Weekend on Whidbey Island

We went to visit Whidbey Island yesterday.  The island, located only 30 miles north of Seattle, forms the northern boundary of Puget Sound and is one of nine islands in Island County, WA. We've been dying to ride the Washington State Ferries and see the islands, so when Dominic's friends invited us up for a short weekend we gladly accepted.  

The trip has two routes, up and around and across on a ferry.  We drove up to Deception Pass Bridge and were delighted to find I-5 host to farmland like Ohio and mountain ranges like northern California.  The trip only took two hours from Seattle including a stop to see an alpaca farm and hike around the bridge.  

I'm not sure why we were so amazed by these birds.  They were pretty like swans but flew like geese.  They looked like piles of snow as we were driving along-until they took off.

They may be cute, but they're not friendly.  Apparently they hate being touched or, as Dominic was dismayed to learn, ridden.  

Deception Pass Bridge

You can hike down below the bridge. 

The first time I ever saw this snake-like seaweed I was amazed and curious but too disgusted to play with it. Although it seemed far too slimy to touch in October, I had a great time whipping it around on the beach yesterday.  I'm falling in love with the ocean. 

Here they are all lined up like ropes along the Deception Pass coastline.  Strange floating whips.

Dom's friends were excellent hosts.  We met in a quaint little town called Langley for drinks and then went home for a made-from-scratch dinner of: pumpkin and cheese fondue, salad, lasagna, and apple and pumpkin pie.   They live on 11 acres of land so this morning we took a walk and greeted their 'pets'.  

 

Our ride on the ferry this morning was a little less thrilling than the cruise-line experience we had anticipated.  We drove on for less than $7 and didn't even know we were moving until just before the announcer thanked us for riding and hoped to see us again soon.  

It was a convenient trip with lovely scenery and beautiful beaches.  We'll certainly be on that ferry again soon.