SOLO ROADTRIP III: WHIDBEY ISLAND [DAYS 6-8]
the next day we left we made our way to whidbey island. though it was not the plan for the days to match, but we ended up spending our birthday together which worked out well. we had not spent our birthday together in over 10 years. before leaving, we ate breakfast (home made biscuits, jam, & pear sauce) with the people my sister lives with.
their pretty front window.
we then spent some time with the cows since that is not an everyday experience for me. i was scared to roll under the electric fence into the enclosure, but she said it would be fine. turns out she was actually scared. the cows were getting closer than usual & would follow us. it also did not help that the bull was mounting some of the other gal cows.
i did end up getting a cool picture with a new friend
we then made our way to visit a historical site nearby in sedro-wooley. here there is what is now a county state park, but is also ruins of the northern state hospital. it was a mental hospital that was self sufficient with its own farm. i am not sure when the place opened, but it was closed in the 1970s. the place is a bit creepy (even has a cemetery), but there were a few people actually walking around the area. in one of the building there was even a pentagram. it feels less like a park and more like a collection of condemned buildings. i enjoyed it :)
spooky,
downtown sedro-wooley
seafood at whidbey island
after making a quick stop to the downtown area & an antique store, we made out way to whidbey island. we went to a seafood shack & got some fried shrimp & a crab burger. the next stop was deception state park. i really wanted to go see the ccc exhibit in one of the old 1930s new deal buildings. i thought it would be a good idea to take a trail to see our next site in the park, rosario beach. we got to see some pretty views & walked the beach, but eventually the trail lead to some cliffs & at times we had to crawl over tree trunks. my sister was getting worried we were getting lost, so we turned around & drove to our next site.
a buff statue dedicated to the CCC workers.
the view during our failed hike.
we were supposed to take the trail to rosario beach, but we ended up driving it. here is the maiden of deception pass. it is a monument that tells the samish story of the maiden who married the king of sea creatures so the bay could thrive & provide for the samish people. one side shows her "human form" while the other shows her with kelp hair & scaly skin.
the maiden of deception pass
we did not have anything else planned, so we decided to check into our airbnb. this airbnb was the reason we stayed on the island. i just wanted to find a quirky little place somewhat close to my sister. we ended up staying on some property that raises horses & grows lavender. the airbnb is an older building built in the 1930s supposedly by a magician (i assume it was originally the main house). sounds kind of haunted, looked kind of haunted, & maybe it was. the next night my sister crawled out of bed because she thought she heard me walking in the living room. i was asleep.
the cute airbnb
fresh picked lavender
my cute bedroom. there was even chocolates on the bed & a fresh rose on the nightstand.
it was a very cute place that was decorated with antiques, something we really enjoyed. it was fun to just look at all the vintage thingamabobs. there. there was only one tv in the living room & it only played VHS, but that sounded great & nostalgic to us. i ma a 90s kids, so i knew how to use such contraptions. we were hoping by chance they would have the 1990s parent trap, but they did not; it fit the vibes. we did end up watching the next 2 nights my best friends wedding & titanic (in its entirety).
we decided to drive to the business district of oak harbor to find some food & settled on thai. we then stopped at the grocery store for some birthday desserts & made it back to the airbnb to watch my best friends wedding, eat some treats, drink some tea (wine for her) out of teacups & saucers, & cross stitch (crochet for her).
indulging the evening
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the next day we did not have too much planned & did end up doing more than what was on my list. luckily i am the planner & she is the follow along-er. we first stopped at whidbey coffee to try some fall drinks. we are basic; i got the pumpkin marshmallow latte. after we drove to fort ebey state park to see the fort. here you can see a wwii bunker & walk inside. we did not go on trails.
next we went to the coupeville waterfront. it was a cute a little place that was still quite sleepy as we got there early. coupeville is one of the oldest towns in the state with buildings well over 100 years old. people like to travel in this area to go whale watching, including orcas. also every year they have a festival that includes a canoe race.
the coupeville warf
the whale bell
we were starving & as this is a small place with not very options, my sister decided to choose a random place. it ended up being my favorite eatery of the entire trip. it is a restaurant right in front of the ferry that goes to port townsend. here, you can see the ocean & see the ferry bounce between the 2 islands. the food was also really good. we ended doing what we always do, splitting our meals.
we still had some more time, so we stopped at the historic sunnyside cemetery near ebey landing, a national preserve, which also has a block house from the 1800s. it was really pretty & almost felt like you were just taking a hike. there was an epitaph that stated:
