Whidbey Island
June 2009

We drove north from Seattle then swung west toward the coast. After getting a glimpse of the San Juan Islands from the highway we crossed the bridge over Deception Pass to Whidbey Island.

     
The next morning we headed out to pick strawberries. Yum! Many hawks circled the fields. They were everywhere around the island for that matter. This was a welcome break between trips to get some laundry laundry done and airout some gear too. That afternoon we went for a walk on Bluff Trial at Ebey's Landing, a National Historical Reserve. Then we went to Coupeville to walk around their historic wharf and grab some ice cream at Kapaw's. It was a very relaxing and restorative day.

     
     
The second day of my stay we all loaded up for some sea kayaking in Penn Cove. This was extremely mellow - no spray skirts required - so the girls could ride along with Chris and Wendy. We checked out the mussel farms, along with the harbor seals that hang out there. We checked out the rocky beach, looking for crabs and other critters too. And we saw a most impressive display of bald eagles. There were at least 20 of them all flocked together over the cove. The most impressive was when two started dropping a stick between each other a few times, then locked talons and twirled down to within ten feet of the ground before releasing.

     
     
Time for the girls to take a nap, so Wendy could get some things done while Chris and I went exploring that afternoon. We went to Fort Ebey State Park. This is where a bettery of six-inch guns was installed during World War II to help protect the Straights of Juan de Fuca and Seattle from possible Japanese attack. The guns are no longer there, but the turrets and bunkers that supported the fort are still around.

  
That was the end of this half of my trip. Except of course for hanging out that evening, which was quite delightful but not too exciting. The following morning I would catch the ferry off the island and drive to the airport. I was flying off to my trip up Mount Whitney. As this part of the trip drew to a close I had time to reflect on the grand adventure and relaxing splendour of life.