Whidbey Island - Winter Visit~

Having missed our usual January camping trip to Whidbey - due to my unexpected trip to Colorado, we changed our reservation to this - our birthday weekend.  It was about noon on Fri. by the time we left in absolutely torrential rain!  Just a mile before the Conway exit, I-5 north came to a total halt.  We crept a few feet at a time for over 30-min.   A semi-truck was overturned & beyond, traffic was moving again.  It was a relief to take the turn to the island.  We stopped first in Oak Harbor to visit Seabolts for a late lunch.  While we ate, it rained more, the sun briefly appeared & as we left a stunning double rainbow lit the sky!

We're here!

We set up camp - all done just before dark.  Soon to kick back & enjoy one of the best movies we've seen in a long while;  Bridge of Spies.  Totally riveting & a based on a true story.  Only once did we have to backtrack after being buzzed by Navy Jets that about took the tops off the trees! 

 It rained off & on all night - Saturday morning dawned cloudy & foreboding - but dry!  With our usual lack of preparation, (thinking it would be a short hike :-) we put the dogs on their leashes & decided we'd hike over to Cornet Bay & check out the cabin remodels that had been under way our last visit. 

View from one of the Cabins at Cornet Bay

 Such a beautiful spot - the cabins turned out amazing!  All modernized, with stainless steel appliances!

One of the newly remodeled cabins~

Since the weather was holding, we took the Discovery Trail.

Salmonberry bloom~

On our way, I found my first Salmonberry bloom of spring! A bit bedraggled by all the wind & rain, but such a bright spot of color on such a colorless day!  The air was so fresh & it felt so good to be out & walking - after weeks of being sick.

The little Underpass

 Before we knew it - were at the little underpass that takes you over to a trail to North Beach!  This can be such a secluded little beach & it was on this day.  Lots of cars up in the parking area, but just a few people out on the trails, none on this beach. 

The "Cutter Rock" heading under the Deception Pass bridge~

This was one of only two boats that we saw - what a beauty it was!

Great Blue Heron~

Right on the tip of shore, just under the bridge, was this Great Blue Heron.  I had to zoom in to get this photo - grainy - but such an amazing looking bird.  He finally flew off as the boat went by.

Rascal checks out a smell...

Still not raining - so we climbed up to the base of the bridge & decided to take the perimeter trail back around to Cornet Bay.

Stunning trail~

Once we got away from the bridge & around the bluff, the noise of the highway faded - I love the quiet!  We did run into a couple groups of hikers, everyone friendly & out doing what we were - enjoying time outside!

Looking at the end of Cornet Bay - where we'd started.

Very low tide & by now the wind was starting to pick up, just a drop or two of rain.  The dogs were very patient waiting for me to take photos :-)

Nika & Rascal~

We were well past the mid-way point in our hike, we'd had a couple decent uphill climbs & I was still feeling OK!

Flowering Red Currant & Madrona

Our Valentine gift was to see these early blooming currants - so pink & springlike against the red of the Madrona bark!  The trail was lined with them!

On our way home Sunday, we stopped at what's become another of our favorite watering holes - the Skagit River Brewery!  If you haven't gone, Don't!  We've been told that there are days you can't get in the door!  It's a fairly small place with not only great beer, but good food too!  We enjoyed their fresh out of the tap Blackberry Cider!  A great end to our holiday weekend :-)

Camping, Hiking, Fun! - Day 1

First days hike - 4.8-mi.

It had been years & years since we'd just gone "camping".  When the girls were little & we managed residential multifamily - our only inexpensive escape was camping!  Since we were on-call full time, we had two, three-day weekends a month for our get-a-ways.  Our little Apache camping trailer saw lots & lots of miles over the years until we moved to the Homestead.  The girls were grown, we bought horses & life changed!  Now it seems to be changing again as we transition from our competitive years to enjoying more varied pursuits.

Great Blue Heron

 We were more than ready to get-away from the cold freezing temperatures, fog & gray.  Years ago we discovered that the weather on Whidbey Island can be very different & I'd made reservations at the only camp that is now kept open in the winter.

The dogs accompanied us.  These two have never had formal obedience training, so the first few miles were more about dog training than anything else!  Butch took Rascal's lead - he was the worst!  Nika liked to pull, but finally figured out that only one of us could be in front!  :-)  At Cornet Bay we were thrilled to see this Blue Heron.  The first I've ever managed to get a photo of!  He was quite a distance down the beach from us, but the zoom brought him in close.

Sat. started out cold & hazy, but the sun began burning through & it was much warmer than what we'd left at home!

Rascal & Nika

By the time we had our lunch break, the sun was already getting lower in the sky to the west.

Deception Pass from the South end of the Bridge

We made really good time on the trip back.  One big climb where we felt the burn, then a nice wide forested path on the return.

From the Cornet Bay youth camp

Back at Cornet Bay, we enjoyed the late afternoon sunshine.   The day was starting to cool down, Butch built a fire & we had somemores after dinner!