Cranberry Lake

Our last full day in Anacortes after work was filled with more walks, bike rides, and a charming discovery of a new place to explore in the future.  Located near the ferry terminal, up the hill, is Cranberry Lake.  The signs point out hiking and bike trails around the lake.

The lake is part of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands (ACFL), a 2,800-acre preserve within the city limits of Anacortes.  Launching kayaks are easily accomplished from the sandy bank near the parking lot.

At one end of the lake is a spillway, also near the parking lot.  The road to the lake is gravel and is less than a mile.  The canopy of trees over the road is beautiful.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Anacortes - Life on the Grill

Like many, grilling is part of our RV adventures.  Unlike most, Laura is a former professional chef, and restaurant and catering business owner, so that adventurous spirit is also an element of our dining.  Today Laura shares what she has learned on her food blog "Low Carb Sisters", www.lowcarbsisters.com.

The opportunities to enjoy Laura's meals on the road have increased with our motorhome.  It oddly started on the water with the purchase of our Bayliner 38 motor yacht in 2008 when technology was starting to make it possible to work remoting, and yet stay connected with one's team beyond just phone calls.  As the technology got better, suddenly vacations become work/vacations by choice.  Instead of coming back to the office and facing a mountainous backlog of work, it was now possible to stay on top of things, while fitting vacation time into the same schedule.  As an early riser (typically 4 am), I found I could get 4-6 hours of work in before Laura got up, which contributed to not needing to use up vacation time so quickly.

Being able to work from wherever I have an Internet connection is an unimaginable luxury compared to past years where one was tethered to hardwired connections.  In my experience, most RV park WiFi Internet connects are nearly useless due to bandwidth, reliability, or speed issues.  Marinas tend to be better, but even they can be hit and miss.  I rely on my 4G LTE mobile phone to keep me connected.  My typical data consumption is 500 Mbytes to 1 Gbyte per workday depending on the number of Skype for Business conferences I have to attend.

So how does technology bring us back to talking about Laura's food?  As technology advances have allowed me to work away from the office and home, it has had an interesting impact on Laura's creativity as she has had to find ways to bring the culinary arts to a boat galley, tent trailer camp stove, and now to our Safari Sahara motorhome's generous but still limited galley when compared to her gourmet kitchen back home.  I always smile when Laura posts something to her food blog that she prepared and photographed while on the road because while we're enjoying the benefits of technology by getting to work on the road, she's showing her readers what can be accomplished with just making due with what you have at hand.

Even under the overcast skies of an April evening, one just can't beat the view out one's office window when compared to being back home and going to work.

Earlier in the day, Laura brought me back lunch from my favorite Noodle place in Anacortes (Teriyaki Time, 910 11th St).  Considering how much Laura and I like boating and the water, the fortune cookie that came with my meal seemed fitting.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Anacortes - Kayaking

After work, we headed over to Cap Sante Marina for some afternoon kayaking.  What a gorgeous April day.  We stuck to the fairways and enjoyed looking at the great variety of boats.

Laura posing in front of a Camano 31, one of our favorite next boat candidates.

Kayak launch ramp (to the right) at Seafarer's Memorial Park.

After pulling the kayaks, we enjoyed the beautiful evening and watching the high school sailing team.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Port Townsend in a Day

On previous trips to Anacortes, we had always wondered about how convenient a day trip to Port Townsend, one of our favorite places, would be considering the need to take a ferry.  Well, it could not have been easier.  We booked a reservation online for the ferry at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries, drove the thirty-five miles to the Coupeville ferry terminal, and then had a very pleasant thirty-minute crossing.

Coupeville Ferry Terminal, looking across at the Fort Casey campground.

Public launch ramp at the ferry terminal undergoing maintenance.

Laura and I walked around the Fort Casey State Park campground while we waited for our ferry to arrive.  Great views and lots of nearby trails to explore that wind through the state park.  Definitely, a place to check out in the future.

Part of the Fort Casey gun battery to the right above the folks on the beach.

Point Wilson lighthouse as we near Port Townsend.

Point Hudson Marina and RV Park.  Home of the annual Wooden Boat Festival, and our destination at the end of the summer.

Laura has us booked into this site for a future trip, so we thought we check it out to remove our concerns about whether the tree would interfere.

Some of the architecture and buildings in Port Townsend are so recognizable, that for some you don't even need to tell them where you are.

It was a treat to see Port Townsend in April.

Laura captures the author at one of their favorite sandwich shops overlooking the water.

For Laura, no visit to Port Townsend is complete without a stop at Pippa's for tea in the courtyard.

After walking around downtown, we headed over to Fort Worden State Park for a walk on the beach.

The brim of my Tilley hat gives an indication that it was a little breezy.

One of our favorite beaches near the Point Wilson Lighthouse.

Before the day ended, we headed over to Port Townsend Boat Haven since it has a wonderful shipyard specializing in wooden craft.

Built-in Astoria, Oregon, in 1890, Elmore was used to carry passengers and freight between Astoria and Tillamook.

The 1931 fantail yacht Discovery in the service of www.alaskacharters.com

With the moon rising and the sun setting, we said goodbye to Port Townsend.

Laura has the ferry nearly to herself

Point Wilson Lighthouse as we head to Coupeville on the way back to Anacortes.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

Kayaking from Seafarers' Memorial Park

Today after work, we took the kayaks over to Seafarers' Memorial Park in Anacortes.  The town installed a new pier extending out over the water, and then a wide ramp that takes you down to the docks.

We spent our time paddling around Cap Sante Marina looking at boats.  Laura suggested the blue-hulled yacht might suit her needs;-)

At the end of the small boat dock, the town installed a plastic Xinyi (www.pontoon-cubes.com) floating dock system with a ramp for launching and retrieving kayaks.  The system works great.  The plastic of the dock and the plastic of the kayak slide across each other very well, thus reducing friction.

One of my off-season projects was to make a pair of kayak dollies out of PVC pipe.  They break down and store in the kayaks when not in use.  The plans can be found at:

palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/04/diy-bulletproof-kayak-cart-build.html

While paddling about in the kayaks, we spotted a Catalina 34 mkII.  If we go with a sailboat the next time, the Catalina 34 is near the top of the list.

Back at Fidalgo Bay Resort with Laura and her outdoor office while she works on her blog LowCarbSisters.com.

Laura treated me to pizza on the grill after a long day of work, finished off with a great time out in the kayaks.

Another day in paradise.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much

La Conner

After our visit to RoozenGaarde, we headed over to La Conner.  Situated on the banks of the Swinomish Channel, which separates Fidalgo Island from the mainland, La Conner offers visitors opportunities to enjoy walks along the channel and past quaint shops.

Laura loves Blue Herons, so we are always on the lookout.

La Conner's new Channel Passage is such a wonderful addition to the town.  So often, the citizens of a town are cut off from the very waterfront that defines the town.  La Conner installed an elevated boardwalk at street level that sits between pre-existing structures and the channel.

Floating garden

What is amazing is how seamlessly the boardwalk just blends into the businesses it passes.

Some of the artwork on Channel Passage.

It's funny how there are gardens everywhere.

Cool idea for a water feature outside of a restaurant.

Ice Cream Shop

Interest place to check out.

Laura enjoying one of our favorite little gardens.

La Conner is the type of place where window shopping can quickly turn into buy because of the interesting variety offered by its storekeepers. 

Live well, Laugh often, Love much