Heading North for Memorial Day weekend
Memorial Day weekend is usually the weekend we set out on our first real camping trip of the season. Now normally we go to our friend’s property on Whidbey and have a great time camping, drinking good beer and enjoying each other’s company. This year however we decided to head north of Seattle to a couple of our favorite and most cherished places. We ended up at more than a few amazing places and had some rare sightings in return. All in all, this was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on and it was just a short hour plus jaunt from Seattle (traffic permitting). I will highlight the best places we visited and where we had the most fun to follow.
La Conner
There is a magical place just north of Seattle. A small town right on a channel with charming shops and delightful restaurants. The fish and chips flow freely and so too does the beer. This magical place is known as La Conner. It has been a constant for me and Spencer over the years. We always find ourselves going back, dreaming of owning a farm with fields of sheep and tulips. Though we have yet to commit to that dream when we do visit we always discover something we love even more than the last time we were there. This time was no exception. Our favorite campground was full up from the Memorial Day rush. I would recommend checking to see if you can reserve a spot before just heading out, most sights do take reservations and this eliminates the stress of just showing up and hoping to get one. This time we decided to get an Airbnb and it turned out to be the best thing we could have stumbled into. This house was not only gorgeous and historic but also comfortable and within walking distance of downtown La Conner. The woman who ran it is an artist so her work was displayed in a few places around the house giving it a very charming homey feel.

When we arrived in our room we discovered the charms just kept on coming. Outside our window was a field that had been freshly tilled and ready to be planted in, and across the way was a pasture chalk full of my favorite animal.. cows! The cherry on top was a block away; a group of bee hives happily working away pollinating the fields the farmers had left them near. The first evening we were there we walked into town and headed for our favorite spot: The La Conner Tavern. The location is great, it’s right on the water, their fish and chips are great, they have a good beer selection and the prices are reasonable. We spent a while there playing a round of pull tabs that I felt I was destined to win. As it turns out I was, one whole dollar! Though I did end up losing in the long run because I thought I’d reinvest and win bigger. Not that big of a gambler myself but the allure of pull tabs got me and my dollar. Always quit while you’re ahead. After that we explored the rest of town and then we stopped in at The La Conner Brewery and enjoyed a few more good English style local brews and headed back home because the next morning we planned to hike to Fragrance Lake.

Fragrance Lake
On our way to Chuckanut Drive and the trail head we stopped by The Bread Farm a great little bread shop that makes some very delicious Danishes and sourdough bread products. We were carb’d up and ready to hit the trail so we got back on the road to get a bit of fresh air and exercise.
This hike is by far my favorite hike in Washington. Not only is it a fairly easy 2.9 mile hike that allows for many abilities and for children to take part, it’s also gorgeous. The views of the San Juan Islands are stunning and half way there you can stop and really admire them, motivating you to keep heading to the lake at the end. That lake is a great spot to have lunch or toss out a fly fishing line it has a good amount of small rainbow trout in it making a fun catch and release spot.

This hike is one of my favorites also because it’s where Spencer proposed to me at the view point overlooking the sound and the San Juan’s so it makes it extra special to me. This hiking day though we took it easy up to the lake. I have a knee injury from a car incident but my doctor recommends me staying active so we thought this light hike would be a good way to keep moving. The thing about taking it slow though is that it gives you the benefit of really taking a look around and see things you wouldn’t normally see.
As we walked the trail we saw a few types of mushrooms and being ever curious about fungus I had to stop and take a closer look. Though I’m still not sure if they were edible or poisonous. If anyone know I’ll leave a picture and let me know in the comments if you know what they are.

We walked along the trail laughing and enjoying the views and as we walked a man told us to be quiet and walk slowly. As we followed the trail a huge barred owl was sitting just ten feet away in a tree at eye level on the side of the trail. We stared him down and took pictures for a good ten minutes before he gracefully and silently flew off into the forest. We could not stop talking about this the whole rest of the day. It’s always so amazing seeing such an elusive and beautiful creature.

We also saw a pheasant and some robin eggshells. When we were on our way down we heard whisperings of an event called ski to sea in Bellingham. We learned the ski to sea is an event where teams of people go from Mt. Baker and ski, bike, run and kayak to the sea. We decided to go check it out because there were events happening all over Bellingham. First though we took a pit stop at Larabee state park to go to the beach and dip our toes in the water. Then it was off to Bellingham and let me tell you the road to Bellingham is paved with treacherous views. Chuckanut drive if you haven’t been is so beautiful. Its curves and the scenery especially on a clear day are something you really need to experience.

Bellingham
The drive to Bellingham is filled with twist and turns along Chuckanut Drive. Each turn reveals another breathtaking view along the rocky madrone covered road. When we arrived in Bellingham there was a lot of festivities taking place. It was packed and we made a few stops along the way to see what ski to sea had to offer.
There was a lot going on but we ended up stopping at a block party at Stones Throw Brewery in Fairhaven just before Bellingham. They had food trucks, beer and games all celebrating ski to sea. It was a gorgeous sunny day so we sat and enjoyed our beer while listening to some local bands. It was a perfect way to pass the afternoon. While we were there I convinced my travel buddy Spencer to go to Aslan Brewery. I have had their beer a few times in our town and loved it. So, the trek began.
Honestly not a trek we just Google mapped it drove to Bellingham and then pulled up around the corner, parked and walked in. We were ready for good beer after our hike. The brewery has a great ambiance. It is very open and clean with lots of plants around and growing on the walls. The beer itself was awesome! We did a tasting of seven of their beers. All of the beers were very good but our favorites were the FIFA (French India farmhouse ale) and the Dawn Patrol. The FIFA was surprisingly bright and tangy very delicious if you love the sour side of beers. The Dawn Patrol was very easy drinking and not too bitter, perfect for a warm day. We took home a growler of the FIFA and headed back to La Conner. On our way, we stopped by a place we have been wanting to stop for a long time; Taylor Shellfish.

 
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Taylor Shellfish
The drive down to Taylor Shellfish is a little difficult to turn down but once you get down the hill you just have to cross over the train tracks to get there. The tracks don’t have signals and it looks like they might be doing work on the tracks you just have to drive past and over. Once again as the trend has been the view there was stunning.
We went inside to order the freshest oysters I have ever tasted. You pick the amount and type you want. We ordered ours with lemon and then we went out to the deck area where they have picnic tables set up with a shucking station. They have them set up on all the tables so you can shuck your oysters and eat them right on the water. Just throw your empty shells on the ground and enjoy.
This was one of the major highlights of my trip, I love fresh shellfish and this was just about the best way to go about getting it for a reasonable price and top quality at that. As we left they were just bringing in geoducks and those monsters are crazy looking. I have eaten geoduck before and if you cook it properly it is delicious. I’m a big believer in this resource and we should be eating more of them in the PNW. Most of these rather phallic looking giants get sent off to places like China. But I personally think we could do better by our native species and enjoy them right here. Properly cooked they are a delight.

 

This wasn’t our last stop on our trip it felt like it was almost just the beginning. We were only in the area for three days and these all happened within the first two. After we got back from Taylor Shellfish we went back to our hotel and then headed back into La Conner for dinner. We went to Oyster and Thistle attached to the La Conner Country Inn, the bar area is warm and welcoming and the outdoor seating is fairly spacious and pleasant.
We sat outside, I ordered the Prawn Puttanesca and those were the best prawns I have ever tasted. They were so fresh and cooked so beautifully that they were the perfect sweetness to take on the anchovies, garlic and olives in the dish. Plus the sauce they were in complimented them perfectly. Along with our food we also ordered a few old fashioned. When they came they did not look like an old fashion and had a lime flavor. We just shrugged it off as just weirdly fancy old fashions. Of course, they were the wrong drinks completely and though they were tasty we were happy to see our old fashions arrive to replace them.

This was our final night and we decided to turn in early so we could get up and head back home. We did however prolong that the next day. We drove to Whidbey by way of deception pass. It is well worth the drive. We hadn’t yet been to the Deception Pass State Park but we decided to stop today. The trail around it is lovely. We went on a foggy day so we couldn’t see anything out on the water but we did enjoy the stroll and many people were exploring the tide pools. The park rangers were out explaining the sea life. We enjoyed our short stroll and through the trails but decided we better get back on the road, after all we still had to catch a ferry.

 

Historic Flights
As a bonus when we got to Mukilteo on the other side of the ferry we spontaneously decided to stop into the Historic Flights Museum. It did not disappoint. We had been talking about going for a while but always found an excuse to keep driving. This time though we went in an explored the history of the planes that helped to protect our country. The planes were all from 1927-1952 and fully restored for flight. It was 15$ and adult to walk through the hangar a curator who gives you the full history of all the planes there from the Bearcat to the B-25. At the end of it all you can climb in and explore the inside of the B-25. We loved every minute of the tour and really want to go back and fly in one in the future. In the mean time we will continue to enjoy their glorious flights over Lake Washington during Seafair.