Day 264 - North Cascades Loop (Part 3)

Day 264 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

I missed my turn back to the campground last night and forgot to mention the yard art I found. This house was complete with a tiger, bald eagle, moose and a zebra just to name a few. There were so many, I can’t recall them all and they were big! Anyway, that was my evening entertainment before I turned in.

Gun Battery in Fort Ebey State Park

This morning I went on the greatest walk with Petey in tow. We followed a ridge trail through Fort Ebey’s forested hills and looked out on the water with a mountainous background as ships sailed by. Along the way to Partridge Point Beach, we stopped to explore the gun battery constructed in 1942.

Battery 248 was one of the most modern defenses protecting Puget Sound. The battery was designed to coordinate its fire with other installations between Fort Casey and Deception Pass. It protected the entrance to Admiralty Inlet during World War II. The guns were never fired on anything more than targets before they were removed.

Partridge Point Beach

From the battery, we followed the trail which slowly descended down to the rocky beach edged with enormous pieces of driftwood and home to countless birds. Unfortunately, the sea lions and otters I had hoped to spot weren’t out basking in the morning sun. Perhaps it’s not the season for them in Washington.

Deception Pass Bridge

After our two and a half mile stroll, we left the park and headed north to Deception Pass Bridge which provides magnificent views in all directions. This 1,487 foot cantilever bridge stands above the indigo waters of Puget Sound while it connects Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island.

Whidbey Island is the second largest island in the 48 contiguous states. Captain Vancouver, named the island in honor of one of his officers on his exploration team. The passageway between the two islands was named Deception as Vancouver felt deceived by the size of the island that he originally thought was a peninsula.

Anacortes

From Deception Pass, we continued toward Anacortes where we stopped for a clam chowder lunch at Bob’s Chowder Bar and considered boarding a ferry to the San Juan Islands. I passed on the idea, as I didn’t want to go out there and back just for a few hours. That might need to be a destination trip. Besides, fog covered most of the islands, and I suspect they are a smaller version of the island I had just visited.

Baker Lake

Our drive followed Hwy 20 to the east before we took a short jaunt to the north to visit Baker Lake which sat beneath towering glaciers. After enjoying the view we pressed on to Rockport State Park where I had hoped to take an afternoon hike and camp for the evening. The campground was closed due to strong winds blowing down the trees.

And the hiking…well I picked a trail, walked a quarter mile and found I was going to have to cross the highway while dragging Petey along…no good. I decided I’d do a little grocery shopping and turned back toward Baker Lake where I had seen a campground on Seely Lake. It was quiet and shaded…perfect. ETB

Map of My Road Trip Across the USA

For a summary about my road trip across the USA, click HERE. For the interactive map, see the below link.

map of road trip along scenic byways across the USA — Interactive Link to Map

Shop

Check out the photographic note cards and key chains at my shop. Each card has a travel story associated with it. 20% of proceeds are donated to charity.