More Oak Harbor, WA - Aug 2009

We have really been enjoying our time at the Staysail RV park in Oak Harbor. As I've said in earlier posts, this RV park is run by the city and sits adjacent to the city park -- called Windjammer Park.
While the RV sites are a bit too closely spaced for our preference, we got an end site with a great view, full hookups and all for $20/night -- a bargain in this area. Plus, it's a first-come-first-served park and we can stay for as long as 30 days (we are!)
Windjammer Park is lovely -- plenty of large, grassy fields, a multitude of paths to walk and all of it right on the harbor. The park has a constant whirl of activity, so we have built in entertainment as well. Plenty of dog walkers, joggers, soccer kids, kite fliers and picnickers.

On Thursday evenings, the All Community Band puts on a free, hour-long concert in the park's gazebo. The musical numbers include old-time favorites, sing alongs and patriotic marches. In addition to the weekly band concerts, this gazebo (which is right near our RV site) has been used for a wedding, several birthday parties and a Sunday church service.
On top of all this fun, the weather here is just about perfect for us. The daytime highs vary between 65 and 75 and we've have very few rainy/cloudy days. There is always a constant breeze, so even if the afternoons get a little warm, we can sit outside in the shade and be delightfully cool.

We have had a day or two of very thick, morning fog, but it's usually gone by midday. On this morning, I spotted our neighbor out walking his two Great Dane dogs. Here they are right next to our RV, but very much shrouded in the misty fog.
As they got further away, they practically disappeared in the pea soupness.
On one rainy day, this man and dog with matching slickers caught my eye.
Most days have been partly sunny and then some days the sun comes out, the clouds burn off and the skies are clear and blue again. So much so that we can see the Cascade Mountains to the east of Seattle.
We like to get an exercise walk in everyday and there is an excellent, 3 mile path that starts right here in the park. The paved path follows the shoreline all the way to the marina. Part of the path is raised above a marshy area and there is a brand new boardwalk along that stretch.
The trail stays close to the water and so we have a great view on the whole walk, plus a nice breeze.
As the sidewalk nears the marina, the banks are lined with blackberry bushes. Apparently they are hardy vines that will take over if left alone and this area is covered with them. The berries are ripe and sweet and there for the picking. We've seen many folks using tongs to collect the berries and most are making pies or jam from them.When we get closer to the marina, we get to ogle the beautiful boats.The pier at the marina is neat and tidy and has baskets of colorful flowers. It's a large marina and host to the local yacht club, so lots of large, expensive boats are moored there. This is usually our turn around point on our walk. There is a public drinking fountain and bathroom here too -- now how handy is that?
Our walk also passes by Flintstone Park -- a playground for kids complete with a replica of the car used in the cartoon. Frank was game to pose for a photo.
Being near the shore, the park is home to hundreds of seagulls. We wake up in the morning to their squealing, squawking, keening and cawing. At first the sound was annoying, but I've gotten used to it and now it's just become part of the background noise.
Another distinctive sound we wake up to is the pop and crack that is made when a seagull gathers up a clam (or mussel) and carries it to the pavement (right outside our bedroom window) and drops the shell on the ground to crack it open. It happens over and over every morning as the gulls do their feeding and it took me awhile to figure out what the noise was. Here are just a handful of the clam shells that I gathered up one morning.
We see lots of people feeding the gulls, but this family took it a step further. They put down bread for the birds and then, after a large group had gathered, the family ran into the flock and made the birds take flight. The kids thought this was great fun -- I'm sure the gulls weren't as amused.There's not much of a beach in Oak Harbor, but at low tide there's enough rocky shore to allow for some beach walking.
The entire shoreline of Oak Harbor is piled high with driftwood. In September, there is a Driftwood Festival in town -- I think it's theme is centered around crafts made fromdriftwood.
There are always boats going in and out of the harbor. Here are just a couple of my favorite pics.