RV ALASKA - Adventures in Anacortes

On our trek west across the country a few months back, Alan and I were focused on getting work done on our travel trailer and moving up into Canada as soon as possible thereafter.  I didn’t factor in any real vacation-type breaks or visits with friends.  We knew we’d have time for that later.  Even though five months was feeling like too long a trip for us, Alan and I were happily anticipating the remaining stops on this lengthy expedition.  Why?  Because “later” was now, and we knew we’d be laying over at a couple of our favorite campgrounds, checking off a bucket list item that had been in the bucket for way too long, and making several stops along the way to hang out with some very special friends.

Date(s) – August 26th – August 29th

Total Miles Traveled to Date – 15,507

Wildlife Sightings to Date – I’m continuing our wildlife count even though we’re back in the States.  You just never know what might turn up.  In fact, we saw 6 seals during these four days in Anacortes. 

Our updated count of wildlife sightings is: 1 fox; 4 feral horses; 3 loons; 2 ptarmigans; 5 ospreys; 101 dalmatians eagles (including 2 fledglings); 4 seagull chicks; 16 swans (including 2 fuzzy cygnets); 9 sea lions; 33 seals; 17 sea otters; 4 cow moose; 1 bull moose; 5 grizzly bears (including a sow with 2 cubs and the back end of one grizzly retreating into the brush); 8 black bears; 1 coyote; 1 snowshoe hare; 8 rabbits (including one cute little baby bunny and one very fast bunny that just managed to cross the road safely); several small herds of bison with at least 2 dozen young calves; 9 deer (2 of them bucks with their racks covered in velvet); 9 mountain goats (including 3 tiny and adorable kids); 23 bighorn sheep; 62 elk (including 7 calves that hadn’t yet lost their spots and a number of bull elk with full racks covered in velvet); several small herds of pronghorn antelope (including 2 mamas with 3 newborn fawns between them); 4 great blue herons; dozens of American white pelicans; at least a half dozen families of adult geese with goslings; and several dozen ducks (with lots of little ducklings).

Highlight(s) of the Day – Lots of highlights to report in Anacortes!   First and dearest to my heart . . . When I was five years old, Valerie and her family moved in across the street from our house.  Val was two years older than me – she and Alan actually graduated in the same high school class.  They didn’t really know each other back then, but they do now because Val is one of my oldest friends - as in longevity of friendship old.  We connected early on since we were both tomboys.  That term is probably no longer politically correct, but, back when we were kids, that’s what girls who enjoyed pursuits typically attributed to boys were called.  We eschewed playing with dolls, and just about lived on our bicycles - spending much of our time riding over dirt mounds in a construction site or biking to the tennis courts - and to places our parents would never have approved of had they known.  Valerie moved out west for college, and eventually ending up meeting Charles, the love of her life on Whidbey Island in the Pacific Northwest.  Living and raising kids on opposite sides of the country was not conducive to many in-person visits, but we did the best we could, and we always stayed in touch.  So, it was a real treat for us to spend a couple of days with this forever-young-at–heart duo, and we had a grand and glorious time, immediately falling into the comfort zone that enduring friendships allow.

In addition to spending time with Valerie and Charles, Alan and I enjoyed what has come to be a traditional dinner out whenever we’re in the Seattle area.  The morning after their wedding, when Val and Charles were busy doing whatever it is that newlyweds do the day after their wedding – a honeymoon, perhaps? – Alan and I found an absolutely delightful place for brunch on the waterfront in Everett, near where we were staying on the mainland.  (Unlike the natives, we actually liked having to commute back and forth to Whidbey Island on the ferry.)  Anthony’s Homeport appealed to us for so many reasons – the brunch was a fancy occasion, which seemed rather fitting since we were in town for the wedding of close friends; the food was excellent; and the view from the outdoor deck allowed us to watch the boat traffic heading in and out of the Everett Yacht Club on a beautiful, blue-sky day.  Even the name of the restaurant tugged at the heartstrings of a couple of boaters far from home.  From that day forward, Anthony’s Homeport was a special stop for us whenever we were in the area.  Coincidentally, we ended up driving all the way across the country in 2017 to buy our Outdoors RV travel trailer from the Apache Camping Center in Everett – less than 10 miles from Anthony’s Homeport.  (Apache was the only RV dealer outside of California that still had the specific model we were looking for on its lot.)  You can guess where we went for a celebratory lunch after we concluded our business at Apache.  We had already planned to stop at Anthony’s Homeport when we left Anacortes at the end of the week, but guess what!  We didn’t have to!  Much to our delight, Anthony’s has another restaurant located at the Cap Sante Marina in the Port of Anacortes – which was right where we were staying!  Monday, after we had arrived at Cap Sante, we stopped for an early 45^th anniversary dinner at Anthony’s after biking the Tommy Thompson Trail.  Alan and I were just as delighted with Anthony’s at the Port of Anacortes as we were with Anthony’s Homeport in Everett.  Due to the excellent food, wonderful service and the sweet view of the Cap Sante Marina, this Anthony’s location immediately landed on our list of favorites.  We’ll be back!

Now, I’ll bet you’re wondering why (and how!) we were staying at the marina, weren’t you?  Funny thing about that . . . Originally, when I booked our camping reservations for our visit to Whidbey Island, I had reserved a site at Deception Pass State Park.  That’s where we stayed back in 2017 when we hung around town to shake down our new trailer and to surprise Valerie on her birthday.  (I’m happy to say that she was really surprised!)  But sometime in between the time I had made the Deception Pass reservations and the time we arrived in town, I found out that the Cap Sante Marina had replaced their gravel lot RV Park with an exceptional RV park.   So, I booked Cap Sante and canceled Deception Pass.  It would add an extra 15 minutes to the one hour drive to Val and Charles’ place, but it would  keep us out from underneath the very loud military jets flying out of the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Oak Harbor.  Plus, it would provide a couple of boat nerds the opportunity to combine the best of both worlds – camping in our RV while hanging out by the marina.  Do we consider the Cap Sante Marina RV Park a highlight of our stay in Anacortes?  You bet we do!  And I’ll tell you why in the Campground section below.

Anacortes is a gem of a town with all the services we needed, a variety of restaurants and access to the Tommy Thompson Trail right from the Marina.  Alan and I picked up the trail just a block or so from our RV Park and biked through Anacortes and right on across Fidalgo Bay.  I absolutely loved this trail!  Views of the bay are plentiful, and the bridge that allows riders to cross Fidalgo Bay ends at March Point Road.  March Point connects to the access road for Swinomish Casino, so we could have biked back to visit with our old campsite in the overflow lot if we had wanted to.  We had driven through Anacortes in past years, but we hadn’t spent any time there.  Having thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Cap Sante Marina RV Park, an excellent meal at Anthony’s right there at the Port of Anacortes, and a couple of rides on the Tommy Thompson Trail, now we know better – and you won’t be able to keep us away. 

Lowlight(s) of the Day – Thinking, thinking.  Still thinking.  Oh, wait, there was a lowlight to our visit in Anacortes – we had to leave.

Campground(s) – Alan and I were impressed by every single facet of the Cap Sante Marina RV Park at the Port of Anacortes in Washington.  As I mentioned, the old gravel lot was replaced with an impressive facility for RVers over the past year or so.  What I didn’t know when I made our reservations was that the RV park had only been open a couple of months.  My understanding is that the transformation from gravel lot to a super-attractive RV park was accomplished with the help of one or more grants, and the funds were put to excellent use.  The place is gorgeous, and I can’t imagine the amount of money the City of Anacortes spent on this upgrade.  I can tell you that the renovations were done with the needs and wants of RVers in mind.  The RV Park has 25 full hookup sites and its own restrooms/showers/laundry building separate from the boaters’ facilities at the marina.  The laundry room holds two washers and two dryers – all new, of course, and very reasonably priced – and the building was sparkling clean.  I know this because I spent a lot of time there.  While the RV Park makes a wonderful first impression, it’s often the little things that make you appreciate a particular campground.  Outside the laundry building were both a bench and a table under a covered overhang, providing a comfortable place to read or work while waiting.  I’ve spent too much time in dreary, dirty laundromats not to appreciate this thoughtful touch of luxury at Cap Sante.

RV Park guests make reservations through and check in at the Harbormaster’s Office.  (I had to smile when Christy called our site a “slip” when I called to make our reservation.)   The RV Park is paved, as are all the individual sites, and each site has an attractive new picnic table on a concrete pad.  The developers were not stingy with landscaping funds – the RV Park looks lovely and very upscale.  At 65.00 per night (plus a $5.00 reservation fee) it definitely wasn’t the least expensive campground we stayed at over the summer.  I’m fondly remembering Pioneer “Parking” at $12.00 per night in Fairbanks, but guess what - we’d stay here again in a heartbeat.  In fact, I can guarantee you that Cap Sante will be our base camp any time we come to Whidbey to visit Valerie and Charles.

The icing on the cake and the real shining stars at Cap Sante were its staff members.  The harbor office staff was helpful and welcoming - especially Christy.  We met Maria - in charge of housekeeping at the laundry/restroom/shower building in the RV Park - and she was just delightful, warm and welcoming.  After watching Raul doing such a meticulous job mowing and trimming the RV Park, I actually walked over to compliment him on his dedicated efforts to do the job right and well.  Raul was as welcoming as Christy and Maria had been; he accepted our compliments with a wide smile and a solid handshake.  When I sent an email to Harbormaster Brad Johnson, letting him know how much we enjoyed our stay at Cap Sante and appreciated the efforts of the staff, he responded promptly, professionally and warmly.  He thanked me, and promised to share my email with the staff members mentioned, their supervisor, the Director of Operations and the Human Resources department.  It seems to me that the Cap Sante Marina RV Park at the Port of Anacortes is in very good hands.  This gem definitely earned a spot on our list of favorite campgrounds on this summer’s extended trip.  They even had a cornhole game setup outside the Harbormaster’s office.  How can you not love a place like that?

Pics(s) of the Day

Celebrating decades of friendship with Valerie and Charles

I had a Summer Salmon Salad off the daily "Fresh Sheet" at Anthony's.

Alan chose the Seafood Fettuccine.

A view of Fidalgo Bay from the Tommy Thompson Trail

The trailside sign read, "Public Art - Please feel free to add items of interest."

Biking across Fidalgo Bay

A poignant Seafarers' Memorial in Anacortes

Lady of the Sea - "Dedicated to those who work and play in the sea, and the families and friends who wait for them."

The Cap Sante Marina - When you read a blog written by a boater, you have to expect pics of boats!

 

These lazy lugs relaxed on the dock almost all afternoon.

 

Sparkling clean Restrooms/Showers/Laundry for RVers

Cap Sante Marina RV Park offers back-in and pull-through sites.

The Park can accommodate rigs combos with a total length of 51' to 72'.

We'll be back!

Up Next – On to eastern Washington!  I had made reservations for the Labor Day weekend at an Army Corps of Engineers campground on the Snake River.  We love COE campgrounds!  Usually.  But not this time.