Weekend Getaway - Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island, Washington

 Some twenty years ago, I made my first trip to Seattle, Washington. My family spent one day in Seattle then drove the Olympic Peninsula visiting Hoh Rain Forest, Hurricane Ridge (where we had snow at the end of May), and Cape Flattery. We took a ferry to the San Juan Islands and enjoyed one of my favorite rental stays of all time. Since then I have been wanting to get back to the Pacific NW. I knew there was so much more to see.  And finally, in April, Mr. UR and I made that happen.

I found an airfare of $120 round trip on Alaska Air Lines for the first weekend of April. The only catch was that it was almost a year in advance. Gamble on it? Yes! So I booked it and started looking at what I would see and do on my second visit some 20 years later.

We ultimately decided that we would like to do a little island hopping. I'd not been to Whidbey or Bainbridge Islands which sounded very appealing. And then I found out that the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival  was happening for the whole month. So the plan was falling into place. A fun weekend ahead.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Every April the Skagit Valley holds their month long Tulip Festival running seven days per week. The first thing you do is pick a farm to visit. This year there were four farms available to tour - Roozengaarde, Tulip Town, Rosalyn Garden and a newcomer, Tulip Valley Farm. Tickets for each farm are available for purchase online - and you can also purchase tickets as a walk-in when you arrive. (There isn't a ticket available to visit all farms - you must purchase them separately)

We chose to visit Roozengaarde. With its more than 50 acres of tulips and daffodils, Roozengaarde was started by Dutch immigrant William Roozen way back in 1947. I decided to purchase our tickets online as we would be visiting on a weekend. Parking was free and admission was  $15 per person. 

Admission gets you carte blanche of the farm and tulip fields - with the exception of trampling through them - and you can take all the photos you want. There is a food tent, gift shop and unique to Roozengarde, a windmill.

The day we visited was quite cold - gray and in the 50's - and it started spitting rain when we left. Mr. UR gallantly went along with my photo obsession but I don't think it was his favorite event ever. I have to say that seeing all those tulips was quite cool - and beautiful despite the gray skies. I don't believe that I need to do it again but I'm glad that I was able to do it once. Check out the photos to see if it's something you would be interested in.

After tiptoeing through the tulips, we decided to check out a local brewery to get warm and have a snack. So did many others apparently as it was a bit of a wait. But we enjoyed our beverages at Skagit River Brewery and it did the trick to last us until supper.

La Conner, Washington is a waterfront town - on the Salish Sea - known for its waterfront hotel, La Conner Channel Lodge. And for being the home of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival plus being a popular weekend getaway destination. 

We chose a local winery - Skagit Cellars Winery - to enjoy a glass of wine  and then we walked the town waterfront choosing a restaurant for dinner. La Conner Pub & Eatery was a fine choice - we had a water view table for prime rib night (which was delicious) and all the folks there were very friendly.

Whidbey Island

We started our drive of Whidbey Island with the fantastic Deception Pass State Park. It's Washington's most visited state park and it has also been voted the 5th most beautiful state park in the US. 

The first order of business was driving over the Deception Pass Bridge- which is basically the symbol for the state park. If you say Deception Pass, most people immediately think of the bridge. Connecting Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands, the bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Dedicated in 1935, some 20,000 cars pass on the bridge every day. It sits 180 feet above the swirling waters of Deception Pass and if driving it isn't scary enough for you, you can also walk it - there are pedestrian lanes on either side. And if heights are something you don't enjoy - like me - then this might not be for you. I walked as far on it as I felt comfortable - of course, Mr. UR had no problem with it. 

Next we parked in the designated parking lot and walked down to the rocky beach. It was a pleasant walk - even the uphill walk back to the car wasn't too bad. We hung out on the beach for a bit - and spotted a seal - and then made the hike back up. (I'd highly recommend that you go down to the beach as it gives you such a different perspective of the area)

We continued on to West Beach - still part of the State Park so we just showed our paid receipt - and took a very windy walk along this driftwood filled beach. Normally, I believe there is kayaking available at the pond here but since there were white caps on the pond, it wasn't available the day we were there. There are views of surrounding islands and Puget Sound which are probably better on a clear day.

The tiny town of Coupeville is the second oldest town in Washington State and most of the buildings are at least one hundred years old. The town sits on Penn Cove and it's wharf juts out into the water. We stopped for a bowl of chowder, shopped a bit in the cute stores, walked the wharf in the wind and then stopped at the new Greenbank Cidery to enjoy a beverage with views of the water. 

Mr. UR found the find of the day - a winery with plastic igloo's overlooking the vines and the water. Holmes Harbor Cellar has limited production varietal and blended wines that we both enjoyed while tucked into their cozy igloos for an afternoon sip. 

We just had time to enjoy one more glass of wine at the delightful outdoor space at Spoiled Dog Winery before it closed and we had to catch our ferry. This time we were sailing to Mulkiteo for our accommodations for the night with a stop for dinner at the cute little Sound Pizza. Not only was the pizza delicious but we also enjoyed the company of the owner - a former wrestler and coach - who had a lot in common with Mr. UR. I loved the town of Mulkiteo and would love to come back for a visit someday!

Bainbridge Island

Bainbridge Island is reached from Seattle by a 35 minute ferry - with fantastic views of Seattle on the return. And it's a whole world away from the urban life of Seattle. Known for being an affluent city, with a population of 23,000, it is in the top 7% of the most expensive cities in the world.

Our original plan was to visit the Bloedel Reserve, one of America's Ten Best Botanical Gardens, and do a little winery hopping - there are six boutique wineries located here - plus enjoy some scenic driving. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, we had some rain while we were on the Island and some cold temps, too. Adding to that, the Bloedel Reserve was closed the day we were visiting. 

So we punted and headed to Fay Bainbridge Park, a locally operated public recreation area. It was a nice little park (and campground) with saltwater shoreline and views of the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound. We took a beachfront walk and saw a bald eagle. So a nice morning all in all.

It was time for some lunch - and shopping. Walked Main Street, popping into a few stores, and ate a soup and sandwich lunch at Cafe Hitchcock. It was the perfect little place to get out of the spitting rain and enjoy a meal.

Our last afternoon of the trip would be visiting two of the island's boutique wineries - Eleven and Fletcher Bay Winery. Eleven, which is a bicycle reference, had the heat on to make it nice and cozy inside. Being a cyclist, Mr. UR enjoyed the bicycle art on the walls - and the wine.

I decided to do a tasting flight at Fletcher Bay - and purchase a t shirt as my maiden name is the same as the winery (well, without the bay part) They have some award winning wines and a cute little patio. But outdoor seating wasn't to be this day.

 All too soon it was time to catch the ferry. We, and what seemed like a million Mariner fans, enjoyed the scenery on the 35 minute ride to Seattle. Fantastic views of the city coming in. 

And just like that our weekend getaway was over! It's always too soon but I so appreciate the ability to pick up for a few days and go explore. The Pacific Northwest is one of my favorite places in the US and I still have lots more to see. Looking forward to the next visit!

How about you? Have you gone island hopping in the Seattle area?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand!