Dazzling Deception Pass

In this series of posts about my jaunt to Whidbey Island, I left off my tour at the junction of LaConnor Whitney Rd. & Highway 20 headed west.  (You can click  Part 1 and Part 2  to read more of this journey if you like).  This is more of a photo journey rather than an informational one.

This is the sign for the Swinomish Casino & Lodge on the Swinomish Reservation.  This hotel overlooks Padilla Bay and comes highly rated on Trip Advisor.

I've enlarged this photo so you can read the signage to the left. We are on the Swinomish Reservation on Puget Sound.  The Swinomish Reservation is home to the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, a federally recognized Indian Tribe.

There is a large tanker out there on Padilla Bay but I have no idea what it is carrying.

We are still travelling on Highway 20 and are no on Fidalgo Island. If you go north on the Island you will hit Anacortes in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is a consolidation of the name Anna Curtis, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman (Wikepedia).  Anacortes is the home port for ferry travel to the San Juan Islands.

A goose flies overhead as if to announce that nature here is in abundance.

This is very lovely countryside (sorry for the dirty windshield).

There was a boater on Campbell Lake. I managed to get a photo as we were zipping by.

When we got to Desolation Pass we managed to find a place to park and took the following photos. I also resolved to stop for more photos on the way back home which I will share in another post. The return photos are even more spectacular.

The weather that day was absolutely fantastic; sunny but not too warm. The water was shimmering like gold.

As we cross over the bridge into Whidbey Island I can see an island in the distance. I'm not sure if that is Deception Island or if Deception Island is further west.  In any case, it makes a pretty site even through the bridge structure.

There were many tourists parked in the narrow passageways on the side of the narrow highways.  They were all enjoying the dazzling sights of Deception pass. I can't wait to return this way and take more photos from a the other side!

I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday this week. Click on the link and see what others are sharing this week.

Sunday

Hi friends, I haven't been feeling well this past few days. I'm very tired and now I am sneezing and headachey. Please say a little prayer for me as I've likely caught a cold from the changing season.

I am keeping busy too and feel like I'm not making much progress. Too many things to do and so little time.  I mentioned that I recently purchased several books at a used book sale sponsored by the SPCA.  The first of the book I read was, "Out of Africa"and I enjoyed it so much. The book is very different from most books I've read.  Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dineson) tells of her time in Africa by writing about different people and themes, instead of telling her story through a linear (chronological ) time line.  Her lover Denys Finch Hatton, with whom she takes up after the break down of her marriage did not feature quite as prominently in the book as I thought he would.  Perhaps I just don't take to the subtle treatment of the character,or the idea that he was relegated to a chapter of the book, rather than being mentioned in several chapters.  But then that approach would not have worked too well with the order of the book. 

In any case, I read the book from cover to cover over a day and a half. I usually only do that with books I am really enjoying.  I especially enjoyed reading Karen Blixen's observations of the people she met in Kenya and her observations of their cultural ways.  It is clear that she loved Africa.  I think the people loved her.  Even today, everyone in Nairobi seems to know of  Karen Blixen.  The land where she once lived is known as Karen, suburb of Nairobi.  The last time I was in Karen was to visit the Giraffe Center and attend a CeCe Winans concert.  If you are interested in life in Kenya as it was during colonial times, pick up a copy of this book.

The second book of the "new to me" stash that I am reading is called "The PostMistress", by Sarah Blake. The story takes place in the small town of Franklin, Massechusetts during World War II. I am just at the stage of being introduced to many of the characters in the story. It may be too early to tell but so far I am not that engaged in the book though it has received rave reviews.  I think this book would appeal to anyone who has an interest in stories about small time life, or an interest in war stories.

If you are new to my blog, let me invite you to spend some time reading and/or exploring some of my earlier posts.  Also, if you are a regular reader of mine, you may have missed some of these posts so I invite you to have a look.  I just might make highlighting older posts a regular feature of this blog, or at least an intermittent feature.

I've selected a few posts (out of the hundreds) to get you started.  Please let me know if you see any problems with the photos.  Unfortunately with computer problems over the years and losses of hard drives, I've lost a lot of photos.

Travel

Africa/Kenya

Friday Sky Over Solai

Canada and the Maple Leaf Flies Abroad

Meeting Kigen in Eldoret

Mombasa Sunset

Nakuru National Park

Finally at Lake Baringo

North America: Western Canada and Washington State

Dropping by La Connor

Trip to the South On Chuckanut Drive

Relaxing, Shopping & Quilting

A Wedding for Two

The Journey Continues - Hinton to Hines Creek

The Journey Begins - Vancouver to Hinton

Photo Journey to Kamloops

We've Covered a Lot of Miles

More Photos from my Journey

Ride with Me:  Edmonton to Chetwynd  

Sky Over the North Country 2

Charitable Work

Dreaming of Africa

Giving

Dreams

Get Involved

Do You Know What You Will Eat Today?

Little Linet

Little Linet ~ Update August 2012

Report from Jonah at Missions of Hope Kenya

Hello friends, it has been awhile since you've heard from my friend Jonah in Kenya. Please click on the link below and read what he is up to. It would be wonderful if you could leave him a comment to encourage him at this time. Thanks and see you soon!

Kenya Missions of Hope: Graduation Is Upon Us: Things have been challenging and hectic for me here as we prepared for my mother's graduation in one city and to present my thesis in anothe...

Dandelions on the Beach Front

I'm linking up with Tina at Weekend Flowers,

and Denise and the gang at Today's Flowers.

I took this photo on the beach in White Rock. I love that you can see the ocean beyond the dandelions.

The English name, dandelion, is a corruption of the French dent de lion which means "lion's tooth", referring to the coarsely toothed leaves. (Wikipedia) I think the dandelion is really a weed, not a flower but even weeds can look pretty.  Dandelion greens are edible and are often sold in herbal stores as tea.

Have you tasted dandelion tea?  Did you like it?  Dandelion has many different health benefits. You can read all about them here.

Dropping by La Conner, Washington

I left off on Chuckanut Drive on my scenic tour of western Washington State here (in case you missed it).  The weather that day was spectacular.  There were no clouds in sight.  The sun was shining but the intense heat of the summer was behind us.

We are travelling south on highway 11 (green line) and saw the spectacular ocean shots in my post here.

The drive was beautiful as we drove most of the way on Chuckanut Drive through this beautiful rain forest.

This is the largest tourist stop on the drive where you take photos of the beautiful vistas.

As we end our journey south on Chuckanut Drive we stopped in Burlington for a bite to eat before heading back on the freeway towards Whidbey Island.

Before too long we get to the La Conner turn off. La Conner is a place I've had in mind to go for some years ever since it was featured on a show called,  "Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest" .  The show was produced in Washington State and featured lots of picturesque towns to visit and quaint places to lodge.  It doesn't seem to be on television anymore.

This was one of the first shots I took as we entered the town.

You always know when you're in the USA as there is usually a flag outside someone's house or place of business.

This looks like a wonderful shop. You can see the care and attention that has gone into keeping these historic buildings.

This church caught my eye, so.....

... I tried to get a good photo.

Main Street of the town and more historic shops...

This place sells ice cream and candy. I can imagine they've been incredibly busy this hot summer.

It was nice to see some action on the waterfront. I don't know where the bridge leads.

This shot is taken in the direction of the town of La Connor.

This Inn comes up a lot in a google search when looking for accomodations in the area.  Given this is a tourist town, I think it is overpriced but it is rated quite well by people who have stayed there.

Leaving LaConnor and making our way back to the freeway for the turnoff to Whidbey Island.

We are at the freeway about to turn left and head west.

 

 I hope you enjoyed the quick tour of La Conner. It was a real whistle stop for us just so I could see the place.   If you'd like to plan a trip there, you can find out much more information by clicking here.

I'm linking up today with Skywatch Friday. Please drop by there by clicking here and seeing the wonderful skies from different places around the world.