"On the Road Again"... finale!!

In this final installment of my Island Hopping Adventure we find ourselves back in Washington State to explore the San Juan Islands. 

Ferry to Anacortes... Mt. Rainier in background

As usual and especially while traveling, I tend to look at all of my surroundings through the eyes of an artist... the new scenery, new communities, artwork and music by local artists, regional cuisine... for me, inspiration lies around every corner!  The photos below represent a variety of subjects that caught my interest along the way...   

Anacortes, Fidalgo Island... sampling of community art installations 

 This piano is part of an art competition, each decorated by local artists - 
several are on display along the main street

Deception Pass State Park...  

Bridge connecting Fidalgo & Whidbey Islands

                  

Silly Selfie - Bridge in the background

Whidbey Island & San Juan Island... 

      highlights of Coupeville, Oak Harbor, Fort Ebey, Friday Harbor

Best Homemade Potato Chips EVER... YUM!!

All journeys, no matter how enjoyable, must come to an end...  so, it's homeward bound for us! Leaving the islands, we headed east on the "North Cascades Highway"... you'll see from the photos below that I tried to capture just how beautiful and picturesque this area is... but, I recommend seeing it for yourself... you won't be disappointed! 

Skagit River - North Cascades National Park

Skagit River Gorge

Diablo Lake - gorgeous green color

View of the Glacier Peaks above Diablo Lake

North Cascades Mountain Range

Another wonderful view around every curve!

... and another!

Mural in Winthrop, WA

Cowboy Bronze in Winthrop

  

 Thank you for popping in & sharing my travel memories...

Hope you enjoyed tagging along!!

Until next time, Happy (ART) Trails!!

 

"On the Road Again"... part II

My Island Hopping Adventure continues with us still on Vancouver Island.

Here are a few favorite pics of some new friends from other attractions that we discovered while exploring the island! 

Mother Nature is an artist's constant inspiration! 

The Shaw Center for the Salish Sea ...

The Butterfly Gardens & Insectarium ...

I couldn't possibly show you all of the wonderfully creative things that I saw each day, below is just a sampling of what caught my artistic eye along the way... 

  

Victoria's Royal BC Museum  ... Salish Artwork of the "First Peoples"

 Emily Carr (Bronze Sculpture) ... Canada's renown artist & author

Craigdarroch Castle ...

 

Fisgard Lighthouse ... built in 1860 & still in operation today!

 Anyone for plein air?!

Thanks for checking out part II of my adventure...

Hope that you will "hang in" for 

the next installment to be continued soon!

  

"On the Road Again"... part I

Autumn has always been my favorite time of the year for heading out on a road trip, this year was no exception. After the past few months, I was ready for a change of scenery as well as some free time to smooth my very ruffled feathers! My friend and travel companion, suggested our destination... living in Eastern Washington, neither one of us had ever traveled across British Columbia, Canada to the western coast or had visited Victoria on Vancouver Island. Since we were going to be so close, it only made sense that we would also travel from there to the San Juan Islands of Washington. 

Our Island Hopping Adventure was just what the doctor ordered... picturesque scenery around every curve of the road as well as local communities where ART is actually considered a resource... the perfect prescription for a wonderful holiday!

The photos below are just a few highlights from our journey... 

Our first day on the road ended in the small town of Hope, BC... their quaint historic downtown streets are lined with several Chainsaw Sculptures... they have an annual competition & the city purchases the winning sculpture for their permanent collection. Here are only a few...

Next stop Vancouver Island... after a wonderful ferry ride, we landed at Sidney-by-the-Sea, our home base for the 5 days that we were on the island! Sidney has a Waterfront Sculpture Walk next to the harbor for all to enjoy! In addition, they showcase several bronze sculptures of figures seated on park benches placed throughout the downtown area.  Here are a few of my favs...

City utility boxes & trash dumpsters are all painted or covered in photo wraps.

A Relief/Mural of the island's "First Peoples"

 

The Butchart Gardens were one of the main attractions that we planned to see... we were not disappointed! Whether or not flowers excite you, the colorful beauty of your surroundings cannot be ignored... a true feast for the eyes!  

These photos really don't do the gardens justice... unfortunately, my camera battery lost it's charge (do to operator error!) and my extra charged batteries were left in my hotel room (again, my error!)!

If you are ever in the area, I recommend that you treat yourself to a visit and see it for yourself...

 To be continued...

Thanks for popping in, I hope that you will soon check in again...

There's more to come from my autumn adventure!

Until then, Blessings to One & All!!