Managing a legacy vacation home responsibly starts with a conversation you can’t really prepare a script for. One family on Lake Whatcom came to us with theirs already half-decided: their mother had bought the home later in life, and when she could no longer live there on her own, her two sons inherited the decision. […]
Managing a Legacy Vacation Home Responsibly: A Lake Whatcom Guide Read More »
Fairhaven is small enough to walk end to end in about twenty minutes, and it’s not far to any of the coffee shops in Fairhaven. Pick the one that fits the morning. Each does something the others don’t. October is a good month for it. The summer crowds thin out, the fog off the bay
Coffee Shops in Fairhaven, Bellingham: Five Stops, Five Moods Read More »
You drive out of Bellingham toward Gooseberry Point (map to 2557 Lummi View Drive, Bellingham for directions), and the road ends at the water. A ramp, a small boat, and five minutes later you are on Lummi Island. No bridge, no airport shuttle, no alternative option. If you are staying here, you plan the trip
How to Get to Lummi Island: The Ferry, Step by Step Read More »
Labor Day comes and Birch Bay changes character almost overnight. The day-trippers thin out. The state park lot has open spots again by mid-morning. The water, which took all summer to warm up in this shallow, west-facing bay, is at its best right as most people stop coming. That gap between the calendar and the
Best Things to Do in Birch Bay Before Summer Ends Read More »
Winter is the obvious peak on Mt. Baker — the snow record, the ski season, the crowds that come with it. But for the hiking corridor, summer gets the traffic. Mt. Baker in fall — after Labor Day, once the crowds thin out — is better than both. The crowds thin out after Labor Day.
Mt. Baker in Fall: Things to Do When the Crowds Thin Out Read More »
Whatcom County has a reputation built on its summers. Blue skies over Bellingham Bay, long evenings in Fairhaven, kayaks in the water and bikes on the trails. It earns it. But the county has a different season that doesn’t get nearly as much attention — and if you’ve ever watched a storm roll across the
Storm Watching on the PNW Coast: A Fall Preview Read More »
When a couple from the Seattle area bought a cabin on Lake Whatcom a few years ago, they had a clear picture of how it would go. The property had been a vacation home for a previous owner. The bones were solid. The setting was extraordinary. They’d list it on Airbnb, handle things remotely, and
The best things to do in Birch Bay WA all start with the water. This shallow, west-facing bay along Whatcom County’s western edge warms up faster than the open coast, which is why it turns into the county’s beach town every summer. Bellingham locals drive up for the day. Guests staying nearby build whole weekends
Things to Do in Birch Bay WA This Summer Read More »
Whatcom County doesn’t have one summer — it has three. There’s the coast, where Birch Bay warms up enough by July that the tidal flats fill with kayakers and the state park campground books out months in advance. There’s the city, where Bellingham’s waterfront and the Trackside District come into their own when the rain
Summer in Whatcom County: What to Do When the Sun Comes Out Read More »
Anacortes is a working town. The fishing boats come in at Seafarers Memorial Park, the ferry lines form before sunrise, and most people passing through are either heading somewhere or coming back from one of the San Juan Islands. This isn’t a food destination in the way Bellingham or La Conner have become. It’s a
Where to Eat in Anacortes WA: A Local’s Guide to Restaurants on Fidalgo Island Read More »
