Exploring Skagit County

Yesterday, September 22, Karen and I joined her cousins Jeff and Becky Hilen on a sightseeing trip north of Camano Island. We drove from the beach house through Stanwood, WA and took the back roads in farm country to Fir Island and eventually to the town of La Connor, WA.

La Connor is a picturesque small town between the Skagit River and the Swinomish Indian Reservation across the Swinomish Slough. La Conner history and heritage goes back thousands of years; the land on the delta near the mouth of the Skagit River has been home to the Swinomish Tribe. Since the early 1860’s it has also been home to La Conner, Skagit County’s oldest community.

Today many original buildings have been restored and now house retail shops, restaurants and museums. The town of La Conner and the Rainbow Bridge are listed on state and national historic registries. If you’re a history buff, La Conner’s Walking Tour of Historic Landmarks map is a great way to learn more about the early days of La Conner, as is a visit to the Skagit County Historical Museum.

We enjoyed lunch in town and walked around doing the tourism thing. From La Conner we headed back to Camano Island with a stop at the Snow Goose farm stand for some fresh corn on the cob and an immodest scoop of ice cream on a waffle cone.