We are learning that when they say it is rainy here, it is not the same as rainy in Ontario. On Tuesday it rained intermittently; not enough to prevent us from doing anything and it really only required taking an umbrella with us when we went anywhere in case it did actually open up.

Today, we were expecting more of the same and we were pleasantly surprised with lots of sunshine and blue sky. It seemed like a good day to go to Bellingham, Washington, a 45-minute drive away to explore. They offer lots of shopping for travellers but even with the better exchange rate of late, there were no bargains to be had. We did bring back some Muenster cheese and some dried shitake mushrooms from Costco because they were at a much better price and because we were only there for the day, we didn't meet the criteria to bring back anything else.

We wanted to go to Anacortes on Fidalgo Island, the easternmost of the San Juan Islands and accessible by bridge so from Bellingham we took Highway 11 also known as the Chuckanut Drive there. It was one of those roads that would be a fabulous trip on a motorcycle because as it wound along the coast, narrowing in places, it afforded us breathtaking views at every turn. We stopped at the Oyster Creek Inn for freshly made oyster stew and clam chowder followed by delicious salads before heading in to Anacortes. Once there we discovered a huge port and several busy marinas as well as ferry terminals giving a traveler access to the other San Juan Islands and also Sidney on Vancouver Island. It was a fabulous day however as it was coming to an end, the clouds started to roll in, indicating the possibility of rain again. For a day with "sunny periods" in the forecast, we did all right and we are glad the sunny period lasted for about 10 hours!