Fidalgo Island

In an effort to distract myself from obsessing over my current lack of employment, Rosie and I have been exploring our new home.  Last week we visited Washington Park on Fidalgo Island, in the city of Anacortes.  Fidalgo Island in peppered with parks large and small and is an illustration of the Washington spirit of conservation and recreation.

This is a view from the park's boat ramp area, looking towards the San Juan Islands.  We hiked a bit of the loop road and forest trail that day.  It was gorgeous!  And absolutely FREE.  We barely made a dent in the acreage of the park!  Even though it was a weekend and there were quite a few people in the park, it did not feel crowded and folks were very courteous on the road.

You can access Washington Park by the State Hwy 20 Spur going into downtown and then towards the ferry, or heading towards Whidbey and turning on Rosario Road.  Rosario Road is definitely the scenic route.  After our hike Rosie and I headed into downtown Anacortes because I wanted to check out a bakery there (closed) and another one of the cool historical murals that are all over town.

This dragon is to honor the many Chinese residents made contributions to Anacortes' success.

On an earlier trip I shot this mural of a local family.  The murals were taken from photographs and the murals' information can be found within the picture itself.  Fun!

Here's Rosie in front of Causland Park - a very funky little park in the heart of town.  If you are a fan of rock walls, this is the park for you.

On another day we visited the reclaimed waterfront.  Very lovely.  This is looking towards the Cascades.  The bay was reconfigured to prevent the erosion by sea waves that had been a problem in the past.  Computer modeling helped engineers figure out the best placement of material to diminish wave power.  Kind of tricky, I guess.  The park area has also been replanted with hardy native species and wetlands are being restored.  Good job, Washington!