Day Trip to Whidbey Island

Today we made appointments to go see a naturopathic doctor on Whidbey Island. We drove about 45 minutes to Mukliteo, then took the short ferry over to Whidbey. We had a few hours before our appointments, so we ate lunch and went for a short hike down to the beach.

Here's where I have to brag on my amazing mom for just a minute. She is 70 now and is freakin' awesome. She handled the not-beginner trail, complete with hills and a stretch of pretty steep stairs, like a 40-year-old (ask me how I know). She rocks. 

Ollie and Mommy ride the purple dinosaur at a Whidbey Island park.

Gorgeous beach-front park. I snagged some driftwood for my mantle from here.
(Don't tell anyone...I don't think you're supposed to take driftwood...?)

Explorer Ollie.

Mom and Merrit waiting for lunch. We had clam chowder at this local diner.

Our hike down to the beach was really a great way to burn off lunch and enjoy
the local woods. The boys were running circles around us, but we all made it
down to the beach together. :)

We spent about a half an hour walking on the beach barefoot, soaking
up some sun, and beachcombing.

Merrit and I. Cheesin'. (How cute is my little man growing up to be?!?)

Both the boys had fun climbing on these huge driftwood trees.

Vashon Island: A Day Trip Gem

Last night, my friend Dawn flew in from Cali and is going to be staying with us for the next couple of weeks.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

We kicked off her visit with a bang. Seriously, she hadn't even been here for 12 hours (her flight got in late last night) before we were off on our first jaunt. :)

She had made a lunch date to meet up with a business associate who lives in this area; they have worked together for a couple of years but had never met face to face. He told us about Vashon Island, where he was going to be vacationing with his wife and some family friends and we agreed to meet him there. 

What a find! I did not know about Vashon Island. I'm definitely still learning about all the neat places to visit around here. Vashon is a great spot to know about because it's just a 30-minute drive + a 20-minute ferry ride from our house. Much closer than some of the other island destinations we've explored: Whidbey Island, Orcas Island, and San Juan Island. 

Waiting for the ferry.

From the ferry terminal in Fauntleroy.

After we landed in Vashon, we dropped Dawn off at
the town hardware store / diner (she said it was awesome
and we really must try it). The boys and I went to a
coffee and sandwich shop a few doors down called
Cafe Luna. Not bad. A bit overpriced, but great food.

Tuna melt, baby!

We ate outdoors. The weather was gorgeous!

After lunch, we found the public beach which wasn't completely deserted,
but wasn't crowded either. Lots of driftwood, seaweed, sand, and clam
and mussel shells. The tide was out. I love that smell.

Merrit wanted to harvest and eat some of the seaweed. I talked him out of it.

Just exploring the edge of this small harbor off the Puget Sound.

Later we discovered a tidal pool. The boys stripped down
to their underwear and played in the lightly flowing, nice
and warm water. They looked for hermit crabs, collected
seaweed, and poured water with a plastic cup someone else
had left behind.

Hours of fun.

I just sat on a piece of driftwood and caught some rays. 

No sunscreen or bathing suits. No towels or changes of clothes.
....But we did just fine....

Ollie on a hermit crab hunt.

Driftwood. Interesting.

Old tree. Weird.

Dawn sent us a text that she was done with her meeting, so I stripped the
boys down at the car and they went "commando" for the rest of the day.
Ollie's underwear dried out pretty quick on my side mirror. 

After we picked up Dawn, we stopped at a country
store / coffee shop for some cold drinks. This place was
super cute and quaint. Dawn and I had cold green tea
with coconut milk. Awesomely refreshing!

Vashon island is known for being sort of crunchy,
hippie, alternative. Love the check out gal's shirt.

The shop where we stopped. Neat spot.

We drove to the lighthouse on Maury Island, which is connected to
Vashon Island by a skinny spit of land (or maybe a bridge?). We had
to hike down a little trail to get to the lighthouse.

"This way, boys!"

Mt. Ranier in the distance, across the Puget Sound.

Other people have made driftwood forts for us to explore. This one was
really cute with its "No Trespassing" sign. :)

Drip and Donger. BFF.

In another fort.

My cutie-pie boys!

The lighthouse. Isn't it adorable? Worth the trip.

Believe it or not, from the time we left the lighthouse
on Maury Island to the time we were sipping this margarita
was about 1.5 hours. We hiked from the lighthouse to the car,
drove to the other side of the island, got on the ferry (PERFECT timing!
We pulled up just as they were loading it!), crossed the sound,
drove through Seattle, across Lake Washington, picked up
Mike from work, hit a Salvadorian restaurant, and ordered drinks ---
all in just over an hour! Awesome.

Our Two-Day Trip to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island: PART 2

We woke up on Monday morning in time to keep our 8:15 breakfast date in the B&B's dining room. We were the only guests, which was kind of nice. No awkward small talk. :)

A fruit and yogurt trifle to start.

Fresh-made blueberry muffins. Hot coffee and tea.

A paper-thin crustless quiche, sausages, and oranges. Absolutely delicious!

After a good nigh's sleep and an awesome breakfast, we were ready for a day
of exploring San Juan Island!

We packed up our car, checked out of the Argyle House, and spent the rest of the day driving around the island, which takes about 20 minutes to drive end-to-end and includes at least one (maybe more than one?) national park. First we ended up at Roche Harbor, where we walked the marina, ate hot donuts, played bocce ball, and shopped a bit.

The Marina at Roche Harbor.

Roche Harbor. There was also a sea plane dock. Very cool.

My handsome hubby.

Merrit spied a jellyfish.

For Sale! It could be yours for the low, low price
of six million dollars!

Ollie explores one of two very old lime kilns.

We all played bocce ball for about an hour by the
lime kilns. Merrit skunked everyone!

Delores and I suspected Mike was sort of making up the rules as he went along.

The historic Hotel De Haro overlooks gorgeous gardens to the marina beyond.

The hotel's gardens.

After a low-key couple of hours in Roche Harbor, we hopped back in the car and headed to the other side of the island. We ended up at the English Camp, a spot where British soldiers were encamped in the mid 1800s; on the opposite side of the island is the American Camp (we didn't make it there), where the U.S. soldiers maintained a presence.

In 1859 the United States and Great Britain nearly went to war over possession of the island, the crisis ignited by the death of a British-owned pig in what is now called the Pig War. Twelve years later (ah, diplomacy at work!) the British troops left the island after the Treaty of Washington was signed, designating the island as a U.S. territory.

Today, the English camp is maintained as an historical site. We had fun traipsing around the old outbuildings, through the English garden, and along the beach.

Merrit discovered that he could hide among the horsetail.

And Ollie quickly followed suit.

One of the restored buildings at the old English Camp.

Inside, the boys had fun climbing the ladder.

The old barracks, now a Ranger Station and museum.

Peaceful.

A butterfly in the English garden.

Delores with blue delphiniums.

Peonies, lavender, and delphiniums were all in bloom in the garden.

Mike, the boys, and I hiked to the top of the hill to get a bird's eye view of the
entire camp and small, quiet harbor.

A really gorgeous, quiet spot.

Aw, we love those Brits!

Fun and games with dad.

He's a trusting sort.

We ran into this super friendly kid from Minnesota
who told us all about how to catch crabs at the beach.
Here Mike and Ollie flip over rocks.

The crab hunter!

A bit mucky, but still fun.

Mike's a big kid at heart. In the background,
our friendly guide from Minnesota!!

Not intentionally, but perhaps fittingly, we ended up eating out that night at a proper English pub! In all the time Mike and I have been back in the U.S. since having left England, we haven't really found a restaurant that promised to serve English food that could deliver. This place was SPOT ON, right down to the mushy peas and HP Sauce!

Mike, Clyde, and Merrit all ordered fish and chips. Delores had shepherd's
pie, and I ordered baked oysters. With Guinness, of course.

Between oysters, mussels, and fried cod, we have eaten some fantastic
local seafood while at Friday Harbor.

The good stuff!

Thanks for a great weekend in the San Juans, honey!!

I told Mike that if the ceilings in this pub were about eight feet lower, it would 
have definitely felt like we were back in England!

In the queue for 2:45 ferry to Anacortes. What a lovely two days we've had!