Jack and Amy 's Washington State Trip
Day 3 - Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
A day on Guemes Island
Skagit County, WA
Bald Eagle soaring over the Guemes Island Shoreline
Dam Beavers blocked my route!
Typical Guemes Island Scenery
Kelly's Point on the Guemes Island Shoreline
Kelly's Point on the Guemes Island Shoreline
Nice trails at the southernmost area of Guemes Island
I met a friend
I found another route to the Guemes Mountain Trailhead and used the loaner bicycle to pedal there. It didn't take me long to realize that I much prefer walking to bicycling and was happy to arrive at the trailhead so I could get back to hiking!
The Guemes Mountain Trail is a well designed and constructed 1.2 mile trail (2.4 miles round trip) up to the summit of Guemes Mountain. It gains elevation gradually up to the 680-foot summit which would normally offer up some spectacular views.
The views were a bit limited today, but I had the mountain to myself and thoroughly enjoyed my time high up on the top of Guemes Mountain.
After my hike up Guemes Mountain I continued exploring the Southeast corner of the island via bicycle. I set the bike aside for a bit to a break to explore some of the shoreline along the South-East corner of the island..
I took a nice break to share a moment with a Bald Eagle.
I originally planed to stay on the bicycle to explore the Northern end of the island. However, by the time I got back to the General Store I was done pedaling! From there I continued exploring via foot.
Sunset this time of year is at around 5:00pm making it dark by the time I finished up my day of exploring. I enjoyed a nice cold pint at the General Store while waiting for the next ferry back to Anacortes.
Later that evening after a nice meal, Amy and I took a nice little stroll around the Anacortes Marinia. Most of these shots were taken by Amy on her new I-Phone.
My complete set of photos is posted here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/albums/72157713665017853
The town of Anacortes, WA where Amy and I were staying for the week has two Ferry terminals offering access to many of the islands of the Pacific Northwest. The Guemes Island Ferry is only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel and since since Amy had to work the entire day, I decided to take the ferry over and spend the day exploring Guemes Island.
Taking the Ferry over to Guemes Island
I was the only pedestrian on the first ferry of the day. I had hoped to catch the sunrise from Guemes Island, but there was absolutely no break in the thick clouds rain persistent rain. So I decided to start exploring the island by foot.
My plan for the morning was to walk to the Guemes Mountain Trailhead and hike to the top. Unfortunately, the beavers on Guemes Island were not aware of my plan and I ran into this.
There was no way around without getting soaked, so my hike up Guemes Mountain would have to wait until later in the day. Instead, I backtracked a bit and explored the South-West quadrant of the island.
Cute little houses on Guemes Island
The only store or restaurant on Guemes Island is the Guemes Island General Store. They have a very limited menu on Tuesdays during the off season, but I was able to get a flight of beer, a bowl of Seafood Bisque, and a Turkey Panini. All of which were fabulous!
Flight of Beer and Seafood Bisque at Guemes Island General Store
One of my fondest memories from this trip was being treated to a solo piano performance by Ben Starner. He just happened pop in to grab a cup of coffee and tickle the ivories on the store's piano while I was having lunch. Check out this guys piano skills!
The Guemes Island General Store also offers loaner bicycles. I borrowed one of those for a little while after lunch.
My ride for the next few hours
I found another route to the Guemes Mountain Trailhead and used the loaner bicycle to pedal there. It didn't take me long to realize that I much prefer walking to bicycling and was happy to arrive at the trailhead so I could get back to hiking!
Guemes Mountain Trail
The Guemes Mountain Trail is a well designed and constructed 1.2 mile trail (2.4 miles round trip) up to the summit of Guemes Mountain. It gains elevation gradually up to the 680-foot summit which would normally offer up some spectacular views.
The views were a bit limited today, but I had the mountain to myself and thoroughly enjoyed my time high up on the top of Guemes Mountain.
At the Summit of Guemes Mountain
A little History
Nice benches along the way
The Guemes Mountaintop Loop Trail
View from Guemes Mountain
View from Guemes Mountain
After my hike up Guemes Mountain I continued exploring the Southeast corner of the island via bicycle. I set the bike aside for a bit to a break to explore some of the shoreline along the South-East corner of the island..
I took a nice break to share a moment with a Bald Eagle.
Bald Eagle at Guemes Island
Guemes Island
view from Guemes Island
I originally planed to stay on the bicycle to explore the Northern end of the island. However, by the time I got back to the General Store I was done pedaling! From there I continued exploring via foot.
Sunset this time of year is at around 5:00pm making it dark by the time I finished up my day of exploring. I enjoyed a nice cold pint at the General Store while waiting for the next ferry back to Anacortes.
Waiting for the Ferry back to Anacortes
Later that evening after a nice meal, Amy and I took a nice little stroll around the Anacortes Marinia. Most of these shots were taken by Amy on her new I-Phone.
Anacortes Marina
Jack and Amy Marinia Selfie
Anacortes Marinia at Night
Anacortes Marina At Night
Anacortes Marina At Night
My complete set of photos is posted here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/albums/72157713665017853
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