The Sealth has ferried us away from San Juan Island and deposited us on Fidalgo Island. From there we drove over Deception Pass to Whidbey Island for a few days before we begin our much-anticipated journey to the east coast.

San Juan Island Memories (Congrats Leslie & Anthony!)

Our two months volunteering at San Juan Island National Historical Park went by as fast as a bald eagle hunting a fox kit. Or a hummingbird’s wings at a feeder. Or a northern harrier skimming the prairie. Or a whale’s exhale disappearing as mist. Or the s’mores and stories shared around a bonfire with friends. Or children growing up and getting married. Or an endangered island marble butterfly’s time as an adult. Or Mt. Baker morphing from looming to invisible in one cloudy moment. Or a whale watching boat speeding to the latest siting. Or the salty wind blowing across the prairie. Or a fox’s feet madly digging in a sand dune. Or the seemingly overnight wildflower bloom. Or the change from a snowy white to a pink hue on the Olympic Mountains each evening. Or a banana slug crossing a trail…well, not as fast as a banana slug.

Travel Day!

After two months of sitting in a gorgeous, wooded campsite, the trailer needed some TLC before we headed to the ferry. We had dragged out our knick-knacks, extra dish towels, decor (ish)…we were acting like we’d never leave! Time to reorganize and pack!

Outside required adding air to the tires and checking lug nut torque. The roof also needed to be swept of what seemed like a literal ton of pine needles that had accumulated on the roof…and our rug, laundry, sheets, shoes, truck…probably even the litter box!

This travel day meant that the ferry was a small concern only because the low tide at our destination was projected to be -2.5 feet. We were afraid that the tool box that we have on the back of our camper (which adds about 2 feet to our overall length) would scrape when entering/exiting the ferry ramp. The lower tide creates an angle to the ramp. We did not scrape this time, but it did seem like if we were just a few feet longer, we may have scraped. Some ferries actually cancel some of their scheduled trips due to tides.

Open Skies and Concrete Pads at Cliffside RV Park

Our campsite at Cliffside RV Park (our third visit during our year in the PNW) is, as always, spectacular. This place has become a nice stop over to enjoy a concrete pad sans pine needles and the luxury of a great view and access to ALL the conveniences that keep us from becoming 100% feral camping humans.

Low tide on the first day transformed the waterfront at Cliffside from a narrow, rocky beach to a 100-yard-wide, sandy beach. I walked for over an hour towards the Olympic Mountains before turning back. I wonder what the seabirds think of humans walking where there is normally water. Do they wonder why we are so close to them all of a sudden? 🙂

We have just a few days before our next travel day. Now the dilemma is whether we drive to Port Orchard the long way down I-5 or will a spot on the Coupeville ferry open up so we can avoid all that Seattle traffic?

Catio Corner

The amount of sunshine now entering our camper and catio has been approved by both of us. The pet duck two sites down has not been approved.

We miss menacing the black-tailed deer we could see from the catio while on San Juan Island. Also, we are slightly annoyed that anyone could think that we would allow pine needles into our pristine litter box. Yes, they did stick to our fur sometimes when we came in from the catio, but we made sure to rub them off on the humans’ bed.