In which one vacates?

We took a trip this past weekend! Seeing as we haven't actually left Seattle since Jill's emergency second opinion flight to San Francisco (May 2008), this was a pretty big deal. Jill's dad and Debbie rented a two-room unit in Coupeville on Whidbey Island. This was about a 40 minute drive, 15 minute ferry ride, followed by another hour or so of driving on the island.

Some trivia: Whidbey Island was originally settled by several tribes, before it was discovered on a Spanish expedition. When Peter Puget and Joseph Whidbey were mapping the region, Whidbey was the first European to demonstrate that it was an island by successfully navigating through Deception Pass.

Here's some shots near Deception Pass, which has a bridge to the mainland:

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The water was a beautiful green

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Standing on the bridge, looking beyond tiny Deception Island at the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which connects Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean.

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We also visited Fort Casey, a WWII installment of big guns, and it was pretty cool, but my phone had died by then, and we had forgotten our camera. It was a shame that we couldn't explore the parks on the island more than superficially, but it's close enough that we could go back for a day trip if we want. Although, honestly, there's so much to do around here that I don't see Whidbey Island as a first choice if we get a chance to get out of town again. Unless it's to get some more Penn Cove mussels (omigod nomnom), or to visit awesome establishments like this one:

From palm

From palm