Scenic Sunday Drive

To the north of La Conner there are many places to discover. Taking a nice scenic drive around here can easily provide very pleasurable day. In the morning, we started off with a walk along the Padilla Bay estuary. It was low tide so timing wasn’t best for bird watching, but a nice 3 mile walk none the less. Views of Mt. constitution accompanied us along the way and I could not help but notice that while it was low tide, the smell that usually accompanies low tide was not present. We did see a few small birds, but for the most part the quiet stillness was the most enchanting element.

Around this area is a the quaint community of Samish Island. Samish is a place of many gorgeous and huge houses that are a flanked on either side by the sound and views into the San Juans. You can look out and feel surrounded by water. Scenic vistas were of no shortage and a small section of public beach allowed us an up-close look at the treasures and riches of Marine life just on the shore. Riches of land, sea, and life.

There is a very old-fashioned and very delightful and very little town near La Conner called Edison. Journalist Edward R. Murrow grew up here, but one would never expect such exceptional cuteness from one block in the middle of fields. We made a stop at an organic cheese factory where happy cows make happy cheese and a stop for a personal tour of a local creamery. The highlight of this tour was being able to pet a calf that was born just hours earlier.

Further up the road we began our scenic drive on Chuckanut Road. Curvy roads adorn steep cliff sides that, if given blue skies, give a spectacular drive. We stopped for a vista and photos of the of the passageway to the San Juans. Some sights can never get old and each turn provides a new beautiful view. The San Juan islands offer exactly this scenic experience. At the end of cuckanut Road you enter a charming historical town known as Fairhaven. Old-fashioned business meets college town sheek. Further down the road we ran into Bellingham.

Bellingham answered the call for food and beer via the Chuckanut Brewery and Pub. I had a great sampling of brews to along with scrumptious sweet potato fries. We finished our day’s trip with a small driving tour of the campus of Western Washington University. Where in environment and learning coexist.

Scenic drives require non-stop stunning scenery and great pit-stops along the way. This day of scenery throughout the area between La Conner and Bellingham provides exactly that. A perfect Sunday Drive.