August 5 – August 11, 2026.
I stepped out of the van. It was 8:30, and the sun was due to set. We had been camped out at this overlook with our friend Holly since late afternoon. Parked side by side, our vans looked over Samish Bay in northern Washington State. Across the water, the San Juan Islands formed layered lines rambling on the horizon.
It was eerily quiet outside in the golden fading light. We had been the first ones at the overlook, but now it was full of vans and a few cars. I walked past a car dweller. His hatch was up, and he reclined in the nest of his home, looking out over the water. Others lined the edge of the overlook, sitting or standing. No one made a sound.
The sun was visible only from one side of the parking lot. But no one seemed to mind that they couldn’t actually see the orb as it melted into the islands. I walked as far as I could to one edge and took some pictures. And when the orange light disappeared, everyone quietly walked back to their rolling homes.
We had left the mountains and were now ready to explore the waters that meandered around and through the inland coast of Washington. Part of the Salish Sea, this collection of waters includes Puget Sound, many bays, more sounds, ports, straits, inlets, and other bodies of water.
* Click pics to enlarge and read captions. View is a slideshow too!
Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve
We started exploring the area by learning about the people who originally lived on it at the Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve on the Tulalip Reservation. This reservation, a small 22,000-acre tract of land bordered in the west by Possession Sound and Port Susan, is the sovereign homeland of the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skagit, Suiattle, Samish, and Stillaguamish peoples.
We spent a couple of hours exploring the museum. It had a good introductory movie and several galleries. I was struck by the similarities with what we learned about the First Nations people of Canada when we visited British Columbia 4 years ago. The Longhouses, the children taken from their homes and sent away to school, and the banning of speaking native their native language and customs. We learned about the Tulalip legends, the 1855 treaty in which they ceded most of their land, and how the tribes used cedar trees for almost everything—including making clothing.
Larrabee State Park
The day following our first night at the overlook, we traveled with Holly up to Larrabee State Park. It was low tide when we got there, so we went straight to the beach for some tide pooling on the Chuckanut Bay.
After climbing over rocks and peering into all the small puddles of water in between them at so much amazing sea life, we drove up into the Chuckanut Mountains to hike Rock Trail. We climbed up and down ladders, past moss-covered trees, sinuous roots, and mysterious rocks, heading for a body of water called Lost Lake. The lake remained lost to us as we got near but never got a clear view of it.
Anacortes
The next day we parted ways with Holly and drove over to Fidalgo Island. Our first stop was the Maritime Heritage Center in the city of Anacortes. We were surprised to find it surrounded by the weekly Saturday farmers’ market. There were plenty of fruits and vegetables as well as gifts, flowers, and food trucks. We bought some lunch and sat near a little stage with a guitar player.
After lunch, we headed on to the heritage center. The main museum, which is free, had displays about maritime history in the Pacific Northwest. Outside, a large dry-docked boat was available to tour for a fee. It was a steam-powered snagboat called W.T. Preston.
I’d never heard of a snagboat before, but soon learned that they started patrolling the waters of Puget Sound in the 1880s to remove “snags” (trees and other debris) from the water. Once aboard, a docent told us about the boats’ history and the crews’ daily life. Afterward, we were allowed to roam the boat on our own.
From the snagboat, we headed to the Anacortes Museum, hiking through the city’s cute downtown. Along the way, we tried to spot as many of the 150 Bill Mitchell murals as we could. Bill Mitchel created these murals of famous Anacortes citizens over 30 years, starting in the 80s, to revitalize the city. You can find them on almost every street in the downtown area. We used a map on this website to guide us to their locations.
At the museum, we found more Bill Mitchell murals and a fun exhibit on Anacortes music.
Before we left the charming downtown area and the east side of the island, we drove up to Cap Sante Park and took in the view of the town, its marina, Fidalgo Bay, and, in the distance, the Cascade Mountains.
On the west side of the island, we drove through Washington Park. A narrow one-way loop runs through the park. You have to drive slow because the road is used by both cars and pedestrians. There are pull-offs big enough for one car where you can park and walk to the beach. Towards the end of the loop, there is a viewpoint that looks out over the water.
Deception Pass State Park
The next day we headed down the island to explore Deception Pass State Park. Our first stop was the Civilian Conservation Corps Interpretive Center. We love the CCC and all the work they did developing our state and national parks in the 1930s and early 1940s. Greg wrote about the CCC some years ago. You can read it here.
After looking at the displays at the interpretive center, we headed off to Rosario Beach, where we found some well-organized tide pooling. Park staff were on hand. They had strung yellow tape through the tide pool area to guide visitors and keep them off sensitive areas. Placards along the path shared tips on what to look for. It was quite a popular activity, which made it difficult to follow the yellow tape—especially with children agilely zooming by you across the rocky surface. But the scene was beautiful, and we saw lots of exciting things in the pools.
After tide pooling, we walked the Rosario Head Trail, passing the Maiden of Deception Pass. Displays told the story of how a Samish woman, Ko-kwal-alwoot, transformed from a young maiden into a maiden of the sea.
Back in the van, we drove from Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island, crossing over Deception Pass. We drove into the park and took a hike up to the bridge. The views were expansive. And we saw our first harbor seals in Washington!
Our last stop in the park was at the Sand Dune Interpretive Trail, where we saw an over 850-year-old Douglas-fir tree.
Deception Pass State Park is a jewel of Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. This post would be far too long to show you all the lovely views and hikes we went on.
Whale Tour
The next morning, we drove back to Fidalgo Island for a whale tour. We chose Outer Island Excursions Anacortes for this little splurge.
The boat had two decks and a comfortable indoor seating area with big windows. Once we were out of the harbor, it took off, and I had to step outside with a handful of other passengers for a bit of fresh air. Up through San Juan Island, we passed a bald eagle, but the boat was going too fast for pictures of it or anything else. I just hung on and waited for whales. Inside, our two guides were chatting everyone up. One guide asked Greg if he had ever been on a whale tour before. He was about to say no when he remembered the tightly packed tippy boat and the whale tour he did in Baja California Sur.
We traveled so far that we left the country. Somewhere between Victoria, British Columbia, and San Juan Island, we stopped in Canadian waters. And there were three orcas. I could hear one of the guides on the upper deck, right above where I had stationed myself for pictures. She told us about the whales, two of whom were brothers, whom she knew by name. She related all kinds of information, which I can’t recall now. But trust me, it was fascinating.
Getting pictures of the whales was hard. They’d surface without any warning and be gone quickly. But we were there for a long time, so I had time to adjust my whale photographing tactics and got a few fin shots.
My biggest complaint about this tour was that we spent too much time looking at the whales! This meant we had little time to see any other kind of wildlife on the way back. Still, I was able to snap some pics when the boat slowed down around small islands and added a new bird (a Common Murre) to my life list.
Ebeys Landing
After we returned to the marina, we headed back down to Whidbey Island for one more hike at Ebey’s Landing. Walking along the beach here gave me a better understanding of the snagboats. The trail went along the beach and then up a large hill. Worn out from the whale tour, we only walked the beach part.
Ferry to Port Townsend
I wish we could have explored more of the islands, but the next day we had to head on. We crossed Puget Sound on a ferry to Port Townsend. We saw many dots of birds in the water, so I zoomed in with my camera and caught yet another new bird for my life list: a Rhinoceros Auklet.
