The kids were very anxious to get to the beach to do some exploring and get their feet wet. So, we packed up a big lunch in the cooler, and headed out the door. Our first destination was to the north... Deception Pass State Park. Deception Pass is the state's most visited State Park, and arguably the most beautiful. However, it is actually fairly easy to have the place nearly to yourself during the week if you know where to go.
The sky was totally clear when we left, and stayed that way right up until we reached the ocean... at which point there was a thick fog rolling in off the water and sticking on the nearby hills.
However, that didn't affect our ability to do any beachcombing! The weather was still relatively warm, and the sun was busily trying to burn through the fog. The tide was pretty low (-0.2) and we found lots of little animals skittering about.
Tina became very comfortable with the little crabs, and she packed a couple back over to the sandy beach to let them run. After they ran a bit and we got some pictures, she carefully carried them back over to the protective rocks to let them go.
After searching through the rocks, it was time to wade around and enjoy the sandy beach. Surprisingly, the water was quite warm from sitting rather still in the shallow area. Wyatt and Tina had a great time enjoying the sand and the warmth of the sun that was now starting to peak through.
After we were done on the sand, we grabbed a great picnic table on the beach and had some lunch! The sun was out fairly strong now, but only from straight above. It was still pretty foggy out towards the water. We were going to take a hike out around the point to get some good ocean views, but due to the fog, we decided to head out and stop at Coopville instead.
Coopville is a small, scenic, old town right on the water on Whidbey Island. It has some cool little shops and also a pier that you can walk out on and look at the water and any boats that happened to be moored. Today there was a cool sail ship that looked like an old vessel from the 1800s. However, it was just a replica, but still really neat to look at all the ropes and pullies necessary to make it sail.
After Coopville, we headed to Fort Casey. Fort Casey is a World War II military base that is now decommissioned. It was built to help guard Puget Sound against naval invasion by Japan. The sun was definitely out now, and all the fog had dissipated! What a nice day!
Wyatt and Tina enjoyed looking at the old base, and Wyatt had a good time staring down the business end of the guns.
After checking out the base above, we headed down to the beach again to enjoy some waves and the nice salt air. Wyatt and Tina once again enjoyed wading around and looking for rocks and sticks.
After our walk on the beach, it was getting late! So, we loaded up, and drove south to the tip of Whidbey Island where we boarded the Ferry to get back to mainland. It was Wyatt and Tina's first ferry ride, so they had a great time watching how it all works.
Another great day! Could it getting any better? Well, maybe, we still have a couple more days!
