My son and I took a flight with Lou this afternoon in the Piper. We are both novice pilots and…read moreoften take "discovery flights" when traveling. It gives us the chance to spend some time in the air and learn the area in a unique way. We took off from Friday Harbor, and flew to Orcas Island and back. Lou is a terrific pilot and instructor, and the Piper is a terrific aircraft. We had great visibility and the trip was smooth. It was a wonderful few hours. Next up, the biplane!

This morning while eating breakfast, my husband saw a flyer for AeroClassic. We called to see if…read morethey could fit us in and Lou was wonderful about setting up a 2pm flight for us. We arrived a little early, the building is extremely easy to find and it gave us time to gaze at the airfield and a couple little planes. When Lou arrived he was super friendly and went over the plan for our Introductory Flight for Two. As I have never flown before he gave me a short explanation of aerodynamics and how to use the rudders to turn the plane (very useful information once we got into the sky!). Lou was an amazing teacher in the air and let me guide the plane and decide where to go in that time period. When my time was up, we landed on Orcas Island to switch pilots and let my husband fly. Lou was a great teacher, he was very patient and kind. After this amazing experience with Lou; both my husband and I want to take private pilot lessons, we only wish that Lou was closer to be our teacher!

I need to admit I wasn't expecting much from this festival, but I was pleasantly surprised! First…read moreof all this is a HUGE festival by area standards. Size-wise it probably rivals the big Ski-to-Sea Festival in Fairhaven, and I found the vendors to be much more local and much more varied, which was nice. It sits literally right on the Anacortes waterfront, with breathtaking views over the marina toward snow-capped Mt. Baker. This was a postcard-worthy place to hang out on a sunny June day! There was a heavy emphasis on locally-produced crafts, art, and food and less of the "commercial" type booths which seem to be mounting a takeover at other festivals. There was also a HUGE Corvette show going on right next to the festival, which gave the hubby something to do while I surfed the jewelry and housewares booths. We also enjoyed the beer garden, hosted by local Anacortes Brewery - they had 5 different varieties of beer on tap, plus several wines. Next door was a robotics demonstration put on by local students, which was super fun to watch! While we pretty much attended this festival by happenstance, I would definitely add this to my "first weekend in June" calendar in future years. Note: get there early to sign up for the free boat rides offered by the local yacht club!

Great fun. Many items beautiful day wish it was 2 days…read more Great weather was great to be out

This is a review for the 34th annual Shipwreck Days Festival 2015 at Anacortes, where it is held…read moreevery year and my primary reason for visiting Anacortes in July. It is a massive community effort by the vendors, residents, businesses and the Fidalgo Island Rotary who make this thing come true every year, which is a gigantic feat, considering the massive city blocks this antique show/craft fair/arts fair/garage sale occupies. This interesting festival was born 34 years ago when commercial fishermen started selling their used gear as yard art on Commercial street. Perhaps a few of them started bartering fishing nets and other gear as well, attracting all sorts of curious onlookers who in turn started selling their used stuff and so on and so on. You can find EVERYTHING here. Plants, baked goods, old antiques, crafts, toilet seats, crappers on wheels, junk, handicrafts, paintings, beads, statues, old toys, street performers, rubber ducks, foam skeleton heads, mannequins, and yes, even fishing nets. Toilets via porta potties that line each side street. Park on the street and walk. It is very hot in July. Take a rolling tote or else face the wrath of bringing back everything by hand like I had to do - back and forth to the car and back in the sweltering heat. Slather on the sunscreen. Take some bottled water or buy the lot of water available by street vendors for $1.00 Go early, although we went as it just opened and it was still a human sardine garden with people bumping you every which way. Protect your wallet as well. Eat lunch at Gere A Deli right on Commercial Street. There is a long line but the food is so worth it!

Fabulous private charter for our party of 7 (3 adults and 4 of our just barely adults (18-20 years)…read morechildren). Gorgeous, well-appointed boat, and Captain Greg was perfect, answered every question and kept us entertained for the full 3 hours, especially our geology minor... We lucked out and had the finest weather - and I wish we had gone out for longer, full day vs. half day was really the play here! The Bee was simply a beautiful boat, clean as a whistle, with beautiful teal decks and trim - super comfy cushioned seats on the top deck were the best spot! Saw tons of wildlife as we toured around the coves and Island - recommend this experience highly if you are visiting San Juan Island!

Great day with a wonderful Captain. We spent the afternoon touring the captain Greg and got some…read moregreat views of the islands. It was perfect for us. Saw many eagles and vultures as well as other animals. What a great time.

The og Bier ON the Pier festival was seriously one of my favorite PNW beer events for over a…read moredecade. Sadly, last year the Port of Anacortes decided to close down the iconic Transit Shed pier location for this event (and for all events, of which there were many); so the festival was forced to move to the only other available facility in town: the Depot Arts Center. I have to say, it was NOT an improvement. First off, the Depot is broken up into several different rooms. I've been to a few art shows here, and it works for that. But for a beer festival, there just wasn't any energy since the breweries were all cordoned off from each other, and the music was outside in a completely separate tent area. At the original festival (on the pier), the stage was right in the middle of the action - not a separate destination entirely. Speaking of music, this was a highlight as Skagit Valley favorite Mama Dirty Skirt rocked the stage on Friday night. And on Saturday afternoon we chose the early entry option just to see one of our all-time Bellingham favorite musicians, Michael Dayvid, perform. There also seemed like fewer beer and cider options than years past. Several local breweries weren't represented, including favorites like Stemma, Wander, Aslan, and Boundary Bay from Bellingham, and North Sound from Mount Vernon. We missed seeing other PNW brewery kingpins, too. Fremont Brewing was there (thanks Fremont!) but it would have been lovely to see Georgetown, Elysian, Pike, Deschutes or any number of other local legend breweries. This could have been a space issue, though, as the breweries/cideries present were all stuffed into very tiny spaces. The breweries who were present definitely brought the enthusiasm and great brews. Some of my faves were Farmstrong's Oktoberfest vienna lager, Temperate Habits' ESB, and tasty sips from Beach Cat, Anacortes Brewing, Fringe, and Garden Path (to name just a few). The food options were also a bit disappointing compared to previous years. On Friday, we chose the dumpling operation, which was pretty much highway robbery. We paid over $15 for literally the tiniest, saddest little dish of dumplings ever. It was barely enough to be considered an appetizer for one person; definitely not a meal. Needless to say, after that we just walked downtown to the Brown and got a decent meal for not much more! On Saturday, we grabbed a hot dog from one of the on-site vendors and it was quite delish. I feel like the festival organizers did the best with what they could. But, personally, I probably won't return to this festival again unless some major changes are made. It wasn't really worth the time and expense to spend a whole weekend in Anacortes.

A must-visit while you're in Anacortes during the summer season. The cornerstone of the museum is…read morethe W T Preston steam-powered sternwheel snag barge. This Preston operated in the Puget Sound for decades removing snags, logs and hazards from the navigable waterways. The boat is well-preserved, with all of the gauges, controls, boilers and other equipment in place. The curators have binders full of pictures of the crew and operations over the years. You enter the boat in the engine room, are greeted by a curator, then turned loose to explore the rest of the vessel on your own. The first deck is machinery space, the second deck is crew accommodations and the third deck is the galley, wheelhouse and officer's quarters. $5 entry fee. I recommend setting aside about an hour to explore the boat and take it all in.

My plan is to ride the Sehome High School unified soccer family and friend's excursion train in the…read morenext the few years. I know i will bring back memories of my high school from 2013 to 2017. I will see my mom , Heather Ledray, my dad, Jim Ledray, and my Sehome High School friends, Katie Boon Dooley, Fiona Dawson, Mahlea King and Gracie Reiley out at Mirror Lake after the train ride. I will have fun on these from June to August every Satutrday. Our engine pulling the train is Northern Pacific 1070, a 1907 0-6-0 Alco steam locomotive built in Manchester, NH. The cars that the locomotive will be pulling were built in 1912 by George Pullman, an American inventor for the Pullman Car Co. It will be so much fun. I can't wait to do it. All aboard!

I've taken the pumpkin train two years in a row now. I was looking for driving directions when I…read moresaw the low star ratings on yelp. These are very harsh reviews. I was inspired to write my own. The train is old, from 1912. It's not perfect but has old charm to it. My kids love it, and so do my husband and I. This year they shortened the ride (which is good because it was a little long before) so we got to stop by Mirror Lake and get pumpkins in the the railroad track. It's a photographers dream. We also love riding the old pump cart (I think that's what it's called). It's our favorite part actually. It was still very fun, the kids were so excited. They allow you to explore all over the train inside and out. Any questions they answer with a smile. Also, they allow you to bring your own snacks (There were some complaints on other reviews about the snack prices and the offered selection). I bring a picnic basket with a thermos of hot coco, and special snacks my kiddos enjoy. It's a fun family activity that is a glimpse of what transportation used to be like. As for the price, I would spend just as much money at the pumpkin patch with admission, buying pumpkins and whatever else they add on for entertainment (pony rides or tractor rides, etc). On the train you get a nice size pumpkin to take home. You can get one pumpkin per person (this year I saw people bring garbage bags to put their pumpkins in so they are less dirty in the train). Overall, this is a charming old train, run by knowledgeable people, who are sharing this experience with others and hopefully inspiring others to love trains and the history of them too. If you are expecting a really fancy train, with modern amenities you'll be disappointed. We look forward to coming back again next year.

Update: I really like the offseason "refreshes". The facility still has the hometown feel, yet…read moretidied up a bit. The bleachers have enough room that you do not feed crammed in. Its great family entertainment, reasonably priced. The food is "fine", what you kind expect from a local track. Top tip: Its a dirt track, you will get dirty. Bring a seat cushion and earplugs.

Friendly staff, spacious up to date facility. More improvements to come…read more The best fireworks show. Skagit fireworks display put most cities to shame. Good Food, Cold drinks and adult beverages. Also a family section is available.