Saturday 30 August 2008

Whidbey Island and Deception Pass

Here we are on a day trip up Whidbey Island, near Seattle Washington. We took the Mukilteo Ferry from the mainland to the south end of the island.At the top of Whidbey Island in Washington State is an amazing geological formation. Deception Pass is a narrow waterway named by Captain George Vancouver in 1792. The deception is that he thought it was a penninsula, not an island. He named the island for his mate Whitbey who discovered it. The water moves through between 8 and 12 knots during the tides. Small vessels need to move through during slack tide.
We walked south on the bridge, looking down at the kelp beds and the fast moving waters.
I was impressed with this tree - lit by a shaft of sunshine.On the south side, there is a park with camping - tall trees and sunset views.The bridge is 185 ft. high, was built in 1935 and cost ~$300,000.00. It cost the same amount of money to paint the bridge in 1987. The structure reminds me of the Mechano set my older brother used to build structures. We walked back on the other side of the bridge and looked down to a beach known for agates. Strong currents polish stones. On the north side, the cliffs fall to the water.A fault line runs through the rock here and in the ice age, a wedge was carved, producing the passage of Deception Pass. There are natural parks on either side with great trails.

2 comments:

Margaret said...

My Grandparents live in Anacortes, which is on the other side of the bridge! We always loved going to Deception Pass as kids and walking across the bridge. It's so beautiful, isn't it? I also love looking at all the tiny islands in the distance.

Great post, Vivian. It makes me just a wee bit homesick, but in a good way!

sumita's artworld said...

I love your photograph of the flowing water!