Memorial Day Weekend Plans

Have you made your Memorial Day plans yet? Maybe a trip to the beach or the mountains? How about a baseball game or a backyard BBQ with neighbors? We made our plans last night. We're going to spend Memorial Day weekend in Anacortes, WA. Well, that's where our hotel is going to be.

Now, you might ask why we would go to Anacortes now and not in April when the tulip festival is going on.  The Skagit County Tulip Festival occurs every year in April.  When the tulips are in bloom there are acres and acres of tulips and miles and miles of amateur photographers trying to make a name for themselves by photographing that one accidental red tulip in a sea of yellow. I have never attended the tulip festival, although I've driven by. My husband grew up in the area and has no desire to deal with the traffic involved, so I get my tulip fix by buying them at Safeway.

As I said, my husband grew up in the area and my in-laws still live there, but we're not going to Anacortes to visit them either, although I'm sure we'll have dinner or breakfast a couple of times. We're going to Anacortes, and more generally, Island County on a mission. To finish the Island County Thomas Brothers Guide challenge. It's a geocaching challenge, not unlike the DeLorme challenge I mentioned in Lost in a National Forest. This time the goal is to get a cache on every page of the Island County Thomas Brothers Guide. We have 14 pages so far, and there are 38, so we'll be busy that weekend. It's going to include a ferry ride or two and a lot of driving around.

We already have the Thomas Brothers Challenges for King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap Counties. Island County is far enough away that we can't just drive up and grab caches. Which is fine with me. We get to stay at the Islands Inn, my favorite little inn. If you're ever in the area try them out. Make sure you try the homemade bread with butter and chocolate sprinkles at their complimentary breakfast!  We get to spend a little time with my in-laws who I love dearly and we get to geocache all day for three days. I can't think of a better way to spend Memorial Day Weekend.

I'm planning to write a travelogue of the process, so you'll get to hear about our adventures. Don't worry, just the interesting stuff. Maybe some pictures from the ferry. Hopefully it won't be too exciting. The last time we went to Anacortes to spend Memorial Day Weekend caching, my husband broke his leg and had to be carried out by four firemen. Stay tuned!

What are you doing for the big weekend? Whatever it is, remember it's not just the traditional start of summer. It's also the time we remember the men and women who gave their all for our freedom. Don't forget to take time on Memorial Day to say thank you.