Week 5: Northwest Beauty

When you have 5 straight days of sunshine in the northwest you take advantage of it.  However, our "to do" list includes way too many locations which would be ideal on a clear, sunny day...what to do, what to do.  We opted for Whidbey Island and Port Townsend.  Whidbey is the 2nd largest island in the contiguous 48 states, AND it happens to be the former home of my father while he was stationed at the US Naval Air Station from 1969-1971.  Port Townsend is...well, just a cool place to visit.

NOTE: all the trips thus far that we have embarked on, with the exception of our time in Twisp, WA have all been less than 2 hrs. from Lynden...yup, it's nice!!

Our morning began with an early drive to Deception Pass, an area which connects the mainland of WA to the north end of Whidbey.  After a little hike Laura and I found a beach beneath the bridge.  Luckily, we were the only two on the beach and enjoyed taking in the beauty without the distraction of noisy tourists. What a way to start out the morning!  From here we passed through Oak Harbor on our way to "historic" Coupeville.  (Could someone please tell me what it takes to qualify as "historic?" Every town has history, therefore, shouldn't every town be historic?  One of many of Laura and my conversations...welcome to our world)  A little further down the road from Coupeville was the ferry to Port Townsend - we opted to walk on rather than taking the car.  What a beautiful ride!!  Calm waters, crisp air, Mt. Rainier and Baker as our backdrops...ah, the northwest - I could get used to this. 

By traveling to Port Townsend we can "check" the Olympic Peninsula off our list.  Our afternoon in this quaint, eclectic town did not disappoint.  We spent our time confused by some of the locals, appreciating "good" coffee (due to the fact the coffee we had was horrible), strolling the quiet streets, taking in some amazing vistas and scenery, and finally, enjoying a tall glass of wine with incredible seafood at a small French bistro. 

A quick ferry ride later and we were on our way back to Lynden.  A wonderful day, with wonderful weather, spent with a wonderful wife...need I go on?  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...ENJOY!!