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!
Here it was, already my last Sat. in WA. The time, as usual, had gone way too fast! I didn't just spend all my time with Farah! My schedule was planned around Grand-daughter Cassidy's 16th Birthday! The last time I'd here to celebrate, was 2016, just prior to our move to IA.
Mason & Dave had a full day planned & so did we! Up & on the road early, we stopped at Starbucks before heading to Ferry dock. The three of us are all rock hounds, so a day trip to Whidbey Island for walking the beach sounded perfect. We arrived at the Edmonds ferry in record time - traffic was light on a Saturday.
Just light rain, we were so lucky to be one of the last cars loading, without the wait for another boat. Once we'd boarded, I hurried up front to admire the views. The three of us were standing there, when suddenly Courtney said; "We're going to Kingston! We're on the wrong ferry!" It had dawned on me about the same time, we should have been on the Mukilteo ferry to Clinton!
Cassidy & Grammy~ I'm still taller! :-) Not!
You'd have thought we were all newcomers to the state! But, what the heck, it had been a long time since we'd been on the peninsula. The rain had stopped, the sky was clearing & it was going to be one of those days when Washington pulls out all the stops.
Tug boat leaving Kingston~
We gave Dave a call, telling him of our change of plans & decided to make the loop! In all the years we lived Butch's home state, we'd never visited Port Townsend. Courtney started telling me of a beach there - great for finding sea glass! As if I needed any convincing.
On our route, we crossed the Hood Canal Bridge. Butch & I had gone that way with the camper, our last trip with the kids in June of 2015, on our way to Fort Flagler. Crossing this beautiful bridge - new since we first moved to WA in 1981 - is so much fun.
It wasn't much of a drive until we were entering Port Townsend. What a beautiful, quaint seaport town. The Peters family had been there before. Courtney knew of one of the best restaurant for lunch. Clam chowder had been on my list for days & I finally got to indulge! Yum! We took time to walk the town & do a little shopping.
We found a shop that sold rocks, all kinds of rocks, we were there awhile...
Flowers everywhere~
Cassidy & I left Courtney to check out the tea shop & were amazed at the variety of tea's! We both sampled & ended up buying tea to bring home. When Courtney caught up to us, we decided if the purpose of the day had been to rock-hound, we'd better head for the beach!
The parking was far from full, we grabbed our buckets & started hiking along the water. The temperature was perfect, a light breeze, blue water & fluffy clouds. I admired the amazing views at least as much as I searched for agates & glass! Until - Courtney & Cassidy started finding cool stuff!
Out across the water, this guy caught my eye. I had to zoom all the way in, but managed to get his photo, riding on the kelp.
Me & my bucket :-)
All those colored buckets we'd bought the grand-kids over the years, to fill with goodies, are still in use today! I filled mine with rock, I later had to sort down to only my favorites, to pack for the trip home.
By the time we'd loaded on to the Salish, the sun was setting over the Cascades. It was a stunning end to a magnificent day. We stopped in Mukilteo for a quick dinner at Ivars, before heading home. Who can ever get enough seafood? :-)
