Jim and Chris to Eagle Harbor

Sadly, we've not had much time with our good friends, Jim and Chris Munch, this summer and fall.  They're just wayyyyyy tooooo busy!  However, we did find a few days in October to get together and go to Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island.  So, we headed north down Swinomish Channel on our way to Anacortes, to pick up Chris and Jim.

It's not unusual to see a bald eagle to two as we head down the channel, just before the highway bridge.  We were rewarded with our patience, on this pretty October morning and saw an eagle perched above the channel, waiting for breakfast to swim by.  You can see snowy Mount Baker in the background.

We stopped at Cap Sante, our favorite marina in Anacortes, to pick up Jim and Chris and get some groceries.  As we pulled out into Guemes Channel, with Anacortes to our south and Guemes Island to our north, we were on the lookout for boat traffic.  The big tankers come into this channel to pull into the refineries on Fidalgo Island at March Point.  We didn't see any big tankers, but did watch this tug and barge go by.  You can see little Hat Island in the background.


We arrived at Eagle Harbor about 1 PM, grabbed a mooring buoy, and dinghied in to the island.  There were several trails to choose from, and we could have spent days there hiking around this island.  Like most islands in the San Juans it is very wooded, and hilly.  We choose an interesting trail and off we went to find Reed Lake.


While hiking along the trail I almost stepped on these SLUGS!  Gross.  They're about 8 inches long and creepy and slimy...very slug like.  Very important to watch where one puts one's foot down.  I'm not sure what it is that they're snacking on, and I don't think I want to know!  

It's fun to travel with Jim and Chris because they're so knowledgeable about the San Juans and this is Chris's home territory.  I can usually tell a dandelion from a fern, but they're experts and have names of the flora and fauna on the tips of their tongues.  

We spent the evening BBQing and playing Mexican Train.  Are you getting a picture of what you might do with us on the boat??  On our trip the next day, we decided to go through Deception Pass and up the Swinomish channel to Anacortes.  Yup, it was definitely the long way around, but Chris had not been through Deception Pass and we definitely had to give her the tour!

I never know what odd ball boat we'll see as we come through Deception Pass, Similk and Skagit Bays.  We saw this "mystery boat" go zooming by and I still don't know the story.  Looks like it would be hard to detect, though!


We were back in La Conner by 4:30...another great trip!  

There was a price to the Munch's company, though.  We spend the next day helping them landscape and plant their front walk.  Cant wait until spring when the steppable plants take off.  Great potential for something fabulous!