta for the day.

 

 

First stop – Marta’s Rainbow Chicken Ranch and a tour of her property with all the plans for the future – –

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t just sight seeing.  The first thing Marta did was put us to work!!  Heavy piping material needed to be lifted onto support structures.  This piping would be filled with dirt to become the strawberry beds;-)  Gary had one of his ‘ah-ha’ moments and came up with the method for transporting these awkward ‘pipes’ to their supports, which made the task quite easy!!

 

 

 

(If it looks like we were having a good time – we were.  BUT, we were also trying to get the pictures with the pre-set camera (sitting on the nearby pile of wood) going off.  It was “hurry, hurry, get in place, pick it up and get over in front of the camera before it quits clicking!”  (Think you had to be there.) )

 

And – that was not the end of my chores.  Next there was the collection of eggs – –

 

 

Finally!  All the chores were done and Marta took us to the see the island sights.

 

Orcas Island is a beautiful, kidney shaped island with many lakes, harbors and mountains.  Mt. Constitution, the highest point on all the San Juan Islands, resides in the Moran State Park on Orcas Island.  This state park is a 5,252 acre camping park with five freshwater lakes and many miles of hiking trails.  On the mountain top, at 2,409 feet, there stands a stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936.  From the top of the tower one can see Mount Baker, Mount Rainier (on a beautiful clear day like we had), the Cascade Mountains, the Olympic Mountains and a variety of Canadian and American cities.

 

 

Although we had some delicious fresh scrambled eggs with mushrooms and cheese at Marta’s, after all the hard work and sightseeing we had done it was time for lunch.  Marta took us to another beautiful spot to relax and eat – Rosario Marina.

 

 

 

After a very full day of visiting, telling stories, eating, visiting, sightseeing, etc. etc., it was time to get the ferry back to Anacortes as tomorrow was another travel day.  We thank Marta for her hospitality and generosity in sharing her home and environs with us;-)

 

Another early day as we were off to the second ‘Gem’ to tell about in this posting – North Cascades NP (and my favorite NP sign!).

 

 

This NP includes the glacier-clad peaks of the North Cascades, which rise almost vertically from thickly forested valleys appearing almost like the Alps.  Thus often called the American Alps.  The Cascade Range is named for its innumerable waterfalls and extends from British Columbia to northern California.

 

This park preserves the wilderness and therefore much of it is inaccessible.  However, the North Cascades Highway traverses the middle of the park along the Skagit River in a beautiful valley with the mountains rising up on all sides.  At the visitor center there is an overlook where one can view Mount Terror, Mount Despair, Damnation Peak, Mount Fury and Mount Challenger!!  Do these names give you an idea of how treacherous these mountains are?!?!   When one comes out the east side of the park and climbs to Washington Pass at 5,500 feet, the views from this overlook are breathtaking.

 

 

Our stop for the evening would be Winthrop.  New friends met at the Tiffin Rally, who live in the area, said this was a fun little western themed town.  Right they were.  It felt like we were on a movie set – but, it was a real town;-)  After checking out the town’s museum, a stroll down the Main Street boardwalk was in order followed by a wonderful, low key dinner.

 

 

And now – E has run out of words so it must be about bed time.

 

It has been a very nice couple of days visiting and seeing new sights.  Tomorrow will bring more new sights and golf courses in Coeur d’Alene.

 

See you all there – E & G, off again