Earlier this week, I had the great pleasure of biking the Skagit Valley with my son, Ashir. Starting in Mount Vernon, then making our way to Edison, Bay View State Park, La Conner, Fir Island, before ending our ride in Stanwood, I figure we logged in about 65 miles or more. The ride provided for more than a few opportunities to sketch!
Ashir and I spent our first night in a cabin at Bay View State Park on Padilla Bay. I’d never rented a cabin at a state park before and was quite impressed at how comfortable it was. Our cabin had a porch swing, picnic table, a fire pit, and a great view over the bay to the west. The sunset was truly memorable!
On day 2, we biked south to La Conner where I found an empty pier with boarded up merchant stalls and an open space with a great view of the Swinomish Channel. Ashir proceeded to take a nap on a bench while I turned my attentions toward the interesting character of the old vender stalls.
Ashir requested that I paint the Rainbow Bridge just downstream.
From La Conner we rode east to the tulip fields and found this great strip of red, purple and white flowers. Really, there’s nowhere out among the tulips that isn’t picturesque.
We spent our final night at a cabin at Blake’s RV and Marina on Fir Island, right on the Skagit River itself. Word has it that just downstream was where Fishtown used to be. As interesting as the history of the place is to me, seeking it out and visiting will have to be an adventure for another day.
It began to rain at sunset as I set up to paint our cabin; the rain drops leaving little white blooms in the expansive fields of Fir Island.