After our intermission in the Seattle area, we hit the road again and headed up to Whidbey Island, Washington. We have friends that live in Anacortes we visited and we had heard wonderful things about the San Juan Islands. We stayed for three full days and got a great first look at the majesty of Pudget Sound and its islands.
Our drive up to Whidbey Island was through the middle of Seattle. fortunately for us, it was mid-day and the traffic was relatively light. There are two ways to get to Whidbey Island, from the south via a ferry, and from the north via the Deception Pass bridge. For a rig our size, you need to make a reservation and we were worried about making the times work. Not to mention, Jennifer was not all that excited about getting on a boat, let alone with the motorhome. More on that in the next post. We stayed at the Navy’s RV park, Cliffside, on the base there. We arrived early enough to take a walk along the beach at the RV park. It was a gorgeous day and quite a different beach from the ones we had been on in Oregon. The water in the Sound is much more calm and the waves are much smoother.
After our walk, we visited with some of our dear friends from our time in the Air Force. Brian and Kelli have lived in Anacortes for the last ten years or so, and had lived there previously. We stopped for drinks and smoked salmon at their wonderful home and sat out on the deck enjoying the beautiful view. 
Then a trip out to the marina for dinner and a walk around the marina marveling at the fancy sailboats and “yachts”. Another chance to get more fresh seafood food and enjoy their company. It was a great start to our stay.
The next morning started out a little overcast, but quickly cleared up so we headed south on the island towards the town of Langley. Whidbey Island has quite a few small bays and each with its own small town and wonderfully unique sights. Our drive took us along Madrona Road along the bay to Coupeville. Madrona is a kind of tree with a unique cinnamon colored bark.
We walked around Coupeville and out on their pier. Penn Cove is a cove right near Coupeville that is famous for its mussels. It was not lunch time yet, but we decided that would need to be our lunch when we got to Langley.
Midway between Coupeville and Langley is Fort Casey, an old army defense outpost. There is a lighthouse there, so of course we detoured off the main road to go check it out. Admiral Head Light Station is a decommissioned lighthouse set back somewhat from the cliffs. We did not go up in it, but even so, the views from the high cliffs were fabulous.
Our arrival at Langley coincided with lunch time, we were able to get a table at Saltwater Fish House and Oyster Bar. As we hoped, they served Rainer Beer Steamed Penn Cove Mussels. We split a bowl, FANTASTIC! After lunch a walk around town. Langley is a quaint town that has a couple of historic streets with shops and restaurants, galleries and boutiques. A fun afternoon walk.
Brian and Kelli were able to join us out at our motorhome for drinks and burgers and a sunset walk on the beach. Such a fun day, culminating with a beautiful sunset.
Next up, Bridges, Ferries and Oysters and Clam Strips