Category Archives: Uncategorized

Fort Ebey State Park

Posted on August 20, 2026 | Leave a comment

Continuing on our way from Deception Pass through Whidbey Island, the Hubster and I drove on until we happened upon Fort Ebey State Park.

We stopped to check it out.

Established in 1942, Fort Ebey was the last Puget Sound coastal defense fort developed in WW II, and has a clear view westward through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the open Pacific Ocean.

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

The well camouflaged Battery 248 (an interpretive guide to the battery can be found at this link) was equipped with the best technology and radar available.

You will want a flashlight, or a headlamp, to explore the battery!

In the right side of the following photo, the stairs to the camouflaged observation bunker are just visible.

From here, telescopes were used to target enemy vessels and relay the information to the plotters in the battery.

The park not only preserves a piece of World War II history, but also preserves about 651 acres for public use. It is a popular spot for paragliding, biking, hiking, bird watching, beach walking, fishing and camping and more. There is about 25 miles of trails. The bluff presents a fantastic view of Admiralty Inlet and sunsets.

See the world around you!

Anacortes

Orcas Island

Eastsound Waterfront and West Beach

Whale Watching and Obstruction Pass

Deception Pass State Park

Posted on August 18, 2026 | 2 comments

The Hubster and I stopped at Deception Pass State Park to stretch our legs. You might want to make this park a vacation destination. There is camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, kayaking and more. This is Washington state’s most visited park.

Indeed, it was a very busy place in the short time that we were there!

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

“Deception Pass State Park spreads over 3,854 acres, a marine and camping park with 77,000 feet of saltwater shoreline and 33,900 feet of freshwater shoreline on three lakes. The park is actually located on two islands — Fidalgo to the north and Whidbey to the south. The Canoe Pass and Deception Pass bridges connect the two islands, creating a gateway for exploration.” – Deception Pass Park Foundation

In 1792, the British Government directed Captain George Vancouver to sail to Nootka Sound to meet Spanish commander Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, to not only implement the terms of the Nootka Convention, but also complete a detailed survey of the Northwest Coast.

From Vancouver’s June 10, 1792 journal entry –

“…a very narrow and intricate channel, which, for a considerable distance, was not forty yards in width, and abounded with rocks above and beneath the surface of the water. These impediments, in addition to the great rapidity and irregularity of the tide, rendered the passage navigable only for boats or vessels of very small burthen…. I distinguished by the name…Deception Passage.”

One can walk, not only on the bridge, but under it as well. We hiked the Bowman Hill side, on Fidalgo Island, since that is the direction we were coming from and had parked.

These colorful kayakers had come from Lottie Bay and were heading through Canoe Pass to Strawberry Island. You can get a good sense of direction by clicking on the map above.

“In the waters of Deception Pass, just east of the present-day Deception Pass Bridge, is a small island known as Ben Ure Island. The island became infamous for its activity of human smuggling of migrant Chinese people for local labor. Ben Ure and his partner Lawrence “Pirate” Kelly were quite profitable at their human smuggling business and played hide-and-seek with the United States Customs Department for years. Ure’s own operation at Deception Pass in the late 1880s consisted of Ure and his Native-American wife. Local tradition has it that his wife would camp on the nearby Strawberry Island (which was visible from the open sea) and signal him with a fire on the island’s summit to alert him to whether or not it was safe to attempt to bring the human cargo he illegally transported ashore. For transport, Ure would tie the people up in burlap bags so that if customs agents approached he could toss the bagged people overboard. The tidal currents carried the entrapped drowned migrants’ bodies to San Juan Island to the north and west of the pass; many ended up in Dead Man’s Bay.”

You can read more about this area from Wikipedia and Deception Pass State Park History, such as the Coast Salish Indigenous people, the prison rock quarry, operated between 1910-1914, and the Civilian Conservation Corps work in 1933.

See the world around you!

Anacortes

Orcas Island

Eastsound Waterfront and West Beach

Whale Watching and Obstruction Pass

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged Ben Ure, Bowman Hill, bridge, Canoe Pass, Captain George Vancouver, Deception Pass State Park, Fidalgo Island, LCsCottage, Northwest Coast, Puget Sound, Strawberry Island, Whidbey Island

Whale Watching and Obstruction Pass

Posted on August 16, 2026 | 15 comments

One of the things on the Hubster’s and my bucket list was to take a whale watching excursion.

We were able to knock that off of the bucket list with this trip to Orcas Island!

*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!

We booked a tour with Outer Island Excursions (well ahead of this trip) and met at Rosario Harbor for about a 4 hour excursion.

“Our” chartered boat was full of excited adventurers. Captain Elliott looked barely old enough to drive, but he proved more than capable (He used to drive the ferries…I think he must have been 10 years old then!). Loved him! The crew was also great…made sure that we were all comfortable, safe, and answered lots of questions, even though they must’ve answered them a hundred times before.

We sailed off to Spieden Island where wildlife is known to hang out, and right away we spotted eagles and harbor seals.

The following photos are not sharp by any means. If you decide to go whale watching, then bring a long lense if photography is your thing. Regardless, enjoy your excursion!

Captain Elliott made sure to always keep a good distance away (and indeed there are rules for this) so as not to disturb them.

Sometimes you really needed to keep a sharp eye out as critters really do blend into their surroundings!

We also saw Steller sea lions.

Outer Islands Excursions-Steller Sea Lions

These are very noisy boys and girls!

Spieden Island is a private island, worth about 21 million or so. Back in the day, it seemed like a good idea to the owner/entrepreneur to create a big game hunting preserve, and so all sorts of exotic critters were brought to the island, including mouflon sheep, native to Corsica and the Mediterranean.

I don’t see the fun, or sport, of hunting on an island where there is no where to go or hide. Maybe the hunters felt the same.

The business fizzled out, and the only exotic animals left are the deer and the sheep.

I don’t have a fantastical photo of a whale breaching but we did see orca whales and followed them quite a bit.

This is where I began to have mixed emotions. Our crew were very knowledgeable, identified the pod that we were following, and shared all about them. The crew was also very respectful and kept the proper distance.

What you don’t see in all of these wonderful whale watching photos all over the internet, is just how many boats are following these pods. Most are respectful.

But not all.

There are those few who do not slow down, nor keep their distance. Our captain warned the boat in the following photo, and I hope he reported the incident.

I don’t know how to reconcile the compassion for these beautiful creatures who are chased everyday and can never seem to find any peace, with the importance of observing and learning and preserving the lives of these whales, or any creature in any of their natural habitats.

What do you think?

The crew kept a map to show us where we were and what we saw. I like maps, so this was fun for me to look at.

While on Orcas Island, we also explored Obstruction Pass State Park.

Sometimes the trail looked like this:

Obstruction Pass State Park-Orcas Island

Sometimes it looked like this:

And at one point, the trail even looked like this:

This park has forest hiking trails, picnic areas, camping, fishing, crabbing, bird watching and the longest public beach on Orcas Island. It is 76 acres of beautiful serenity!