Deception Pass, WA
Friday, October 4
It was raining — again! — when we woke up at Larrabee State Park in Bellingham, Washington. Gray, gloomy skies are pretty much a regular occurrence around here.
Today, I wanted to check out the Port of Bellingham on Bellingham Bay and visit a free marine life center I read about online. Tory and Aden love ocean animals and it’s always fun for them to get up close and personal with those creatures.
We had a tough time finding the marine life center at first, as it was tucked inside a strip mall of boat and charter companies. It was small and sort of dingy inside, but there were a few different touch pools and tanks and it was free. Can’t beat that.
After the marine life center, we walked around the marina and looked at all the sailboats lined up in the harbor. Mental note: this would be a beautiful place to sail someday!
We said good-bye to Bellingham and hit the road again. Next stop: Deception Pass State Park, an area that connects Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands and Skagit Bay with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We’d heard rave reviews about Deception Pass State Park and were excited to check it out for ourselves. On the way, we stopped for lunch at The Shrimp Shack in Anacortes, Washington — about 10 minutes from Deception Pass State Park. This place was LEGIT.
Andi ordered a Dungeness crab cake burger and crab chowder for he and I to split — both were amazing. Tory got a burger and Aden ordered chicken strips. We sat outside on a picnic table and watch the crowds come in droves for this local gem for fresh seafood.
One word when we approached Deception Pass State Park — uh oh! There were crowds of fishermen gathered around the bridge and the parking lot was full. Deception Pass State Park was a busy place. We hoped we’d be able to get a camping spot for the night.
As it turned out, we were in luck! We snagged the very last available campsite for the night. It was a super unlevel spot, but we made it work.
We’d heard nothing but good things about Deception Pass State Park, except for one thing — airplanes. All the reviews we’d read said to check the Navy’s practice schedule before visiting. If the planes were flying, the noise pollution was unbearable. Luckily, we hit the state park on the right day.
After we got settled, we walked to the North Beach Overlook. The park was absolutely beautiful with lots of “secret” trails that led to water overlooks. Tory and Aden liked all the moss hang from the trees and bushes — it gave the trails a spooky, Halloween feeling.
Back at the campsite, we grilled a greek rolled pork loin for dinner with asparagus. Tory and I worked on her Washington State Park Junior Ranger booklet inside the RV while Aden and Andi tinkered around outdoors. The RVs kept rolling into the campground all evening. It was interesting that many of the state parks we’ve visited on this trip were practically empty. Not Deception Pass — it was a busy campground, even in mid-October.
