The weather was not what we had hoped for, but was not unexpected. After yesterday’s brilliant skies, we awoke to rain and clouds. I guess it is the Pacific Northwest, after all. Despite the weather, we decided to go ahead with our plans to take the ferry to Friday Harbor.
We were a bit early for the ferry, so we stopped in Anacortes at a little coffee shop for refreshment. A couple of cups and two pastries later, we were back on our way, still with plenty of time to park the car, purchase walk-on tickets, and find a place to hang out until departure. As we waited we watched our fellow travelers gather. In addition to the tourists and business travelers, there was even a girl’s sports team from Concrete on a school bus that had walked on. I guess everyone has to the ferries at some time, especially if you’re going to one of the islands.
We took our place at the front of the ferry and begain watching for wildlife. Mountain scenery was out of the question because of the clouds, but spotting an orca or eagle was within the realm of possibility. On the way out, we spotted lots of sea birds, and a family of seals, but no eagles nor orca. For the first time, I had a mapping GPS with me, and could follow our progress through the San Juan Islands.
At Friday Harbor, we disembarked just long enough to get everyone off of the ferry, then we loaded back up. I commented to Laura that just once I’d like to stay long enough to explore the little town, and perhaps eat a meal here. It seems that the sailing schedules never work out quite right, and to take more time would mean getting back much later than we would like. So, once back on board, we grabbed a quick lunch on deck.
Both on the trip out and the return we had no rain, but the wind was quite brisk. There is a spot where Mount Baker and the Canadian Rockies are beautiful, but not on this trip. Still, the close scenery was enjoyable, even if the wildlife and mountaines decided to stayed hidden.
Back on terra firma we made two quick stops on our drive back. Laura had to stop at the quilt shop in Anacortes. This place has fabrics she can’t seem to find back home, but this time nothing caught her fancy. We walked out empty handed. There was a brief drive up to the Cap Sante overlook, then as we left Fidalgo Island I decided to stop at Anacortes Telescopes. Laura told me that I could spend just as much money as she had at the quilt shop. I guess that means the $13,000 Meade telescope they had was out of the question. I left nothing but drool on the floor and took nothing but information about how I might better focus our little Celestron telescope.