Summer at the Beach: Day Trip to Westport, WA

Westport, Washington

What is summer without at least a few days at a beach?  My husband and I took a day trip from Seattle to Westport, Washington.  The Pacific Coast is about a 3-hour drive from our home in the city.  Hours at the beach and nothing to do but watch the waves and clouds, settle down with a good book, enjoy the parade of families and dogs and surfers frolicking in the water, listen to the rhythmic pounding of the breakers and waves lapping at the shore — quintessential summer.  My husband brought back enough fish for supper.  I brought back a few patches of sunburn (yes, I burn even under cloudy skies) and a few good photos.

I do love our ocean beaches.

A patch of blue

Bluff overlooking the beach at Westport

Dune path

Seagull

You never know what you’ll find washed up on the beach.

Sand dollar

Some views from the jetty:

Surfers, Westport, WA

 

 

Day Trip to Whidbey Island: Hiking at Ebey’s Landing

Approaching Ebey’s Landing trailhead

“I leave this notice
on my door
For each accustomed
visitor:
I am gone into the fields
To take what this sweet hour yields.”
— Percy Bysshe Shelley

I take most of my out-of-town guests to Whidbey Island for hiking at Ebey’s Landing.  The journey itself is half the fun as it involves a ferry ride and a drive along country roads with old barns.

Old barn, Whidbey Island

Another old barn

Ferry viewed from the bluff at Ebey’s Landing

The hike itself is pretty spectacular no matter which season I take guests there. The trail is a pleasant loop, up a bluff, and then along the beach on the way back.  This past weekend the landscape was as green as I’ve ever seen it.

Stairs at the start of the hike

Notice the hikers (like ants) on the bluff and on the shore

The initial uphill stretch. The path soon levels off at the top of the bluff.

View of farmland from the bluff; so green

View from Ebey’s Landing

Lupine

Steep slope

Tree sculpted like bonsai

Wildflowers

Driftwood along the beach

The homeward stretch along the shore

Seaweed

Seaweed and rocks

Beach sculpture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Annual Hike at Ebey’s Landing

Hiking trail up to the bluff at Ebey’s Landing

When I have company from out-of-town, I like to take them to Ebey’s Landing, one of my favorite hikes on Whidbey Island.  This loop trail provides a perfect slice of Pacific Northwest life — a ferry ride to get there, expansive views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, bucolic rural scenery, and a beach walk.  It’s not too strenuous, and a breeze keeps you cool even on a hot, sunny summer day.

We experienced a special treat on this most recent hike — a plein air artist was working on a landscape in oil pastels.  I always love to see artists at work.

Easel and trays of oil pastels at Ebey’s Landing

Steven R. Hill, plein air artist

An artist’s hands

Plein air art at Ebey’s Landing

View from Ebey’s Landing: a rural landscape with Mount Baker on the horizon

View out over Puget Sound

Looking down at the lagoon from the bluff at Ebey’s Landing

View of Olympic Mountains from across Puget Sound

Seattle Day Trip: Hiking at Ebey’s Landing

On the bluff at Ebey's Landing, looking back to the trailhead

Ebey’s Landing on Whidbey Island is one of my all-time favorite hiking destinations.  Every step along the trail sports impressive views of Puget Sound.  It’s a fairly easy 3-mile loop hike.  We hike along the bluff going out and return along the beach.  Here are some photos of this year’s hike, my first hike of the season:

Patchwork of farm land viewed from the bluff

Hiking along the bluff trail

Below the bluff is a lagoon, separated from Puget Sound by a thin stretch of beach.

The bluff was full of wildflowers.

Looking down the bluff into the waters of the lagoon

Descending the bluff to the beach

Lagoon and log-strewn beach along Puget Sound

The waves sounded like a train entering a station.

Seagull in flight

Rocks and seaweed

Walking back to the trailhead along the beach