A trip within a trip within a trip is an apt description of our experience of “island life” for a day. Whidbey Island was our destination. But first we went to Kirkland to spend the evening with our friends Kathy and Jim, with whom we were going to Whidbey Island. And, our trip to the Northwest, staying in Tacoma, started this whole trip.
Our first stop after leaving Kirkland was the Farmhouse Restaurant as we needed sustenance for our journey. Their claim to fame is their turkey dinners. However, we were only there for lunch, so, our choices were more restrained (not much, though).
Our next stop was the lookouts over the Deception Pass bridge, with Deception Pass being breathtakingly beautiful. Deception Pass is only 75 miles north of Kirkland but a world apart. The Deception Pass bridge connects the Washington State mainland with the north end of Whidbey Island. George Vancouver named the pass “deception” as he was deceived into thinking that Whidbey was a peninsula rather than an island.
Whidbey Island is only 37 miles long and 10 miles at its widest. It is the home of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. As we drove the length of the island, the pilots were constantly flying overhead. From the road an air strip could be seen from which the pilots were executing “touch and goes,” very expertly as you would expect.
We drove through the town of Oak Harbor, which we were told has the distinction of having the most fast food restaurants per capita. As Oak Harbor is where the majority of naval personnel live (think young single men), it does make sense. However, the town was not very interesting even though it is the largest town on Whidbey Island.
Our next stop was Coupeville, which is a small charming town on the Puget Sound coast on Penn Cove. You may recognize Penn Cove as that is the source of Penn Cove mussels, which are renowned worldwide. The climatic conditions are perfect for the harvesting of the mussels, which produce a plump sweet meat.
From Coupeville we drove to Langley, which is the best-known town on the island. It is chalk full of galleries and interesting shops and numerous cafes and restaurants. Although the best known place to stay is The Inn at Langley, where we have stayed previously, we opted to stay at a bed and breakfast just outside Langley called The Eagles Nest. Its design is outdoorsy lodge and is hidden in the woods just off the road. The innkeepers were gracious, the rooms were spacious, and, the breakfast was delicious.
After enjoying a glass of wine at the Saltwater Fish House & Oyster Bar and Ott & Hunter Wine Shop, we had dinner at Prima Bistro. We had asked for and received a table outside on the upstairs deck so that we could enjoy the Puget Sound view. We enjoyed our dinner wrapped in blankets as it got cold as the evening wore on. Finally when the blankets and outdoor heater could no longer keep the cold at bay, we went inside to finish with coffee.
As the shops in Langley close at 5:00 p.m., we were there the next morning for the 10:00 a.m. openings. We made contributions to the Langley economy and then were on our way to Clinton to catch the ferry back to the mainland at Mukilteo. The southern end of Whidbey Island is only accessible via ferry. It is a short ferry ride, lasting only 12 minutes but takes about half an hour with loading and unloading. We were coming back early on a Friday afternoon, and, there was no issue with getting on board. However, for those accessing the island, the line to load went on forever!
From Clinton we drove to Edmonds, another charming Northwest town. It is a larger town with a population of over 40,000, so, there is a good selection of shops, galleries and restaurants. We opted to have lunch at the Salt and Iron. Although I did not order the French Fries, they were fantastic. . .I ate half of Steve’s and half of Kathy’s. I just kept devouring them.
Then it was back to Kirkland for the evening and back to Tacoma the following morning.
