July 25th to 27th - Fidalgo Bay

July 25^th – Thurs

 We took the bikes off the rack, cleaned them up & pumped up the tires.  They needed cleaning because we drove for quite a while after the cover was torn by dragging on a steep access to a service station.  Then we rode a really nice bike/walking trail to Anacortes – only a couple of miles away.  We initially were going to have breakfast in town but decided to eat when we got back.

We saw a couple digging clams on the beach and we had been told that we didn’t need a license for clams so Terry dug out a rake and a bucket.  We went to the beach where we talked to the people and discovered that we do need a license and a permit from the park to dig on this beach.  We drove back to ACE Hardware for our licenses, got the permit here, got out another bucket & a shovel and headed back to the beach.  It didn’t take too long to get our limit of 40 clams each and then we had to start rinsing them and mixing up salt water so they would spit out all the sand.  I enjoyed reading while Terry went visiting.

The rest of the group was eating oysters (not our cup of tea) so we had clams, salad & bread for dinner.  Turns out the group also had crab which we missed.  After dinner we went for another short bike ride the other way on the bike trail which went over a long wooden trestle – very nice.  Then we were ready for a nightcap & TV.

July 26^th – Fri

I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then we went to see Larry & Barb.  I chatted a while with Barb while Terry was watching Larry cook the crab that they pulled from traps this morning.  We found out that dinner today was a potluck so we had to go to a grocery store for a couple of ingredients for Kathy’s Potatoes.  Then we went to the casino where I won more money than Terry lost.  Terry was actually doing OK but I made him leave so I could get the casserole mixed & in the oven.  We heard first that dinner was at 5, then 5:30 and then 6 so I ended up turning off the oven & leaving the potatoes in to keep them warm.  While the potatoes were cooking, we both actually ate oysters that had been cooked on a grill and basted with a sauce containing bacon, butter & garlic.  Not too bad.  We also had time to visit with Dave & Dora and Art & Dava.  We met Dave & Dora in Desert Hot Springs.  Art is Dora’s brother.

In the usual manner of potlucks, we had lots of food.  We ate on a deck that went the full length of the clubhouse and the weather was perfect.

July 27^th – Sat

After coffee & leftover cinnamon rolls, we wandered around chatting and saying goodbye to quite a few of the group who were leaving today.  Then we went for a drive to Deception Pass, Oak Harbor and Coupeville.  It is very scenic and the parking lot to view the pass area was overflowing with cars when we passed it going & coming back so we didn’t stop.  We made a short stop at the casino on the way back and Terry covered my small loss this time.

I made a late lunch and then we went to Larry & Barb’s site.  Barb said we should have been there 15 minutes earlier and we could have tasted her crab cakes.  L&B’s son Jeff, his wife Becky and their daughter Amanda are here for another night as well as friends Mike & Cindy and another Mike so we hung around with them for the rest of the day. 

Terry went out in the boat a couple of times to pull crab pots and we helped cook about 30 crabs.  Of course we ate crab for dinner which ended up being quite late as we waited for the second batch of crab to come in and be cooked.  Also, Jeff & Becky wanted a tour of our rig so we fit that in before dinner.  Terry got out a buddy burner and it was 11 before he asked that the last person put the lid on the buddy burner and we headed home.