MOUNT BAKER-SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST (WA)

MONDAY - We have reservations on the 8:50AM ferry back to Anacortes today, which means if we are going to be there on time we need to be off the campsite by 6:45AM.

They ask you to be in line at the ferry dock 30-45 minutes before departure to maintain your reservation. It's a solid 30-minute drive from the campground and we have to dump and rinse our waste tanks, plus fill with fresh water (30-minutes max) which is how we arrived at the 6:45AM departure. We of course were on the road by 6:30AM.

TRAVEL DAY PHOTOS

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF8

Orcas Island is a very busy stop on the Washington State Ferry routes.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF8

These little sailboats will need to keep an eye out for the 18MPH ferry ships.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF8

We had a little bit more breathing room onboard this ship.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF8

Soon our ferry ride was over and we were back on the mainland roads to our next destination.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF8

This wonderfully detailed carving was outside of the Forest Service Information Station.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF8

We backed into our spacious 50' deep campsite here at Horseshoe Cove Campground.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF8

There were no lakefront sites left, but we can see it out our back windows.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF8

It's only for 3-nights, but again no sun, cellphone or satellite service here.

We were supposed to be spending tonight in our 45th National Park, but two weeks ago on the 16th we received an email informing us that our reservation was cancelled because the campground was being closed. No explanation was given, just here's your money back and have a nice day.

The campground was going to be reopened for the Fourth of July Weekend, but that's after our reservation ended.

I did a little research and found out the reason for the closure was a very aggressive mama bear and her two cubs have been spending a lot of time in the campground.

This doesn't mean we won't get to visit the National Park, it's just that our 11-day visit will be cut short to 8-days. Trying to find available campsites inside a National Park with just a 2-week notice was impossible, so we ended up just 40-miles outside of the park in a National Forest campground at the foot of the 10,781' tall Mount Baker.

TUESDAY - We don't have a lot planned, sightseeing wise, for this little improptu visit to the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

So Tricia took off on a short hike this morning along the shoreline of 9-mile long Baker Lake to the Bayview Campground right next door.

MORNING WALK PHOTOS

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF8

The trail between the two campgrounds doesn't exactly follow the shoreline, but close.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF8

SLIDE NUMBER
3OF8

Now there's a bench with a view.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF8

Licorice slugs were everywhere along the trail.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF8

Fireweed could also be found all along the trail.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF8

All right, I looked it up myself. The Northern Red Belt it is not a culinary mushroom,
due to its hard, woody texture and highly bitter taste.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF8

Banana Slugs were also present along the trail, but outnumbered by the Licorice Slugs.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF8

This bridge means she's almost back to THE POD.

After lunch we headed out to do a little sightseeing and to check out the other six half-priced National Forest Service Campgrounds located within 10-miles of our current campground, just in case we have a future visit to this area.

SIGHTSEEING AROUND BAKER LAKE

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF13

On the way in to the campground Monday we saw this sign and decided to check it out today.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF13

There is a short .5-mile boardwalk/asphalt/gravel trail with numerous info boards.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF13

The Salmonberry here were just beginning to ripen.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF13

At the halway point there were some nice benches, always welcomed when out on a hike.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF13

These identified as Red Huckleberry.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF13

There was an info board here describing how lightening took off the tops of these trees.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF13

There were numerous Wild Blueberry plants along the trail.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF13

Red Berried Elder is poisonous if eaten raw, but are said to be safe to eat when cooked.
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF13

We are off the trail now and down by one of the two dams at the bottom of Baker Lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF13

That low cloud cover is making it impossible to get a view of Mount Baker.
SLIDE NUMBER
11OF13

The second, bigger dam, on Baker Lake allows you to drive across it.
SLIDE NUMBER
12OF13

Up north from our campground in the aptly named Boulder Creek.
SLIDE NUMBER
13OF13

One of the six campgrounds is found near this creek.

Looking for our Visited States Map and Data?
How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List?
If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.

Would you like to be notified of new blog posts?

Labels:

MORAN STATE PARK (WA) ★★

THURSDAY - We left the campsite just after 11:00AM to drive the 10-miles to the town of Anacortes, where we have reservations on the 12:20PM ferry to Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands of Washington state.

If you're wondering, how much does it cost to transport the under 50' combination of ROVER and THE POD, plus 2 passengers from Anacortes to Orcas Island (and back), well it's exactly $389.08, if you pay the 3% fee for using a credit card.

They ask you to be in line at the ferry docks 30-45 minutes before your departure time and we arrived with plenty of time to spare, even after making two wrongs turns to get there.

This time Tricia videoed the entire boarding process to share with you.

After our 15-mile 1.25-hour ferry ride, where we spent the entire time getting to know a father/daughter motorcycle duo from Alaska, it was time to disembark the ferry.

At the beginning of this video you can see the father/daughter leaving first on their motorcycle.

After exiting the ferry we will still have 13-miles to drive before we reach our campsite.

The very decorative entrance arch for Moran State Park.

We have a pull-through site that's just below street level.

No solar or satellite service is going to be received here under all these trees.

We don't plan to use the fire pit or picnic table, but it's nice that they are there if we do.

FRIDAY - The weather today is forecast to be "a little less than perfect" for outdoor exploring, so we are going to postpone our sightseeing here on Orcas Island until tomorrow.

That leaves us with the problem of what to do with our time today?

The Washington State Ferries have routes to four of the San Juan Islands: Lopez Island, Shaw Island, Orcas Island and San Juan Island.

Orcas Island, where we are camping, is the largest of the 176 named islands here in the San Juan Islands. The second largest, and most populated of the islands, is San Juan Island.

On San Juan Island the ferry boat docks at the town of Friday Harbor, and since it is Friday, we figured why not go for a visit. Well, there was a little more consideration to our decision than that, they also have the San Juan National Historical Park on the island.

The inter-island travel on the ferry system is all First-Come-First-Serve, so we headed down to the ferry dock over an hour early for the 10:10AM ferry to Friday Harbor. Even being an hour early we were still third in line for the 50-minute ride.

The cost of the round trip ferry ticket for ROVER and the TWO PEAS was a very resonable $42.48, again including a 3% charge for the credit card payment.

SAN JUAN ISLAND NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF24

This ferry boat was slightly smaller than the one we took with ROVER and THE POD yesterday.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF24

Soon we were docking at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF24

At the southeast corner of San Juan Island is the American Camp location.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF24

Very few of the 1860s American Camp buildings remain standing.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF24

This small building was used as the laundromat for the camp.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF24

A short hike brings you down to the shore line and Grandma's Cove.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF24

There is supposed to be some decent tidepooling in the cove at low tide, but not now.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF24

Further along the coast is the High Bluff Trail.
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF24

I'm not sure why these California Poppies are found here along the roadway in Washington.
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF24

From far away it was easy to spot the Cattle Point Light.
SLIDE NUMBER
11OF24

The lighthouse has been overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca since 1935.
SLIDE NUMBER
12OF24

13-miles northwest of American Camp is where you'll find the English Camp.
SLIDE NUMBER
13OF24

There was a little bit more to see here, including a proper English Garden.
SLIDE NUMBER
14OF24

The English Garden seemed to be very well maintained...
SLIDE NUMBER
15OF24

..., most likely by some volunteer organization, rather than the National Park Service.
SLIDE NUMBER
16OF24

In the center was a maple tree with red leaves, the modern-day national symbol of Canada.
SLIDE NUMBER
17OF24

This is called a blockhouse, used to defend the camp.
SLIDE NUMBER
18OF24

Rifles would be positioned in each opening and had views from every angle.
SLIDE NUMBER
19OF24

Some of the other buildings were used as barracks.
SLIDE NUMBER
20OF24

This large building with the chimneys was used as a kitchen and dining hall.
SLIDE NUMBER
21OF24

It's now time to get lunch in town and head for the ferry dock to get in line.
SLIDE NUMBER
22OF24

If you intend to live here in the San Juan Islands you're going to require a boat.
SLIDE NUMBER
23OF24

If you don't have a boat I guess you could learn to fly a float plane.
SLIDE NUMBER
24OF24

If you don't have either you could always do what we did and rely of the ferry.

SATURDAY - With a little better weather we're going to explore what Moran State Park has to offer today.

There are two iconic images featured on the park's website, souvenirs and printed material. The first you've already seen, it's the stone archway at the entrance to the park.

The second image is a stone observation tower patterned after a medieval watch tower. It stands 53' tall and is located on the highest point in the entire San Juan Islands at 2400' on the summit of Mount Constitution.

Lucky for us, you can drive right up to the Summit Visitor Center and only have to climb the stairs inside of the tower.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM MORAN STATE PARK

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF22

Mount Constitution Road has several scenic viewpoints on the way to the summit.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF22

SLIDE NUMBER
3OF22

SLIDE NUMBER
4OF22

SLIDE NUMBER
5OF22

This young deer had no fear of us driving within a few feet of him having lunch.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF22

Not surprisingly, the Civilian Conservation Corp built this tower in 1936.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF22

From the top of the tower on a clear day, not today obviously, you can see
Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Saturna Island, and Vancouver in British Columbia.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF22

From the parking lot down there to the top of the tower was all we had to climb today.
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF22

The top of the tower is completely enclosed to protect from the harsh winter weather.
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF22

Nothing but clouds could be seen outside of our immediate area today.
SLIDE NUMBER
11OF22

The view from up here is nice, but we have other places to be today.
SLIDE NUMBER
12OF22

Just outside of the upper enclosure is this outdoor balcony with a view.
SLIDE NUMBER
13OF22

Time to exit the tower and return to the parking lot.
SLIDE NUMBER
14OF22

Back in Olympic National Park they had the Hall of Mosses Trail,
the volunteer called this the Wall of Mosses Trail.
SLIDE NUMBER
15OF22

The park has some unique ideas when it comes to guard rails along the road.
SLIDE NUMBER
16OF22

We've been seeing these purple flowers all over the island.
SLIDE NUMBER
17OF22

Our app identifies it as Purple Foxglove.
SLIDE NUMBER
18OF22

Time to do a short, but steep, hike to see some waterfalls.
SLIDE NUMBER
19OF22

This first one is called Rustic Falls.
SLIDE NUMBER
20OF22

This second one is properly identified as Casade Falls.
SLIDE NUMBER
21OF22

Cascade Falls in it's entirety, from top to bottom.
SLIDE NUMBER
22OF22

That's it for today, time for lunch in the town of Olga, then back to THE POD.

Looking for our Visited States Map and Data?
How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List?
If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.

Would you like to be notified of new blog posts?

Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)