Ship Wreck Day

There are plenty of good reasons to visit Anacortes—the midpoint between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.—this summer. Orca whales, Mount Eerie, the 24-hour Donut House (get the maple bar), and oh yeah, being the gateway to the paradiselike San Juan Islands are just a few. But you’ll really kick yourself for not arranging a trip around the 29th annual Shipwreck Day, in which the entire town hauls its junk onto the main drag for a community rummage sale. The beauty of it is, as all expert thrift-shoppers know, the farther you get away from metropolitan areas, the more unique your finds will be. Plus, you’re in Anacortes! While naturally busiest in the summertime, it’s a town with a lot of character, and characters. I’ve seen musty, dusty relics of piratelike origin mixed with mod furniture priced dirt cheap, hexagonal bubble wands, and strings of local seashells. A friend once bought a box of 15 or so old-school phones for a buck, which became an art installation in our hallway. Anything goes. So cast your net wide, and prepare for more booty than you can handle.