West Beach is on the Northwest side of Whidbey Island. Whidbey Island is the largest island in Washington and the 40th largest island in the United States. The island was named after Joseph Whidbey in 1792. To get onto Whidbey Island you have to ride a ferry from one of the routes at the central or south end of the island, or you have to drive over Deception Pass Bridge at the North end.
Since Mount Vernon is North of Whidbey Island, we drove over Deception Pass Bridge. Construction of the Deception Pass Bridge was started August, 1934 and completed July 1935. The bridge, one of the scenic wonders of the Pacific Northwest, is actually two spans, one over Canoe Pass to the north, and another over Deception Pass to the south. Traveling over it sure was impressive!
We stopped at Deception Pass State Park to get some pictures of the bridge. We had to park the car and walk down a short path to get to the beach. The trail was so neat! The fir and cedar trees are so tall, I couldn't see the tops of them! The undergrowth is made up of ferns, huckleberries and moss. It's SO green! No wonder Washington is called 'The Evergreen State'.
Look how small I am at the base of this old fir tree!
The drive to West Beach was just a short distance from the bridge. We met Molly's parents and her cousin Ashley for a picnic and then explored the beach a little. Oh, it was so neat! The rocks are round from being tumbled in the sea and they are many different colors! Just look at them!
I want to send some home to all my friends in Grovespring.
The air smelled like salt and the waves crashed on the shore. There were seagulls flying with the wind overhead.
As we were walking back to the car, it started raining.
Our day didn't end there, but I'm pretty tired after all the excitement today. I'll write about the rest of the day tomorrow while Dena is at work.
