We had pancakes, sausage and eggs for breakfast this morning. How we got there was not so easy. The little electric stove in our cabin seems to have a mind of its own. We learned today that only two of the four burners work. Also, the oven comes on even when the dial is turned to the ‘off’ position. In addition, the two functioning burners have somehow become tilted so that any pot or pan placed on them sits at a 25 degree angle.
In any event, the asymetrical pancakes were a tasty complement to the sausage and eggs. The camp repairman came over later to inspect the stove and offered to swap it out, until he learned from the electrician that our 40 amp stove circuit would not work well with the 50 amp replacement stove. His recommendation: switch off the breaker when the stove was not in use. So, that’s how we’ll roll with the stove for the remainder of our stay.
Out on the road, our first stop was Moran State Park, and the trailhead out to see Rustic Falls and Cascade Falls. As soon as you drop down onto the trail, you’re in a wet rainforest environment. With the temperature in the low 40’s, we were feeling the chill.
Next, we took the steep and winding road up to the top of Mt. Constitution. It is the highest peak in the San Juan Islands (it is also the second highest mountain on an ocean island in the lower 48 states - Devil’s Peak on Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park - is the highest. I can now say I’ve been to the top two island peaks in the U.S.)
At the peak is an observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) in 1933. Its architect patterned it after a medieval tower. Unfortunately, we were right in the middle of rain clouds today and we had no view from the tower.
Luckily, when we got back down the road a couple of miles, we got a fantastic view to the south. We could see Friday Harbor off to the southwest, British Columbia to the west, and Anacortes to the southeast.
We kept going south and stopped for a short hike in Obstruction Pass State Park, where there are lots of Pacific Madrone trees along the precipitous cliffs.
By the time we got back to camp, it was starting rain again so we tripped the breaker, turned on the stove, and had some bratwurst and chili for dinner.
We had plenty of leftover chili and Karen decided to put it to good use. She took some over to our next door neighbors, who gratefully accepted it.
There is a small back-story to this chili offering: When we first arrived last night, I was carrying our suitcases down the short road to our cabin. Suddenly, a couple of yappy little mongrels came charging toward me. I admit I was a little tired, and maybe not the most cheerful camper at that moment. I asked the dog owner if her animals always did that, and I pointed out that we’d be their neighbors and asked if her dogs would be barking like that all night. She seemed a little taken aback, but assured me her pups were well behaved.
Karen overheard this exchange and pointed out to me that I had been somewhat less than tactful in this situation. I agreed, but also argued that my preemptive comments probably set the stage for more canine control. I noticed the owners took extra care to keep those mutts quiet the rest of the evening.
The beach is quiet again tonight.
NEXT: Ferry to Lopez Island
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