Its days like this that I absolutely love where we live. The day dawned with the promise of warmth and sun. Packing up, we put the top down and head out to Anacortes.  However with a day like this we decided that the fastest route wasn't the best and wound our way along the coast taking Chuckanut Drive to Highway 20.  We stopped at Gere a Deli for sandwiches. this is a must stop in Anacortes.  Also, be prepared for a lot of food.  Before going to Washington Park we stopped for a view of Padilla Bay, Guemes Island and Hat Island.  We watched a boat pull up to a tanker and some guys board the tanker by a cage that was lowered and then return the same way before headed back to Anacortes.it was rather fascinating to watch.After eating and taking a nap we then drove to Washington Park. I thought we may hike a bit but we decided to drive through the park and just enjoy the day lazy style.  We met a nice couple who had the same thing in mind and were actually from Bellingham.  Small world.  We returned the same way we came along the back roads just enjoying the day.  Note, bring sunscreen.  With the top down, legs, arms and necks tend to get burnt.

It had been a while and we were itching to get out onto the trail.  It's amazing how many places we haven't yet explored in the twenty years of living here.  Early in the season lowland hikes are the best bet since the higher trails usually have snow until July. We've hiked many of the trails in the Chuckanut foothills but wanted to get out of town. This is a nice little known gem that basically follows the river through the Skagit Valley.  We pulled into Rockport which is tiny. Very tiny and started off at the entrance to the Howard Miller Steelhead Park.  It is free for day use.  The very beginning of the trail is almost like a stroll through a well manicured park and then crossing a bridge is gets to look like a Pacific Northwest Trail complete with drop offs into the river.  The salmon berries weren't quite ripe yet but it is only a matter of a week or so. We stopped along a sandbar, took a little nap and headed back.  Perfect outing and great to explore a lowland trail.