Island Odyssey 2008 10 Sept. 2008 to 14 Sept. 2008

Memories of past rallies and caravans
Dave&JanPotter

Island Odyssey 2008 10 Sept. 2008 to 14 Sept. 2008

Post by Dave&JanPotter »

In 1792, while exploring the waters north of Seattle in what would later be named Puget Sound, Joseph Whidbey discovered a passage where the tidal currents roiled furiously through a narrow jumble of rocks creating a treacherous carpet of whirlpools. He named this beautiful passage, lined with tall Douglas firs, Deception Pass. On 10 September 2008, under bright sunshine and blue skies, twenty Born Free motor homes assembled at the North Whidbey RV Park near Deception Pass for Island Odyssey 2008. No sooner were we settled in than our rally hosts introduced themselves and reminded us of the wine and cheese social in the clubhouse which was followed by a delicious prime rib repast. After dinner, Coleen explained the schedule and showed a video of the places we would be visiting.
Bright and early Thursday we boarded tour buses for a short trip to SeaBear in nearby Anacortes. SeaBear processes and ships high quality salmon and seafood products throughout the country. After the interesting tour and tasting, we were off to the ferry terminal. We took the noon ferry out to Orcas Island where we spent the afternoon exploring that beautiful island. Our buses successfully made the trip up to the summit of Mount Constitution, (2407 ft) where the 360 degree view was simply dazzling. After a hair-raising trip down the narrow road, we stopped at historic Rosario Resort. There we got a glimpse of what resort life was like a hundred years ago. A delicious catered lasagna meal was waiting for us when we returned and was much appreciated.
Friday was a free day with participants left to explore the quaint historic waterfront of nearby Coupeville or hike through the towering firs down to the sandy beaches of Deception Pass State Park. We chose to go out with Mel and Connie Wilbur to the Greenbank Farm Restaurant where Mel gave their Marionberry pie his personal stamp of approval. Later that evening we were served another delicious meal of oven roasted chicken and fettuccini alfredo.
The fog burned off early on Saturday morning to another glorious day and we were off again to the ferry terminal. This time we set sail for Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. There we set off in tour buses to roam the island. Roche Harbor where John Wayne loved to tie up his boat was a popular stop. The north end of this island is essentially all limestone and at Roche Harbor we saw how they used lime kilns a hundred years ago to make lime from limestone. My wife’s favorite stop was the gift shop at the Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm where they raise and breed these curious and rare animals which produce such soft fiber. We also made several stops along the scenic western shore hoping to spot one of the pods of Orcas which spend the summers feeding in the waters around these islands but to no avail. The afternoon was capped with a meal at the Downrigger restaurant overlooking busy Friday Harbor courtesy of Born Free. The king salmon, shrimp scampi and flank steak were great and much appreciated. Thank you, John. On the ferry ride back, we were treated to a spectacular sight as the sun dropped below the Olympic Mountains in a crimson burst of color. Back at the campground we were tempted by a formidable array of decadent deserts.
Island Odyssey 2008 ended with a continental breakfast on Sunday morning as we wished old and new friends a safe journey home. There were many people who helped to make this rally a success but we owe Coleen and Murray Lorance in particular a sincere thank you for making this a memorable and enjoyable rally for all.

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