Friday, November 13, 2015

San Juans vacay Day 5: not all business


After our bad experience at the Northwest RV park, we stumbled around in the dark and found an RV park run by the city of Oak Harbor, Washington.  The park was called Staysail RV; why the name was obvious once we got there. It was windy as all get out and on the harbor. Between the wind and rain, we had a fitful night of sleep.
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Wednesday was Veterans Day, so I took my veteran for some coffee at Whidbey Coffee. What a great little coffee shop with free WiFi
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Today was also the day to do the business we came up here for.  The rental house needed a new roof and so we met the roofer to discuss where to put in solar tubes to bring some light into the house.
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It’s a cute house.
With the business done, it was back to tourist and bike adventures.  We stopped and walked out on the bridge over Deception Pass. Day5 011b Stitch (1024x400)
The narrow straight at Deception Pass that makes Whidbey Island and island.
The tide was coming in and I can see why the water is so dangerous; it was really cruising through there.
But the real event of the day was riding the Cranberry Lakes trail system. There are 15 to 20 miles of trails on Fidalgo (Anacortes) Island in a block of land the community has set aside for recreation.
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Huge Big Leaf Maple leaves on the trail. The common name for this tree is appropriate.
The trail is a mix of wide walking paths, and narrow trails with technical rocks and roots.
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An occasional look out spot to remind you that you are riding on a heavily populated island.
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Swamps and lakes are everywhere.

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Loved these mushrooms growing on a log.

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I’m tired of the typical smiley face pose.

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Drew thought this was a rhododendron tree. The bark sure was red.

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We had a great ride and saw only a few hikers.  What a jewel of a trail system to have in your community.
After the ride, what else but…
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We stopped at the new North Sound Brewery, where Drew’s old Navy buddy is the head brewer. The beers he is making are exceptional. How cool is it to know a real live Pacific Northwest brewmaster.
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Drew and Rob.
Rob gave us a private brewery tour, which made us feel special and drink more of his beers.
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Because this brewery doesn’t have food either, we snagged big plates of Mexican food at the restaurant across from the RV park. The chili rellano was one of the best I had ever had, and the decor was kind of fun too.
"I don't normally surf in the Pacific Northwest, but when I do, I surf with these two awesome mountain bikers."
 Then we retired to our home for the night, the Mount Vernon RV park.

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