Around the World with K & M: Late Nights in the Anacortes

In the Pacific Ocean...
ANACORTES

Leaving: Shoreline, Washington
July 23, 2006. 6:20pm PST. Mileage: 6250.2km

Arriving: Anacortes, Washington
July 23, 2006. 7:35pm PST. Mileage: 6367.5km

We arrived in the Anacortes, not knowing what to expect except for the brief description that it was the "Gateway to the San Juan Islands." Having at first thought that Dexter & Sam & Kai had moved to the Puerto Rico area may describe our ignorance.

We drove through beautiful roads with quaint houses, all beautifully painted, and arrived at a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Dexter & Sam had a gorgeous place, and they were extremely wonderful hosts. We arrived to be served a supper of pizza & wine on the deck, and proceeded to chat for hours about everything from farming to stocks to quantum physics into the wee hours of the night. We then crashed in the guest room with windows that opened out onto the ocean, so that we drifted off to sleep to the sound of waves.

View from the guest bedroom

The next morning, we woke up to the smell of crepes and eggs that Dexter made. Apparently they were German pancakes though :). I still say she should run a B&B with her gift of hospitality. We ate breakfast overlooking the Ocean and nearby marina. It is a marvelous place to stay.

Kai the photographer: His photo of me & Debryn

The Websters took us out to lookout points to see Lake Campbell (which is an island that has a lake in it with another island!), and Deception Pass where we learned about kayaking in rapids. (Note: There is a sign here that says Capt. George Vancouver discovered this Pass. However, it fails to mention that he also claimed the San Juan Islands for the British almost fifty years before the American guy claimed it for the States. So technically, these islands are Canadian! :)).

Lake Campbell (the place with an island in the island!)

Dexter & Kai at Deception Pass

We then had lunch at "Deception Pass Cafe & Grill", which is ironic as the exterior of the restaurant is quite deceiving. It looks like an old diner, but serves "fancy" meals, including what Dexter & I had - "Dungeness Crabcakes Eggs Benedict", and Kris' "Reuben Sandwich with Lima Bean & Lamb Soup"!

The deceptively plain exterior of Deception Pass Cafe & Grill

After a very satisfying meal, we hiked around Whistle Lake. The original plan was to walk the path to look at the lake, but we ended up doing the entire ~5 mile hike. Unfortunately, Sam's GPS wife didn't come with us, so between him & Kris, we ended up foraging through rainforests and probably creating new trails. So much for not needing to wear pants cause it's an "easy" hike on well-worn trails!! :)

Tired and weary, we went home, where Dexter had the energy to cook up another marvelous meal - Garlic shrimp pasta. We had some "Kris" Pinot Grigio wine with that yummy meal. See how good they are? They even buy wine named after their guests! :)

Marion, Kai, Debryn & Sam having a very yummy supper.

We then stayed up again and talked and talked and talked. It was another example of how strong friendships forged overseas can be - I hadn't seen them since October 2002!

Thanks Deb & Sam & Kai! We had a ton of fun with you. Don't worry - we're coming back for the Chinese tea :). And we'll see you next year on the farm in Saskatchewan - we think you'll make great farmers.