Our friends Karen and Ed Robbins from BC (formerly from Calgary) arrived in the area on the same day that we returned. Since they're only here for a few days, we decided to make the most of it and took a quick trip to Cap Sante so they could experience the views of the Anacortes marina, the refineries and snow capped Mt. Baker.

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From there we went to Deception Pass so they could see the bridge that has connected Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands since 1935. The Deception Pass Bridge spans some 1487 feet about 180 feet above the water and was built at a cost of $420,000. This was the first time we had ever stopped on the east side of the bridge - the view from this side with the sunset reflected off the bridge was spectacular.

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And then the sun put on an incredible display!

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Today found us winding along the rock shoulder of the Chuckanut Mountains for 21-miles from Bellingham to Edison. This scenic byway was completed in 1896 and was part of the Pacific Highway from 1913-1931 which ran from Vancouver, Canada to San Diego. It follows the shoreline giving us stunning views of the San Juan and Lummi Islands, the Olympic Mountains as well as Chuckanut and Samish Bays.

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Lunch today was in the small town of Edison (population 133) at the Longhorn Saloon, the local biker bar, where years ago we used to go to throw darts. Edison was established in 1869 by homesteaders who found fertile farmland here and was named for inventor Thomas Edison. It's most famous resident was journalist Edward R. Murrow who graduated from Edison High School (which no longer exists).

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Every two years the Swinomish Tribe seine fish for the salmon that are coming up the Skagit River to spawn. We were glad to be able to share this with Karen and Ed.

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Unfortunately the catch this year has not been great.

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The Tulip Valley Winery is located in this 1920's barn and is known for it's crisp hard ciders. I personally just liked the old barn and car!

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A friend here in camp shared a fresh caught crab with Al - yum!

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It's so much fun looking out the front window and seeing a blue heron catch a fish. Today we watched one ride a log in current while looking for dinner!

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It's always fun spotting a neat old farmhouse or barn as we're traveling around this area.

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It just doesn't know what it wants to do outside. It once again started raining here but the sun was still shining across the bay on Whidbey Island which gave us this rainy sunset view out our front window.

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After all the rain we've had, the state of Washington has lifted the burn ban in our area so we quickly had a campfire before they changed their minds.

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Luckily we had picked and frozen blackberries when we were in La Conner earlier because there were no berries to be found due to rain and cold. We were able to make 10 jars and are hopeful that we can make some more when we head south.

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It was such a pretty day for a walk on "our" beach.

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Today found us out on the water in our friends boat. Our adventure began as we cruised under Deception Pass Bridge.

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We were traveling in the San Juan archipelago which is made up of some 400 islands and rocks at high tide. Of these, 128 are named with the largest being San Juan Island which is where we were doing a lot of our boating. We passed Lime Kiln Light which was built in 1914 and was the last major light established in Washington. It has a 38-foot octagonal concrete tower with a modern optic flashing white light. The light house sits some 55-feet above a rocky shoreline and can be seen from about 30 miles out to sea.

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Our main objective for this trip was to go whale watching but we couldn't find the local orca pod. We did however find this guy who put on a show for us. We decided that he was a fin whale, a large baleen whale that belongs to a group that includes all species of whale, dolphin and porpoise. Fin whales are solitary mammals that prefer traveling alone or in small pods rather than building long-lasting family bonds and relationships with large groups. The only known natural threats to the fin whale is a pack of hungry killer whales. It is one of the largest animals in the world; second only to the blue whale. . Most of the whale watching boats were following this guy like we were which led us to believe that the orcas must have taken the day off!

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As we were traveling through the San Juans we got to see many porpoises who were too quick to photograph but delightful to watch, seals, sea birds and a pod of Stellar Sea Lions who seemed to inhabit Whale Island (we decided perhaps it was so named because of it's shape but that's just a guess). These behemoth animals are the third largest of the pinnepeds (only elephant seals and walrus are larger). It was so interesting listening to them have a conversation with one another!

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Cattle Point Lighthouse was built in 1935, but a navigational lantern has been on watch here since 1888. The lighthouse was automated by the Coast Guard in the 1950's and it received a temporary makeover in 1984, when it was used as a backdrop for an Exxon television commercial.

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After a full day of boating, it was back under Deception Pass Bridge and time to take the boat out of the water.

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Today found us at the Skagit River Salmon Festival at the Swinomish Casino. The main event for us was the Dock Dog competition which we had never heard of before. A huge four-foot deep pool had been set up with a raised platform (the dock) at one end. Dog and owner were on the dock, a toy was thrown into the pool and the dogs took a running leap into the pool to retrieve the toy. The dog who went the farthest was declared the winner. It sure was a fun event to watch!

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One last sunset before we leave our paradise here in La Conner.

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