May 4, 2004

I left Portland in the late afternoon, loaded down with books from Powell’s and a little weary from the last week of travel. I had not planned where I would go after leaving Oregon, but I knew my general direction was northeast. I pulled over after crossing the bridge that leads from Oregon to Washington, where I pulled out a map and debated my options.

I had left a couple days free, though I had a reservation at an inn in Idaho later in the week. There were two lodging establishments in Washington that I had been wanting to add to my “list” for a long time.

Impulsively, I headed north, stopping for the night in Olympia at a standard motel, where I proceeded to trip over the cord to my laptop, causing yet another computer boycott in my electronics-destroying history. I wasn’t feeling great, had that too-much-driving-exhaustion-low-blood-sugar-braindead thing going on. I just wanted a good night’s sleep. I slept fairly well, in spite of worrying about the laptop.

It was with the excuse that I might need to stop to pick up a photo storage device that I headed for Seattle. I had looked up the addresses of a few camera stores. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but not being a fan of city traffic I managed to miss all the appropriate exits. Frustrated and anxious, I had what I might call a franxiety attack and drove straight through the city, stopping finally on the northern outskirts. There was no way I was turning around and fighting the traffic again, so I simply continued north, which is how I arrived, after years of longing to visit, in the town of La Conner, a hamlet nestled against the west side of the Skagit Valley.

The Hotel Planter is one of those historic hotels that started off as a successful establishment in the beginning of the twentieth century and later fell into a state of disrepair. Built in 1907, it began as a popular lodging for Seattle tourists and local workers, but was housing transients by the 1980’s. Listed as condemned, it was purchased by the current owners, Donald and Cynthia Hoskins, who restored the building over the course of nine years. As is typical with historic hotel renovations, the number of rooms was cut in half in order to add private bathrooms. The first floor was turned into commercial space and now houses galleries and shops. Custom furniture was made to match that of the original time period.

It is a quaint hotel, in excellent condition, with a beautiful garden courtyard inside. The rooms are spacious and elegant and have both phones and television, not always provided in historic lodging. My room was decorated in green and peach, with a window looking out over the courtyard.

La Conner is a town full of restaurants and cafes, all within reasonable walking distance. I had arrived on a rainy night—of course, this is Washington, after all—so I chose to have dinner nearby at the La Conner Pub. With my back to a warm fireplace, I looked out over the channel as the sun settled into the horizon.

The rain prevented much in the way of photography, but the following day allowed a few photo opportunities during glimpses of sunlight. The hotel serves coffee in the lobby area, but not breakfast. This I found breakfast across the street at Calico Cupboard Cafe and Bakery, an adorable little place with country decor, old-fashioned wood tables, green tablecloths, and fresh iris in vases. My scrambled egg—light meals help balance the splurge meals on the road—came with fresh cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes, kiwi, strawberries, and assorted citrus slices. With great difficulty, I managed to resist the cinnamon rolls in the bakery counter, which were huge and tempting.

This is the kind of town that tempts me to linger. Peaceful, artsy, and scenic. But I was already scheming a plan to hit one more inn before heading east, and I also wanted to see the countryside. I drove north to Edison, a funky little town with a pub by the name of Longhorn Saloon and Oyster Bar, a few shops, and a fascinating old barn-turned-antique-store called Tombstone Tony’s.

From Edison, I continued north to Chuckanut Drive, a gorgeous, winding route that runs alongside the ocean, with vistas of the San Juan Islands. Interesting shops and restaurants dot the roadway and the views are breathtaking. This drive is a must for anyone visiting the area.

I would have loved to spend more time exploring this area, but my plan had already formed and I wanted to arrive at my new destination in the daylight. I caught I-5 in Bellingham, continued south until I picked up 20 west and then headed toward Deception Pass.