One of the best things about travel is the anticipation. I love planning and scheming about what to do and where to stay in an exotic destination. Of course, it's fun when you arrive, but the looking forward part gets me through a lot of gloomy days of winter.
Yet, this week, I took a completely spontaneous trip -- an overnighter to Lopez, in the San Juan Islands -- and it was a complete blast, from walking onto the ferry to our friends cooking up a feast at our beachside campground on Spencer Spit.
My husband got a call on Thursday morning. Our best buds were up on Lopez Island and had the coolest camp site and there was plenty of room if we wanted to jump in the car. Yes, there was work, but nothing with a pending deadline, so why not seize the beautiful summer day? A few hours later, we were at the water's edge, drinking in the fragrance of the sea. (Salty, dried kelp, a teeny bit stinky, too.)
Not long after we arrived in the late afternoon, dinner prep began. Our friends are seasoned car campers, having just spent a month traveling around Alaska, and they had provisioned at some of the small farms around this friendly island (drivers routinely give you a wave when you pass). The new crop potatoes were wrapped in foil and nestled into the coals of the campfire. Ripe, juicy tomatoes were tossed with greens and salmon steaks were grilled over the embers, where it picked up a nice char, but was still plenty moist and flaky.
It was one of the most memorable meals of the season, especially because it was enjoyed at a rustic wooden picnic table with lots of good conversation and giggles and a stellar bottle of Betz Family wine from Washington state. I couldn't have planned it any better if given months to prepare.
-- Leslie Kelly
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