Day 2 Sutherlin, OR to Anacortes, WA 420 miles

After an amazing hot breakfast at the hotel we got in line at Dutch Brothers Coffee for a latte for the road.  Today's ride is much more urban and not quite as nice as yesterday.  We run through periods of sun, clouds and pouring rain.  At least we are out of the 80's and 90's.  Fred is comfortable being the pilot in command while I sit with Merlin on my lap.  We head for another one of our favorite places for lunch in Washington.  A little diner in Castle Rock called C & L Burgers and Expresso.  I love the patty melt and the milkshakes are awesome (this army travels on it's stomach).

Now the traveling gets brutal.  Why do we do this on a Friday afternoon??  From Portland on it has been busy but by the time we reach Sea-Tac Airport we are moving at a crawl.  And this is even with an HOV lane.  Fred remembered a Rest Stop before we get close to Anacortes that has a magnificent big red cedar stump.  http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMAMD  We needed the pit stop before fighting our way into Anacortes.  The traffic doesn't pick up until after Mount Vernon.   Fred called North Harbor Diesel to check on Emerald Star.  There has been a mix-up and the boat is still in the storage shed.  Yikes!  Dianna there stepped up as usual.  The boat was out on blocks in the work yard by the time we swung by to take a look at 5:30 PM.   A couple days ago I made reservations at the San Juan Motel in Anacortes.  It is inexpensive but well located.  Trawler Fest is going on so hotel rooms are tight.  We were both a little frazzled by the long day on the road so we were thrilled to finally make it to the motel.  Well...  Where do I begin.  Location, good.  The woman behind the counter was surly and informed me that if my dog was noisy we would have to leave.  Merlin is an awesome traveler.  One of the reasons we have a small dog (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) is to keep him with us and well socialized.  You do not criticize my Merlin.  I guess this is only something animal lovers understand.  We schlepped our stuff up to a second floor room (no elevator) and were quite stunned by the room.  I wanted to cry.  The layout was quite good.  Two separate bedrooms separated by a kitchenette.  No dishes, glasses or silverware and half the lights had bare light bulbs without shades.  The queen beds were hard and broken down and we couldn't imagine staying in a place like this, even for $66/night.

 I made a couple phone calls and schlepped the stuff back down to the car.  I told Ms. Surly Lady that this was not a good fit and we were checking out again.  We are now settled into the Fidalgo Country Inn.  http://www.fidalgocountryinn.com/ It is a little out of town but includes breakfast and is quite nice.