The Tommy Thompson Trail 10 km Volksmarch in Anacortes, Washington - Sunday, July 21, 2024

Being Type-A people, we can always fit just one more thing into our schedule! Bob was going to ride his bike Sunday morning on the 10 km Tommy Thompson Trail recommended by the clerk at our RV park. It's located in Anacortes, Washington, a 20-minute drive from Mount Vernon. 

We looked up Anacortes, Washington on my.ava.org and found that the trail is a Volksmarch! Yay! We can walk it and get credit in our Event and Distance books. AVA is America's Walking Club.

Looking out at Padilla Bay and the "inner"
San Juan Islands.

Check-out time at the RV park is 11 am so it will be a tight schedule for us to drive, do the 10 km walk, and return to the RV park by then. Plus, Bob is going to make omelets for breakfast when we get back. 

At 7 am Sunday morning, it was sunny and 57 degrees F. in Anacortes with a stiff breeze coming off the water. Brr! I had to put on my sweater. 

Our first direction of the walk said to turn right on Q St. Ummm, where the heck was Q St. We drove in on R St and that would have been the logical place to start a walk. I got out my phone and mapped Q St. in Anacortes. It turns out that R St. changed to Q St. just before the grocery store where we started. It would have saved us five minutes if the directions had stated that!

The Tommy Thompson Trail is an out-and-back paved bike/hike path. The first half-mile goes along a "busy" street and then veers off through an area of marinas and dry docks.

Marine Technology. Bob says the best part of
this sign is "Pushing the Envelope."

Run, Bob, run! This sculpture is
"Running" by Ken Turner, 2016.

A beautiful painting on the outside of a
hardware store.

Looking toward the sunrise over Padilla Bay.

Hmm. I have never heard of "glossworks" before. From the description below, this is the perfect business for a coastal area with salt air. 

After about a mile, we came to a large warehouse displaying murals along the trail side of the building. The Tommy Thompson Mural Project is an annual event created during the Anacortes Art Festival. It is funded by proceeds from the annual Art Dash (half marathon, 10k, 5k). The murals represent the unique points of view of local artists. The display board below tells about the current murals on the building.

This rails-to-trails walk is straight and flat making for easy walking. 

Bob on the Tommy Thompson Trail in 
Anacortes, Washington.

Multiple informational signs along the route tell about:

• The local timber economy, 
• Watersheds, 
• Ecosystem cleanup, 
• The Pacific Flyway, 
• Wildlife of Fidalgo Bay, 
• Wastelands to wetlands, 
• The Salish Sea, 
• Log booms,
• The riparian zone (where land and water meet), 
• Coastal processes that shape the shoreline, 
• Forage fish (a vital link in the marine food web), 
• Weaverling Spit (a pioneer crossroads), 
• March Point (a fertile peninsula that attracted the area's first settlers), 
• Oceans in motion (waves, tides, currents, upwellings, and the impact of the sun and moon on the sea), 
• Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve, 
• The rebuilding of the Tommy Thompson Trail trestle after a fire, 
• A grassy meadow beneath the bay, 
• Restoring shoreline habitats, and
• How the Native Americans' menu revolved around Fidalgo Bay.

Old-growth timber and mills fueled
 the early economy of Anacortes, Washington.

The Salish Sea. I never knew this before.

Some birds of the Pacific Flyway.

We enjoyed this walk in that it was quiet and scenic. There aren't a lot of turns to worry about so we could talk and not get lost. LOL.

A bulletin board showing people having a
good time on the Tommy Thompson Trail.

A unique driftwood bench.

Looking toward the "inner" San Juan Islands at low tide.

The refineries on March Point in the early morning light.

"Ska-ATL the Otter," by Tracy Powell, 2009.

Freighters in Fidalgo Bay.

The trail crosses a driveway here.

The eagle sculpture outside the 
gate to a property on Fidalgo Bay.

This totem pole is at an RV park
next to Fidalgo Bay.

Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve at low tide.

This madrone tree is a splendid red
in the early-morning light!

Bob is walking on the Weaverling Spit.

Wild carrot (Daucus carota).

Weaverling Spit.

Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve.

The Trestle Arch was commissioned to commemorate the community coming together to rebuild the trestle destroyed by fire in 2009.

The Trestle Arch: "Together WE Did It." 

The Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle.

The Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle.

Bob on the Tommy Thompson Trail Trestle.

Fidalgo Bay Aquatic Reserve. We saw 
sea lions out here today.

This rabbit posed for my photo!

Normally, there are stunning views of Mt. 
Baker here. Today we could barely see it!

Many thanks to the NW Tulip Trekkers Club for this great walk. We thoroughly enjoyed it!

At the finish of the walk, we quickly returned to the RV park in Mount Vernon. Bob made omelets while I started to get the 5th wheel ready to travel. We left the RV park at 11 am, right on time!

"West Side Geese Sculpture - Division Street,"
by Skagit Valley College Welding Club,
with Instructor Mary Kuebelbeck.

Our site (#44) at Mt. Vernon RV Park 

Our site (#44) at Mt. Vernon RV Park

Today, we are traveling 100 miles to Hope, British Columbia via I-5, WA 542, Everson-Goshen Rd., WA 544, and WA 9 to the Sumas Border Crossing. 

Traveling I-5 North toward Bellingham.

Washington's Skagit Valley agricultural area.

The border crossing at Sumas took us 35 minutes. We had to throw away our four apples. 

TransCanada-1 going toward Hope, British Columbia.

We arrived in Hope at 1:45 pm and checked into Wild Rose RV Campground. I love this town! It is surrounded by high mountain peaks in all directions. The mighty Frasier River flows by downtown. I fell in love with this place as a teenager when our family traveled to British Columbia for a religious convention. I'm still in love with it.