On August 1, I hitched up the RV and pulled out of Penrose Point State Park. My one-month assignment there went fast! One of the Rangers came by the evening before and asked if I would come back next summer. I committed to a month at Joemma Beach State Park, just down the road, and one month at Penrose. It seems risky for a nomad to make a commitment so far in advance, but I went for it. I can always let them know in the Spring if my plans change.
I headed up the road to Port Townsend, where I boarded the ferry to Whidbey Island and Deception Pass State Park, my next assignment. I could have driven the mother ship up through the Tacoma/Seattle megalopolis and the entered onto Whidbey Island from the North, but the stress level would have been awful driving through that area midday. The total distance would have been 150 miles. Taking the ferry, the distance was about 110 miles plus the ferry crossing. Not too much difference. However, the roads up to the ferry wander through the beautiful Olympic Peninsula, much preferred to bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-5. I paid for the privilege of taking the scenic route; the ferry cost $72.00 one way!
Flying Cloud and Blue Moon in line for the ferry:
An interesting view of my RV, from the top! I was on the stairway leading up to the seating lounge
As I traveled, I grew closer to Mt. Baker. From Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula, the volcanic peak is a dramatic sight. The lone,glacier-covered peak shoots up into the clouds. As I drove closer to it and the foothills, however, the peak seemed to shrink into the background. Last summer after crossing into Northern Washington from British Columbia, I camped in the Mt. Baker foothills and could not see the mountain at all. Funny how the closer you get, the less you see it.
The ferry crossing was beautiful but uneventful. I drove north, stopping in Oak Harbor for groceries and supplies. I arrived in the North end of Whidbey Island and drove into Deception Pass State Park around dinnertime. About 30 minutes after I checked in, the ranger came by with my information and job description. This is a much larger park, with hundreds of campsites and a huge day-use area on the beach. They have 5 rangers and 3 camp hosts to keep up with everything! I have a loop of my own with about 70 regular sites, 3 walk-in sites, and 4 bike-in sites that are up on a hill. As usual, I clean up the sites after the campers leave. I also clean up the day-use area, including the charcoal grills. It’s a bit more responsibility but I don’t have to put up the reservation tags here. And, to make life easy, I have a 4 wheeler to drive around!
My sweet Kubota:
My new camp host site. The firepit and table are to the left. The bathroom is behind, not the best view!
The forest is not nearly as dense and wonderful as Penrose, but the setting is spectacular. The campground is just above two accessible beach areas. Tango and I walked one of them the first morning. It is so sweet to be back to our beach walks. We can go for several miles, at least, to the south. It is another half mile from the campsite to the beach so we are getting in tons of walking.
The following photo shows about half of the day-use area! It is big.
Something else a bit different: this park also has a little park store at the entrance to the campground loops, which carries snacks, ice-cream, t-shirts and smores stuff. I have been resisting smores all summer but my resolve may falter having the ingredients so close. Next door to the store: a cool coffee stand set up in a vintage trailer. I don’t drink coffee anymore but I appreciate the classy set up!
Camp store and coffee stand:
By the first night, I already had a library card for Oak Harbor! I went online to the library website and learned that any state resident can get a card. If you apply online you can immediately receive a temporary card number and start reserving things. To pick them up you have to go in person. That night I reserved several movies and a book I had from the last library that I had not finished before I turned it in (“Poets on the Peaks”).
The only negative: Whidbey Island Naval Air Station is just down the road. They are known for training runs in noisy Growler planes. Last night I heard some taking off, and a few this morning. I know it will get quite noisy at times, based on the controversies swirling around regarding the training flights. The State of Washington is actually suing the government because of the noise problems.
The hot spot on my phone is not working, despite weeks of calls to technical support. They tell me now that I am part of a larger problem they are working on. I seriously doubt that, but I cannot do much until next month when I return to Sequim for a short time. There, I will start investigating other phone plans. Sad, after 20+ years of being with Verizon. In the meantime, I can only post things here when I am in town! My fancy HP computer continues to give me fits, mostly with the cursor problems. I am about done with this beast, even though it is only a year old. Time to go back to a cheapo, workhorse computer.
So, Tango and I are settled in for another month. It will be louder and busier, but we are both quite pleased with our island locale. Here’s to all the adventures and interesting people we will encounter along the way!
