After a breakfast of blueberry pancakes, we packed up and took off for the Mukilteo Ferry terminal north of Seattle. We arrived at the ferry just in time to make the next boat. The ferry trip to Whidbey Island was a quick trip, and the kids really enjoyed being on the ferry boat.
Once we arrived on Whidbey Island, we drove northwest to the South Whidbey State Park. At the park we found a nice picnic table and settled in for lunch. It was actually kinda cold in the shade, even though it is so hot here right now. Claire made friends with a robin who was curious about her and her lunch. After eating, we saddled up and headed out for the Wilbert Trail. This hike was a real treat; we were walking through an old growth forest with the biggest trees I have ever seen. There was even a huge Ancient Red Cedar that was over 500 years old. Further along the hike, there were some tremendous old Douglas Fir trees that were taller and wider than the camera can even do justice. Being among these old giants really makes you feel young and small. Wow. The hike was about 1.2 miles total, and the trail had a lot of roots growing up through the trail path. Following our hike through the old growth forest, we returned to the main park area and then hiked down the 1/2 mile beach trail to spend some time on the beach. The walk back up was very "athletic". Overall this was a great hike, and turned out to be our first of two great hikes on this day.
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| In front of the 500+ year old Red Cedar |
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| Claire pointing at an old growth Douglas Fir. |
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| Looking up at an old growth Douglas Fir, the camera cannot describe this giant. |
After our visit to South Whidbey State Park, we decided to head about 45 minutes north to Deception Pass State Park, and look for another hike for the day. We were glad the kids slept in the car on the drive, they needed some rest. We arrived at Deception Pass State Park and decided to walk a trail near the beach on the south side of Deception Pass. We drove down, parked and headed out on our second hike of the day. We walked along the West Beach Trail, which went through the woods above the beach area along Deception Pass. The trail was filled with may huge rocky areas where Claire really enjoyed "climbing the rocks". Our trail ended at the point where deception pass ends and meets with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This was a beautiful spot with rocky cliff shores for us to climb on and sit and relax. For our return hike, we decided to take a "long walk on the beach" and walked the beach back. The views of the strait and pass from this beach were amazing, and the rocky, sandy beach was relaxing and peaceful. Overall, this hike was about 1.4 miles and was enjoyed by all.
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| Driftwood seesaw, nature's playground. |
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| This was already here, I am not this creative (or mushy), but I am in love :) |
After our visit and hike at Deception Pass State Park, we drove across the bridge spanning Deception Pass and drove on to Mount Vernon and stopped at Skagit Valley Brewery for a hamburger, french fry, root beer dinner before driving back to Tacoma. This was a fantastic day filled with many great hiking adventures and beautiful nature. Claire and Levi loved the hikes and all the scenery and we had such a great time.
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