La Conner - August 2013

We spend a couple of weeks in La Conner, WA.  The campsite was a little small, but nice.  We had room in the site for our rug, a kitchen so that we could cook outside – this helps keep the trailer clean with no grease on the stove -, and room for the dogs.  There were trees close around, but we had a spot for the bird feeder and we had birds coming for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We had a few squirrels that got into the dog pen and had trouble getting back out.

This campsite is on an Indian reservation.  It is on an island that is a part of the San Juan Islands, and is right on the bay.  On our morning walks we would see the water, sometimes a boat out there with fishermen, or maybe a kayak or two.  The weather here in Washington is much cooler than home, we’ve had a day or two of rain, not a lot of wind, and we both love it.  And the trailer is not leaking!!

The manager at this location is very nice, as are the rest of the staff.  We went to a meeting on Saturday and found out about things to do.  After that there was a BBQ and we bought lunch, hamburgers all around.  And then an ice cream social and karaoke to close out the afternoon.  We met some new people.  One was a lady that was about 45 or so, had lost her dad a few years ago, took up sing, and was waiting for the karaoke.  She was ok, but not as good as one of the staff members. 

This staff member sang a couple of songs, and was walking near us.  I said how good he was, and he said thanks.  He said he had a CD coming out soon.  Another guy next to us (Charlie – remember his name, I will get back to his) said great and how can he get one.  The staff member said “kidding”, and we were all disappointed.  We had heard about this staff member during the meeting, and the manager told us that he was out of uniform this morning, dress in a die-tie (all it needed was a peace sign) for the week-end, but she didn’t remember that it was the day for it.  He apologized to her and changed to his normal uniform.  Then someone told her that she had the wrong shirt on, (because it was 70’s weekend) and she said she was embarrassed.  Anyway, I asked him if he was going to put his uniform on and he said NO!  But was nice about it.

We had a great time, listen to a couple of good singer, and a lot of bad singers, a good lunch, and the ice cream was great as always.

And then there was Charlie.  This guy came up to the table where we were and asked if he could sit there.  Sure we said, and him and Vonna talked a little.  He said how great 1000 Trails is, and that he is traveling full time, it is a lot more fun that having to pay for an apartment, and he loves being outside.  Over the years he has traveled the world, working most of the time for 6 months a year.  His home is in Oregon.  He likes to hike, taking his cat with him on the walks.  Vonna and he talked about healthy foods and I told him about the protein shakes we have during the weeks.  We asked what kind of a rig he had and he said that he has a six man tent and a cover over the table for his kitchen.  He said that maybe later he would like to get a teardrop trailer, but not right away.  He love the idea of being free.

When he told us about where he was, I showed it to Vonna.  The dogs and I have been walking by it every morning.  So, Vonna being Vonna, decided to put a package with all the information of where Chris (our grandson) works, a sample of the shakes, and protein bar package.  She had me go by there a few times until we caught him home.  He was surprised, but thankful.  That is a Charlie story, and he was a very nice man.  Oh did I tell you, he is about 45 years old.

One day we were driving around the campsite with our windows open, and Vonna asked what the screeching was.  I said the brakes have dust on them.  To make a long story short, we took our truck to have checked in Anacortes.  The brakes would last a little longer, maybe another 1-2,000 miles.  Only the front though.  The tires have been showing a lot of wear, and a lot of cracks, so new brakes on front and tires all around.  There goes this months spending money.  Fixed income is the pits, but the truck runs great and was cheaper than a new truck.

This was one of my favorite things, watch the man on the boat with is three dogs.  Maybe we should trade the 5th wheel?  Not really, just kidding, but it was nice.

La Conner is a small town.  They have a nice historical downtown area with lots of small shops even a dog shop.  Each one is individual, and had different things in them.  And we looked in them all, or Vonna did, I missed some of them.  We ate lunch in a couple of different restaurants during our visit here, both were ok, but Oregon Fish is better so far.  But ice cream was good.

We decided to take the ferry over to Friday Harbor for the day.  It was a beautiful day in the San Juan Islands, one of the best we had for a few days.  A little cloudy in the morning, sun in the afternoon, water was calm.  We looked in the shops, watched the people, boat watched, had a nice lunch in a little café overlooking the bay.  We had a wonderful day.

Our time in La Conner came to an end, but it is all about the journey, not about destination.  We are seeing a lot of new places, meeting new people, and having a great time.