Lake Powell and PNW

Got another early start this morning, but only had 300 some miles to go today. So far my most expensive gas was at the truck stop next to the casino last night. I think it was $4.59/gal. Today I managed to keep it under $4.00/gal. The cheapest being at a Safeway in Auburn, Wa. for $3.89/gal, and came with a show. Turning onto the side street to enter the station, I saw a fire truck and a whole lot of smoke, and it smelled like burning plastic. Then I could see a lot of flames. It looked like one of those coffee corner shops was burning. Someone inside the gas station said it was an empty building. Another twenty minutes of travel, I arrived here in Port Orchard, where I'm leaving the pickup and trailer with a new C-Brat friend while on the water up here. The ramp I'm launching at needs at least 5' of tide, and it was at low tide this afternoon. So I'll spend the night here and launch in the morning.Read more

Monday, May 5. Happy Cinco de Mayo. Had a smooth transit today, coming up the Saratoga Passage into Skagit Bay and then the Swinomish Channel. Mostly slack, to a pushing current of about a knot and a half. Went through a few areas where the currents were pushing up against each other. Sometimes that can cause tidal rips. I went through a few, but very minor. I took a photo of one, where you can see rippled water giving way to smooth water. Also had a great view of a snow capped Mount Baker. Always enjoy looking at water front homes, and that was no different on Gedney (or Hat) Island, and Camano Island. Some of those homes were up on a cliff with quite an intricate staircase. Every once in a while you’ll see a boat that is moored near the beach, so when the tide is out, it sits on the mud. The approach to the Swinomish Channel from Skagit Bay is slightly challenging, without much room for error, or you’ll find yourself in the rocks or mud flats. (A little more challenging when you have current pushing you off course in the turn.) There are range markers in the bay just west of the channel entrance, that you use to line up for the turn in. (Then they end up behind you.) Then stay between the markers in the channel. One side has a rock bar (which at mid tide just breaks the water surface), the other side mud flats. At Goat Island, someone put a wood cutout of a goat on some pilings. About a mile or so into the channel, you make a 90 degree turn to the left through Hole in the Wall. I’m guessing called that, as you pass between some rock outcroppings. A few minor turns between more rocks, and then under the Rainbow bridge into LaConner. I still had about a knot and a half of current coming into the dock, which is parallel to the current. Parallel current is much easier than perpendicular current, but always a little more fun than docking in calm water. La Conner is a cute town with numerous shops and restaurants. And a nice boardwalk along the water front. Coming back to the dock, I found two more boats had joined me. A shrimp boat had come in on the other end of the dock (rules say no commercial fishing boats…) and then a 40’ Grand Banks trawler between C-Traveler and the shrimp boat. We are pretty tight together with the Grand Bank’s anchor just above my bimini, and his bow just behind and outside of my outboard…Read more