Fidalgo Island: Washington Park and Mount Erie

The "Island Area" of Washington State is rich with intriguing and scenic places to explore.  We begin our photographic journey here, where we're staying for a month, on Fidalgo Island.

Our first stop is

Washington Park located on the western tip of Fidalgo Island. Here are some highlights of our afternoon drive.
The tides are extreme here, varying from 7 to 8 feet.

There are many pull offs on Washington Park's main drive to encourage one to get out and enjoy the sweeping views from the high, rocky cliff line.

The Washington State Ferry system provides transportation to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, BC.  That's one of the state's ferries seen below.

The day began cloudy but by noon the sun was shining and temperatures rose into the upper 60's. At this particular pull-off, there were steps that allow you to walk down to the waterline and explore the tidal pools.

The 2.2 mile drive through Washington Park goes through old growth forests of Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks and Douglas-firs.

This is the Burrows Channel Viewpoint, also seen along the drive.

A view of the Skyline Marina and Burrows Bay.

Since the day was sunny and warming up, we drove on to the top of Mount Erie (elevation 1273')
where the views from it's summit were awesome.  No doubt, we plan to come back here again when the sky is a little more clearer for better views of Mt. Rainier.

Leaving Mount Erie, we traveled south on Highway 20 towards the famous Deception Pass Bridge.  We'll come back here later to visit and spend more time exploring Deception Pass State Park. There are trails and roads for better views of the bridge plus a walk on the beach will be interesting.

As we traveled southward, we soon came upon the village of Coupeville, which is located on Whidbey Island.  We walked down to the old fisherman's wharf that was established in 1905.

This area is also known for Penn Cove Shellfish, the oldest and largest mussel farm in the country.

Coupeville, founded in 1852, is Washington State's second oldest town. These old buildings now house gift shops, galleries, restaurants and candy/ice cream parlors.

Notice again, the extreme tides.  You could see the water flowing back into the bay at a slow, steady pace.

  Looking from the Wharf, the sunny views of Coupeville's waterfront looked almost like a postcard.

More Later..