To Whidbey Island~

Yet another in a string of cool, smoky, gray days...  Courtney & I decided to take the ferry to Whidbey Island & go rock hunting at Ft. Ebey.

Loading~

 Since this is such a short run, we didn't bother to look at a schedule.  We only had a short wait, until we were loading.

On the main car deck~

The sea & sky were almost the same color - slate gray.  We climbed the stairs to the main deck.  Planning to go out to the front of the boat, usually my favorite place to take the ride.

All Blocked off!

After paying $23. for the two of us to make the crossing - we weren't allowed to go to the front of the boat!  Why?  The wind blowing up on the bow is so strong I doubt a Covid germ could travel a  millimeter!  What was really funny - every other stall in the bathroom was blocked off with a red Danger ribbon!  OK - but the sinks - where you stand closer to wash up - were wide open!

Out on front!

Not to be deterred from the views, back down we went.  Walking up the main car deck to the front of the boat!

Sister ship heading for Mukilteo~

It was really quiet out on the water, just the noise from the boat.  Courtney noticed what seemed like more debris than usual floating in the water.  I took the video below.

We drove north up the island to Coupeville for lunch.

Downtown Coupeville~

 There were more people in town than we'd expected, but not as many as usual.  Usually the start of a spectacular time of year, the gray haze was more reminiscent of a winter day.

One of the pretty old homes, converted to shop space~

 We made our way over to Toby's Tavern.  Butch always liked their selection of beers & the local seafood is excellent.  Even with social distancing, we did get a table without a wait.  Mussels & clams were our choice & both were delicious!

Sailboat on the water~

 Courtney found artisans' dying silk scarves in one small shop.  They had a three person limit, so I waited outside & enjoyed the views.

Seaside~

 Leaving town, we went on to Fort Ebey State Park.  If you follow the link, you'll see pictures of it on a sunny day!  A yearly pass was $30., the kids always buy one.

On the Beach

 I wore slip-on's, the water was cold but not freezing.  It had started to drizzle, but we both were prepared with our rain jackets.

Connie rock hounding~

 Courtney has made a dry-creek bed in her front yard.  More rocks are always needed!  I was told I couldn't go back to the car without a full bucket!  I found some really pretty small ones, for plant pots at home too!

South down the west side of the island~

 We spent a couple hours & hiked quite a way north.  A few people were out, but we enjoyed the solitude.

A Giant out of the Past~

 I was shocked to see this huge giant Western Red Cedar on the beach.  I know he wasn't here the last time I was on this beach?  Now, I'm going to go home & look at old photos to see if I'm right.  Our rain jackets were dripping water, by the time we were back to the car.  There's a hose bib by the parking to wash the sand off shoes etc.  That water was cold!

We decided to drive north, go over Deception Pass & make the loop.  The bridge at Deception Pass is under some kind of repair.  It sure wasn't worth taking a photo of.  There was plastic flapping in the breeze, rows of porta potties etc., the entire length of the span.  I'm sure it needed to be done, but I felt sorry for the tourists who may never be this way again & will miss the beauty.

Stopping for coffee for the road home in Oak Harbor, there was a line of cars coming onto the island.  The town had grown, a hillside of trees bulldozed to dirt & more traffic than I've ever seen!  There were enough cars at one of the grocery stores to have populated Glenwood!

We ran into most welcome rain just north of Mt. Vernon!  Hopefully it will help put an end to the smoke filled skies!