Fort Ebey State Park

We've found that life comes pounding with such force that we have to purposefully carve out time to have fun. This is difficult for me (Rachel) because I like to have fun without pressure, without having to be anywhere or only having a few hours until my next obligation. Sean and I are both learning how to manage our time better (it's like we're becoming adults or some nonsense) and more importantly how to empty our minds of stress when we have a short period of time for fun. We practiced this last Friday - I got off work at 10:30 in the morning, he was out of school at 11:00 and we booked it up to the Mukilteo ferry and headed our way to Whidbey Island to go biking in Fort Ebey State Park. We played hard and caught the last ferry back home at 10:30 at night. We got just enough sleep to wake up in time for me to go to work on Saturday. We never stop moving, we grab every moment we can, and we force ourselves to get out and be active no matter how tired we are. We've never been happier. I don't say this as a "yay look at us, we're so cool!" but more to encourage you to do the same. It can be anything from going to a park, hanging out with your kids in your back yard, going on an evening walk with your family - anything, but it's the little moments that happen in between everything else that are yours. Make them yours. John Muir said once, "One can make a day of any size, and regulate the rising and setting of his own sun and the brightness of its shining."I know this isn't easy, it certainly isn't easy for us either, but nature has a way of making it worth it, I promise. 

Before we left home I was scrambling around looking for all of our rain gear because we'd heard that it was supposed to pour on Whidbey that day, but thankfully we were completely wrong. It was a glorious day: hot sun, cool breezes and all of the clouds stayed far away. We made our way to the beach first to eat our lunch on the driftwood and enjoy the soft, rolling waves. 

(little starfish dude)

We had a fair amount of trouble finding the correct trails for biking on, as the Fort Ebey is a much larger park than we had expected. There are extensive hiking and walking trails, some of which allow bikes and some of which don't, which is a fantastic idea. The trail system in the park hooks up with the Kettles trail system that is on county land and apparently they both have some of the best trails on the island! 

(Princess run was no princess...)

We started out on the one of the trails and I quickly came to the realization that I haven't the faintest idea how to mountain bike. I stood, straddling my bike with one foot on the peddle, looking down the first hill and said to Sean, "I'm going to run into a tree at some point...this should be fun." We skidded our way around corners, launched ourselves over tree roots and huffed our way up steep hills. It must be the fear of killing yourself at any moment that makes mountain biking fun, right?...right guys?? Yea, we'll go with that. :) 

(Had to take a photo...it's just a coincidence that it was after climbing a big hill)

We thought that the trails were decent for biking on, but were definitely better suited for hiking. They were pretty narrow, with a lot of hairpin turns and drastic elevation changes so it was difficult to gain momentum to get up the big hills. But hey, we ("maybe you", says Sean) may just be out of shape and inexperienced! 

(boo-yah)

(sign snap!)

When the sun started to leave the forested trails, we decided to give our bikes a chance to rest their wheels and we made our way to the bluff. The sun was making its way to bed, so the light was warm and golden over the sloping hills. We sat for a bit on a picnic table and watched the breeze ripple through the grasses while letting the beauty of this place seep into our bones. We walked through the dark, coldness of the concrete barracks and then up over the top for a sweeping view of the picnic area. 

(Expansive picnic area at Fort Ebey)

The light was perfect, the air was warm; no speaking was necessary to share this experience with each other. I followed Sean down the front of the hill and we ended up at the edge of the bluff, looking over the edge to the crashing waves below. 

(Following the path on top of the barracks)

Just as we were looking down, a sweeping shadow passed over us and paraglider was catching the breeze out to sea. He climbed higher and higher until he disappeared in to the sun and made his way over to dance with his friends. 

(Preparing to jump)

We had heard that this bluff was a popular launching place for paragliders, but we didn't know we would be so lucky to experience them flying over us with such graceful silence. I sat on my knees on the trail and looked directly up, waiting for them to sweep over me just before their shadow crossed my own. It was somehow a magnificently peaceful and exhilarating experience at the same time. 

(On the bluff trail, looking up)

Our visit here was more than what we had expected and this is what gives us the energy to keep visiting new parks. We take care not to research too deeply before going to a certain park because we like to be awed by first impressions and what the park looks like through our own eyes and lenses. Our state parks are diverse and the more we visit, the more we understand why they need to be preserved for future generations. This kind of unique environment exists only here and we are blessed that we will get to experience the fullness of its beauty over the next few years. 

(Preparing to fold his wings for the night)

Never stop exploring.

-Rachel and Sean 

For more information on Fort Ebey State Park, please visit the official Washington State Parks website here: Complete Information for Fort Ebey State Park

Adventure Awaits features Paragliding and Hangliding in state parks.

Washington Trails Association's guide and reviews for Fort Ebey State Park.

Lake Easton State Park (Our First Anniversary Trip!)

To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, Sean and I decided to camp at Lake Easton State Park. Armed with a small food supply, a tent, and our cameras, we headed out on Labor Day and found the campground blessedly empty, as everyone had already left from their long weekend. It was gorgeously sunny and a perfect blend of hot and cool in the shade of the forest.

(Our campsite at Lake Easton state park)

There was a burn ban while we were there, so we picked up a small camp stove at REI (thanks to our sponsor Bill Collison!) and the first thing we did after setting up our tent was to boil water. We're easily entertained. Once the water produced bubbles that met our quality check for size and frequency, we deemed the camp stove a good investment. 

(Testing out our new camp stove)

After the excitement of watching water boil, we yearned for further entertainment so we headed down to the River Walk Trail that runs just below the tent campground. The short trail follows the Yakima River, which begins again at a dam coming from Lake Easton, and was roaring the day we were there. The trail here only runs from one end of the tent campground to the other, but the short walk had a few pretty views of the river that made it worth it. 

(The Yakima River from "River Walk Trail")

For years now, it has been a goal of mine to visit the mountains in the fall to see the Vine Maples (my favorite tree) change from green to brilliant red, but we've always been too busy to see them until this year. You can imagine how excited I was to see them changing so early! When you're used to seeing the Bigleaf Maple leaves in Seattle basically just turning brown from rain rot and falling off the tree before changing colors, this was amazing. 

(Vine Maples starting to change color)

After a delicious camp dinner, we drove down a little road to the main Lake Easton day-use park and RV campground. There were still many people swimming and eating at the picnic tables there, so we sat down the beach a ways and skipped rocks and watched the clouds float by. 

(Lake Easton looking out from the beach access)

I was determined to see the sunset, so we hung out for quite a while and then moved to the boat launch area so we could get a better view of the evening light show.  

(Sunset on Lake Easton through a life ring)

Once the sun dropped, it became cold really quickly and a wicked wind picked up, but it was still totally worth it! Once the colors went away, we headed back to our campsite and because of a lack of a campfire, we went to bed when it got dark. Oh, camping...where else can you get 11 hours of sleep?

(Sunset on Lake Easton from the boat launch dock)

We could hear the river from our tent site as well as trains that would pass by us just on the other side of the river bank. I also heard an Elk bugle for the first time! Not at ALL what I would have expected. I heard a squeaky, strained sound across the river and didn't really pay much attention until Sean told me that it was an Elk. It was really amazing to hear it echoing through the mountains. 

(This isn't my video, but the first 10 seconds is similar to what we heard!)

We woke up early in the morning and decided to make breakfast on the lake, since we had a portable stove! It was incredibly windy so Sean ended up cooking breakfast from inside a horseshoe pit to hide from the wind. I'm sure people thought we were crazy. It was a gorgeous morning, despite the wind, and we were the only ones at the park for most of the morning. The picture below was taken whilst sitting on the previously mentioned horseshoe pit where I was keeping Sean company. It's such a gorgeous park!

(Play area at Lake Easton)

After we broke down camp, we starting walking on the old Sunset Highway to see if we could find part of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail in Iron Horse State Park. The bridge we crossed was built in 1927 as part of the Sunset Highway, which connected Seattle to Ellensburg and followed an original Native American trail that was also later used for a wagon trail. The road was improved upon in the early 1900s when the automobile became popular and people wanted a convenient and beautiful way to reach the mountains. There are some cool old photos of the original Sunset Highway, along with an article, here. I was fascinated to learn about this scenic highway but couldn't help feeling a little sad as we heard semis roaring past us on I-90 just a few hundred yards away.

(On the bridge over where the Kachess River flows in to Lake Easton)

Sean and I walked along the old Sunset Highway into the woods until we saw signs pointing towards Iron Horse State Park. We found the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and enjoyed walking on it a short way to another view point of Lake Easton. 

(On the John Wayne Pioneer Trail directly behind Lake Easton)

(Our "sign shot" that we took before we left)

We enjoyed Lake Easton State Park and all it had to offer, but after a while the road noise from I-90 was starting to get to me so we packed up and left the park in search of solitude. Neither of us had ever been to Lake Kachess before, so we hopped on I-90 and headed a few exits down the road. I loved Lake Easton, but was yearning for the natural "silence" that you find when you are tucked away in the mountains away from busy roads. We drove down the small winding road to the National Forest Campground and spent the rest of the afternoon resting in the sun on the shores of the lake. 

 (On the shores of Lake Kachess within the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest)

We thought that Lake Easton State Park was beautiful, fun, and perfect for camping or day trips. The campground was clean, the ranger and volunteers very nice, and the scenery was gorgeous. It's conveniently located on exit 70 of I-90 and offers plenty of family fun in the way of a jungle-gym, easy walking trails, boat and beach access, a swimming area, and is close to even more walking/hiking trails, and all of the fun of Iron Horse State Park as well. The only downside was the road noise from I-90, which was very loud as the park is located just off the highway. 

We had a great time camping at Lake Easton State Park to celebrate our first anniversary and I am sure that we will be returning to explore even more of its beauty in the future!

For more information please visit: Complete Information for Lake Easton (parks.wa.gov)

For information about the former Sunset Highway, consider viewing:

• An in-depth article by King County on the former Sunset Highway.
• An article about the Lake Easton fishing bridge on the former Sunset Highway.
• The History Link article on the former Sunset Highway. 

Happy Adventuring!

-Rachel and Sean

(P.S. Happy 1st anniversary, Sean! I'm looking forward

 to a lifetime filled full of adventures with you!)

Location of Lake Easton State Park:

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