Mini trip to Anacortes, WA and a visit to Deception Pass

Spring has been teasing us with an occasional burst of sunshine. Is winter finally behind us? Well not really. Nevertheless, we had plans to spend a long weekend in Anacortes, WA. Actually we had a motive. We took part in the annual 5 Mile Tulip Run. The Tulip Run is a popular event in the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. So instead of a day trip, we of course packed up the RV and turned it into a little getaway. That's a no-brainer right?

It takes around 2.5 hours to make the drive North to Anacortes, but that is assuming that traffic conditions are perfect. Here's the problem. In order to get there we would have to take I-5 right through Tacoma, Seattle and Everett. If not timed perfectly, the 2.5 hour drive could end up being 5 hours. We have learned this lesson the hard way in the past, so this time I had a different plan.

The plan this time would be to pack up the RV early and leave the night before. This would enable us to bypass all work traffic through Seattle. So that's what we did and it worked. No traffic. We left at around 7:30PM and arrived in Anacortes promptly at 10PM. I love it when a plan comes together.

We had reservations at the Fidalgo Bay RV Resort for the following night so we needed a place to stay. I had previously scoped out a nearby casino and found out that they had an attached RV park. Perfect! I booked a pull-through site online at the Northern Lights Casino for only $22 for the night. We pulled in around 10PM and were all hooked up within 15 minutes. As it turns out there was a winter special which would have enabled us to stay the second night for free. That would have been great, but we already had plans. The park was quiet and all of the hookups were good. We definitely plan to stay there again.

The next morning we took advantage of the $2.99 early bird breakfast. I then made $28 back on the slots before leaving. So overall, you could say that I broke even. Perfect!

The next day we made our way 5 miles up the road to Fidalgo Bay which would be our home for the next three days. We got settled in before deciding the venture out see the town. It was only Friday and, amazingly enough, it was a really nice sunny day. I've been wanting to visit nearby Deception Pass so we head south to check it out.

Deception Pass

Deception Pass is a narrow waterway between Anacortes and Whidbey Island. We later learned that Deception Pass State Park is the most visited park in the state. We didn't know that.

Once we arrived at the Deception Pass bridge, we parked the car and took a stroll onto the bridge to check it out. Wow! The view from there was stunning. When we were leaving we found out that there was a jet boat tour that you could take through the pass. We purchased some tickets and rushed a couple of miles down the road to catch the boat. The boat tour and guides were outstanding and I highly recommend it. Check out the video footage at the top of this post.

Mt. Erie

While on the boat tour, the guide pointed out Mt. Erie to us. Not only is Mt. Erie the highest point in the area, but you can actually drive to the top. So after leaving Deception Pass, we decided to go find Mt. Erie. We weaved our way up the narrow one lane road to the top and parked. I can only say that the view from there was breathtaking. It was late in the afternoon at this point, perfect for pictures. We spent a good hour up there exploring the rocky ledges and taking tons of pictures.

Click this link for more of  my photos from Deception Pass, Mt. Erie and Anacortes.

We ended the day back at the RV fully satisfied and talking about what we saw. But it was time for bed, because the next morning, we were running the 5 mile Tulip Run.

Tulip Run

We woke up the next morning really tired. We got on our running gear, jumped in the car, and drove 10 miles down the road to the Skagit Valley Airport where the Tulip Run was about to start. When we arrived, the place was already packed, so we had to park pretty far away before checking in. The temperature was in the upper 40s but the wind was kicking up pretty good. At least it wasn't raining though. After getting signed in we lined up with 500 other runners ready to race. After a 3-2-1-Go! we were off. I came across the finish line 45 minutes later and rushed back to snap a picture of my wife coming across the finish. We received a nice Tulip and some food for our prize.

We enjoyed the next two days relaxing in the RV and exploring Anacortes. I even stopped at the Donut House in town that sold a blueberry fritter and a giant donut name the "Bigfoot" which was shaped like a foot. We returned home Monday and managed to avoid traffic once again by timing it just right.

It was a great little getaway. I can't wait to go back.

~T