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The drive from Moses Lake was very grand, one of our most scenic drives to date.  We started out following the Colombia river and then drove through the Cascade Mountains which was steep and windy.
We passed through a village called Leavenworth pictured below, which looks just like a Bavarian village-the surrounding area looked just like a scene from Switzerland.  Very beautiful.  Apparently in the winter months the town is a gateway to ski areas.
We popped out at Everett so we could avoid Seattle as we’ve been told the road works there are terrible.  The scenery approaching Anacortes was pretty with Mt Baker in the distance, covered in snow.
We are staying at Pioneer Trails in Fidalgo Bay in Anacortes.  This is the first time we’ve seen the coast since we arrived.  It’s quite spoiled here with a huge oil refinery that takes centre stage!  The RV park is a couple of KM’s from the sea in a very woodsy area.  When we tried booking in here it was quite full but luckily got squeezed into a spot at the bottom of the campsite which is beautiful.  The spot is tight and uneven and took us a while to get the coach setup, this is always rather trying after a day on the road, but once set up we were very happy to stay for a week.
I was particularly excited to get here as I had sent some Amazon purchases to this address, one being my new Fender Stratocaster guitar and amp.  Very exciting indeed.  As soon as my finger heals I shall start playing!
This is one of the most beautiful campsites we have stayed in but there are not many people to seen, it’s very quiet here.  There are 2 pickleball courts but no-body here plays.  Still it’s nice to have some peace and quiet.
I love being in a woodsy setting, but one day I wanted to work on a project that required sitting at the picnic table.  I noticed right away there was a nest on the underside about the size of a cricket ball.
This is the hornet nest.
I didn’t know what was occupying it so I got to work but kept an eye on it.  I noticed if I knocked or banged the table the flying bugs would fly up as if to take a look and settle down again.  I assumed we had a relationship, I tried to keep quiet, they would leave me alone.  After a couple of hours I had just finished but knocked into the table which must have been the last straw for them-they all flew out and at me, totally pissed off.  One attacked successfully getting behind my sunglasses and stung me on the eyebrow-it was so very painful.  I researched what they were and found they were black hornets, which is in the top 10 for most painful stings.  I guess I should have done that research first and worked somewhere else!  My face swelled up and hurt and itched for days.  It’s ok, I was able to scratch my face with my cut finger!
We made friends with Dave and Cynthia.  They are staying in a trailer a short way from us.  We got chatting and it turns out they are having a boat built, this got out attention.  David’s heritage is Scandinavian and he promised his father before he died he would build a Viking boat.  Good to his word, 8 years later and lots of man hours the hull is almost complete.  It’s being made traditionally with hand-made tools and all by hand, no CAD involved.
They were kind enough to take us out to the property where the boat is being built.  It was fascinating and a very enjoyable visit.  They were then kind enough to take us to Deception Pass, which is like French Pass, huge currents running in the tidal water.
This is Dave and Cynthia.  Cynthia painted the head shown here.
Cynthia painted these shields too…
We spent a day exploring Anacortes by car and bicycle.  It reminds us of Maine, it’s very nice.
The week soon passed, it was relaxing and very pleasant, we are actually returning here after Vancouver.