Skykomish, WA

The little town of Skykomish lies along US Highway 2, also known as the Cascade Highway. On our way to Leavenworth, we made a quick detour off the main road and checked out this tiny mountain town on the banks of the Skykomish River. In its heyday it was a bustling railroad center that catered to loggers and miners. Now it's like a ghost town - although around 150 people do call it home. It was fun to walk around and read the information boards which share photos and stories of its once colorful past. These days it's mainly a stopping off point for river rafters and kayakers in the summer months and skiers in the wintertime.

The main street...

The bridge connecting the town with highway 2...

The only open hotel and diner in town...

The abandoned Skynomish Hotel...

Just a short drive up Highway 2 from Skykomish, you can view Deception Waterfall and take a pretty hike through the surrounding forest...

Next stop: the Bavarian town of Leavenworth.

Greenbank Farm, WA

Whidbey Island, one of the longest islands in North America, is a popular destination for visitors in the Pacific Northwest. The only problem is its length: it takes a while to drive from one end to the other and there's so much to see in between! I love exploring this slender island and try to make at least one visit to it every time I'm up here. On my recent outing, I made a point of stopping off at Greenbank Farm, a major historical landmark on the narrowest point of the island. Unfortunately, I got such a late start that by the time I got there, it was closed! Oh well, the lighting was lovely so I took a few shots of the buildings and surrounding area.

And if you stop off there when it's open, you can try a variety of cheeses, breads, pies, berries, and wines. Yum yum.

Roche Harbor, WA

Welcome to Roche Harbor Resort and Marina, the jewel of San Juan Island. On a recent boating adventure, we docked our little Whaler there for an afternoon visit just a few days before the big 4th of July holiday. Things were really jumping there. Supposedly this is THE place to be for the annual Independence Day celebration. The harbor was filled with yachts from all over the western U.S. and Canada. Many of these vessels had tenders bigger than our little Whaler. In fact, I think we were one of the smallest boats in town, but that's usually the case up here in the San Juans! It was fun to stroll around and take in Roche Harbor's old-world charm...

Did you know that in 2011 the New York Times voted Roche Harbor the #2 place to visit in the world? Whew - Now I can say I've been there!

James Island State Park, WA

One thing nice about the San Juan Islands is that there are numerous small marine parks among them. James Island is just one of these. It sits along Rosario Strait not far from Washington Park where we launch our little Whaler. On one of our recent boating adventures we decided to tie up at its dock and get off and do a little exploring on foot. James Island is 113-acres and offers 13 campsites on land and moorage in its quiet coves. It provides wonderful western views of the San Juans and eastern views of Mt. Baker. When we stopped off, there were a few boats tied up to the dock, but the campsites on land were empty. This park even has picnic tables, shelter, and pit toilets. What more can you ask for!

Heading toward James Island with Mt. Baker to the east...

Approaching the dock...

Heading onto the island...

The view of the dock from behind...

A view of the dock and cove from the island...

Some of the campsites...

The island has several beaches to enjoy...

Looking eastward...

Leaving James behind...

Maybe next time we'll actually camp there!

Cottonwood, CA

Cottonwood is another one of those funny named towns that I've always meant to visit but instead just pass on by. Well, this time I made a point of finding the "historic downtown" and checking it out. There really is only one main street to the town. It sort of looks like a backdrop for a bad western movie. In fact, in 1997 the film "Almost Heroes" with Chris Farley and Matthew Perry was actually filmed here! And so Cottonwood does have its own charm and is worth a quick look.

So, if you're heading north or south on Interstate 5 to or from Redding, do make a quick detour and take in a little piece of California's past.