Tuesday, July 19, 2011

GOODBYE, CASCADES; HELLO, ISLANDS – OAK HARBOR, WA

On Monday, we left the dripping evergreen forest behind.  Fewer than 100 miles later, we settled into our new site at Staysail RV Park (click here to read our review), the city RV park in Oak Harbor, on Whidbey Island – in SUNSHINE!  We landed in what is certainly one of the best sites in the park, near the end of a long row.   This is the view out our windshield:

view

By the time we settled in, noon was long past and we were hungry.  For us, Whidbey Island is all about mussels, and Coupeville, 10 miles south, is the source of the famous Penn Cove mussels (which you occasionally find in 5 pound bags in Costco).  Off we went, for a late lunch/early dinner. 

Coupeville





We chose Kim’s, at the end of the public dock in Coupeville.  Our visit coincided with Race Week; sailboats skimmed the waters of Penn Cove.

 

Our mussels arrived at 3:48.

Mussels in the classic white wine/garlic/butter sauce for Odel, mussels in Thai red curry/coconut milk sauce for me. Crusty, chewy sourdough bread (the real thing!) on the side. Crisp, off-dry white wine alongside.

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4:04 pm. 

Nothin’ more to be said.

For dessert dessert

Walking back to the car, it was obvious that this is THE place for dessert.

A “single cone” holds three scoops!

Yes, it was a very, verrrrrryyyyy GOOD DAY!

at 9:25 AM

19 comments:

  1. Sue and DougJuly 19, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    nuff said..those mussels looked delicious!!!!..enjoy the sunshine!!

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  2. AnonymousJuly 19, 2011 at 9:48 AM

    Looks fabulous!

    By the way just nominated you for the 7 Links Challenge today (on my blog). Hope you'll participate :)
    Nina

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  3. Sue MaloneJuly 19, 2011 at 10:01 AM

    Sun! Food! Wow! Definitely sounds like a truly good day. Whidbey Island is on our list. The list just keeps getting bigger. We want to kayak the San Juan Islands and bike around Orcus. Maybe next year

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  4. Nickie and JimJuly 19, 2011 at 10:31 AM

    Ahhhhh, LIFE IS GOOD!!!

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  5. SherryJuly 19, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    OH mussels...........YUM!

    Oh ice cream.....Yummy!

    You guys live a great life. Glad I can be a voyeur.

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  6. Travels with EmmaJuly 19, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    I've never tasted a mussel in my life, but if I did, I'd order the butter and garlic ones that Odel did. :)

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  7. Jim and SandieJuly 19, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    Beautiful spot. Not a mussel fan but that ice cream cone - now that looked really good.

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  8. Dennis and DonnaJuly 19, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    I'm sitting with Odel on the garlic butter mussels...and I bet I can beat you both to the ice cream counter afterward!! Do you know that you two are now in Shangrila...such is food of the Gods!

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  9. Laurie and OdelJuly 19, 2011 at 3:56 PM

    Donna and Dennis: as I dropped off to sleep last night, I thought "mussels in broth, true sourdough bread to dunk in said broth, and wine... that would be good for every meal, except for breakfast I would have fresh blueberries". And ice cream now and then. Yes, it's culinary heaven.

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  10. squawmamaJuly 19, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    Good day ~ GREAT food... who could say anything more. OK maybe YUM!!!
    Have fun & Travel safe
    Donna

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  11. AnonymousJuly 19, 2011 at 6:42 PM

    do you need reservations there or is it first come first serve...Jil M

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  12. Wanderin'July 19, 2011 at 8:03 PM

    We were just in Coupeville a week, or was it two, ago. There's so much to see and do. We're already planning another trip back in a couple weeks. We'd love to stay at Fort Casey State right on the beach across from the ferry terminal. That's the plan. We're going to have to track down those mussels too. Lots of crabs come out of Penn Cove.

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  13. Laurie and OdelJuly 19, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    Jil, it is completely first-come, first served, no reservations taken. That works great for us! We had settled into another site and were trying to get the rooftop satellite dish to work when another rig pulled out of a superior site. We zipped on down the row and snagged it for the nice view. I post a campground review in a few days.

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  14. Vladimir SteblinaJuly 19, 2011 at 8:23 PM

    Glad that you finally found sunshine and are away from the bugs.

    If I had known that Odell was doing so well walking I would have suggested some "more scenic hikes".

    Mussels were always Alli's special birthday dinners even when she was a teen. Garlic butter mussels served over spagetti with parmesan cheese.

    Vladimr

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  15. Catherine, Jo Beth and GraceJuly 20, 2011 at 5:31 AM

    That looks fabulous, love mussels.

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  16. AnonymousJuly 20, 2011 at 5:58 AM

    Hey Guys, I know exactly where you are now. Where that pickup is parked in your picture is where I used to park every day when I took my walk. 3 miles round trip over to the Marina and back. I do hope you go back to Coupeville and feel in the mood for a Cheeseburger and a Beer. Toby's is just the place for that. And while you were on the pier, you could have looked across the water and almost seen my place.
    Joe

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  17. Bobbie and JimJuly 21, 2011 at 1:37 PM

    I think I'll give up my vegetarian ways for a dish of mussels (classic for me, too, Odel) and sour dough bread. Looks like we will be touring the Pacific Northwest Sept-Nov. Can't wait. Ordered all the travel guides. Will be using your blog posts as a guide also.

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  18. BrendaJuly 21, 2011 at 1:40 PM

    YUM! Ice cream. I'm not a big mussel fan but I can appreciate the freshness that they must have been.

    Glad you found some sunshine!

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  19. Kim WJuly 24, 2011 at 6:07 PM

    There is nothing better than a Penn Cove mussel, PEI's come in a close second. We have eaten them all over. We really like Toby's Tavern mussels, they are in a beer broth and you dip garlic bread. YUMMO!

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