A FRIEND FOUND

Happy birthday America! I often fly old glory at the back of our motor home, and there's no more appropriate occasion than on the 4th of July. This Thousand Trails, along with most other campgrounds, are full of folks celebrating our nation's birthday. Rather than just think of BBQ's, and a long weekend of partying, I hope everyone will pause for a moment, and be thankful that we all live in a pretty special place. Despite a few problems, at least our founders created a country where we all live in freedom, and have the collective power to steer the country in whatever direction the majority wishes. No wonder that we are the envy of most of the world.

I posted several days ago, that we attempted to find an old acquaintance, that had a small motorcycle repair business in Anacortes, but we were unsuccessful. Yesterday, we did a little more legwork, stopping at a small motorcycle shop, and inquiring if they knew what happened to Bill & Susan Wahrer, who used to be located on the main street with their business - Anacortes Iron. Fortunately, they knew Bill, and directed us to a residential area, where Bill & Susan had relocated from the main street. They have continued living in Anacortes, but because their former building had sold, and been demolished, they moved to LaConner for a few years, and when that property sold, they moved the business back to Anacortes, and to the back of their residential property. Bill said it's been a struggle, but they're surviving, and it was good to see them again. Bill and I go back to the days when Modesto Harley-Davidson was located on Ninth Street, where he was a technician, and I was selling motorcycles. Bill always had a reputation for being super meticulous about his work, and I wouldn't hesitate, in taking my Harley to Bill for any mechanical work. Since my bike is in Arizona, that wouldn't exactly be very practical, but if I was ever riding in the Northwest and needed anything, Bill would be the guy. We last saw Bill and Susan when we were headed north to Alaska in the summer of 2001.

While driving around, we discovered a road that led to the top of hill, overlooking Anacortes and the marina. It was a great view of the area, giving us the opportunity to take some great panoramic pictures.

Our next discovery was the W.T. Preston paddle wheeler, that was located next to the Saturday Farmers Market, our original destination. This was gem of a find, in that it was very similar to the restored paddle wheeler in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory of Canada, which we have toured. Around 100 years ago, there were hundreds, if not thousands of these shallow draft boats, plying the many rivers of North America. They were the transportation workhorses prior to highways and trucks. This paddle wheeler was not designed for the transportation of goods or people, it was used exclusively for the removal of obstacles in rivers, and in Puget Sound. It was called a "Snagboat", and wasn't retired from active use until 1981. We were able to tour the entire boat, where we checked out the crew & officer living quarters, the engine room, and even the galley. The other main difference on this stern wheeler, is that it was fitted with a metal hull in 1939, which allowed it to continue as a working boat for over 40 more years.

The wheelhouse wasn't open to the public, but as we all know, my wife has the ability to open many different doors with her charm. After talking to the lady volunteer for awhile, we found ourselves up at the top of the boat, checking out the normally inaccessible domain of the Captain.
It was a good day of discovery, and hopefully, there will be many more to come, while we travel around this great country of ours.