After our wonderful day in the mountains on Saturday, a trip to the coast was in order for Sunday so we decided to head up to La Conner. Sitting on the Swinomish channel, across from the Swinomish Reservation, La Conner is a typical coastal town, full of tourist type shops, antique stores and restaurants. During the summer months it can be hard to find a place to park in town, so go early. If you want to go during the Tulip Festival in the spring, my best advice is to book a room at one of the little inns in La Conner at least a year in advance. I’m not kidding. During the festival, this little town can quadruple the number of people it normally handles. Little tidbit of history on the town; When it was first settled in the 1860’s it’s name was Swinomish. A couple of years after settlement, a Mr Conner bought the trading post (and thus the town) and changed the name of the town to La Conner. Ah, Mr Conner must have been of French descent you say. Non! Turns out Mr Conners’ wife’s name was Louisa Ann Conner. Yup, he named it after her, and the La is just her initials. Feel informed and excited now, don’t you?
Leavenworth WA – Day trip
This past Saturday Beth and I headed up into the mountains for a day trip to Leavenworth. Leavenworth is like a lot of small mountain towns. Formed when the railroad came through, Leavenworth was a happening town in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Then around the 30’s or 40’s, things changed. The railroad changed direction, and the main source of income, the sawmill, shut down. The town was hanging on by the proverbial thread when, in the early 60’s, community leaders decided the only thing that would help was tourism dollars. The town sits in an area that is very reminiscent of Bavaria, so they remade the town into a little bit of Alpine goodness, and the rest as they say is history.
Oregon Coast Weekend
This past weekend, Beth and I headed out for a long weekend. Destination this time was…south. No real plans other than to just get out of town for a while. I’m a firm believer in taking little trips here and there. Like a warm snifter of B&B on a cold night, it’s good for the soul.
So somewhere around noon on Friday, we head south. I-5 is a royal PIA as always, but traffic seemed to let up a little once we got past Tukwila, and before we knew it we were past the Tacoma dome and movin’ fast. I swear that when we take these trips our car acts like a puppy just let out of the house. It so rarely gets to go any faster than 40 or so that when we hit 70 I can almost hear it yip. Continue reading “Oregon Coast Weekend”