We left a day early for a long weekend on Whidbey Island, for our niece's wedding. Time for exploring, and geocaching, and photography. Our favorite route to the Deception Pass bridge, the gateway to Whidbey, takes us across Fir Island in the middle of the Skagit Flats. with (usually) a detour to the small town of La Conner. I love this drive, past farms and farmhouses and barns, and in winter, thousands of snow geese and swans.
There's a back way out of La Conner that takes you over the natural waterway that separates Fidalgo from the mainland, then along Skagit Bay, the part of Puget Sound that runs east of Whidbey Island. There are beaches to walk, and beautiful views from this road.
Once on Fidalgo, you can explore Anacortes, or hop a ferry to the San Juan Islands, or take the 5-minute ferry crossing to Guemes Island (something we've never done, but plan to do this summer). Guemes is one of a handful of small islands just north of Whidbey Island; just east of but not part of the San Juans.
Or you can drive to the very western tip of Fidalgo, and go hiking in Washington Park. A lot of people choose to ignore the trails and walk on the narrow, windy road instead. Not a great idea, in my opinion. It is not fun to come around a steep, blind corner and encounter people and their dogs, spread out across the one-lane road. Just saying.
We were short on time today, so found parking above the nearly bare hillside on the south side of the park, overlooking Burrows Island (yep, more islands). We had several trails to choose from, and decided to take the shortest (and steepest) path. We made our way (carefully) down a rocky trail, following a woman who sat down right at the edge of the dropoff, and pulled out a sketch pad and watercolor paints. DW stopped for a photo, so I did the same. Look closely, and you'll see the faint rocky path that switchbacks down the hill. And in the distance, you can see Lopez Island, part of the San Juans.
It's a steep trail, a bit scary in places, but the reward was good: this beautiful rocky shoreline and crystal clear water to photograph. We were still about 30 feet above the actual rock shelf, but that was close enough for me.
