We did a bit of off-island exploring yesterday, heading up and along the Washington coast, staying as close to the water as possible. We passed lots of farming communities, white swans foraging in shallow, temporary ponds and lakes, hawks on posts, a huge eagle nest with two eagles keeping watch, barns, and much more.
I find it so exhilarating to be on a road I've never been on before. Giddy, even.
We took Chuckanut Drive up to Fairhaven (Bellingham), checked out the ferry terminals, found some piles of fishing nets (on private property, but not TOO private, anticipating being shooed away and having my apologies at the ready, but no problem, no one cared).
Wandered around the historic district in Bellingham, had a fantastic lunch at Skylark's Hidden Cafe, with a most friendly server. (I heartily recommend the Grilled Coppa Caprese sandwich.) And then we headed north again, traveling around Bellingham Bay.
And that's where I found them. Fishing boats. A huge harbor of them. And fishing nets. Much better and more accessible than the ones I trespassed to reach.
The day was just perfect -- cool, no wind, big white clouds, blue skies, a little bit of rain that was minimal and lasted no more than a minute, if that.
So here you see some of what I saw ... A fishnet float, a ventilation vent on the side of a galvanized metal building, a solitary sailboat moored offshore, a nautical guard dog, making sure we didn't come aboard without the captain's permission, and some cool weathered numbers indicating depth on the side of an old fishing boat.
All in all, the trip took around seven hours, allowing us lots of time to travel slowly, stop often, have a leisurely lunch, wander around a bookstore, walk the docks, etc.
A very good day on the Washington coast.
©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you!
