24/25SEP07 - Whidbey Island, WA

We left the casino RV park and headed to Whidbey Island, one of the largest islands in the USA. Since we had opted not to use the car ferry at the south end of the island, we drove onto the island at the north end of the island. This drive is very beautiful and has a bridge crossing at Deception Pass. The currents are very fast through this waterway and many a boater has gotten into trouble trying to transit it.

Halfway down the island, in the little town of Greenbank, we pulled into the driveway of our friends Ken and Karen Bishop. Well actually we stopped on the main road and Corrie jumped into the toad and drove down driveway to see if we could make it? This was necessary because the Bishop’s driveway is about 1000 feet long, a little bit steep, pretty curvy and is lined by hundreds of trees! We made it down the driveway with inches to spare; but if those trees get bigger, we may not next time.

Ken used to be in the Coast Guard and was both Corrie and Dan’s boss at one time (but that’s a story for another time). Anyway, Ken retired about 15 years ago, and Karen and he built their dream home on a beachside cliff overlooking the waters of Puget Sound. Once we recovered from the drive down the driveway, we had a delicious BBQ dinner while listening to the sounds of the Shifty Sailors. Who are they, you ask? The Shifty Sailors are bunch of Whidbey Island hooligans, including Ken, who sing sea shanties. They are somewhat different in that they sing not in melody but in four part harmonies. They have performed throughout the USA and in Europe.

http://www.shiftysailors.net/

The next morning Ken, Corrie, Dan and Gumbo went down to the beach to gather mussels and clams for dinner. The mussels were everywhere, but the clams had to be dug out of the rocky beach. But with a little effort we had enough for dinner, including some oysters. After beachcombing it was time to sightsee in the town of Langley, and lunch at the Dog House Tavern. On the spur of the moment Dan decided to see if he could get new tires and an alignment on the Toad (the steel belts were beginning to show!). Unfortunately the tire shop in Langley was completely booked. So we were forced to drive all the way back to the north end of the island and the town of Oak Harbor to get the work done. But this gave us the opportunity to check out the facilities at Whidbey Naval Air Station. Where we discovered a great RV park run by the Navy. The day was finished with a dinner of oysters, and steamed mussels and clams!