Day Trip to Deception Pass

Deception Pass

Impromptu trip to a historic landmark?

Sign. Me. Up.

Recently Jeff surprised me with a plan to drive up to Deception Pass. Located about 80 miles north of Seattle in Anacortes. Deception Pass is a strait between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands. For about a year now I’ve been wanting to go up there so I was elated by this news. Deception Pass offers beautiful views of Puget Sound, Skagit Bay, and Macs Cove. It’s a popular sightseeing destination in the Pacific Northwest that I can now (excitedly of course) describe first hand.
A few miles before reaching Deception Pass we stopped by Lake Campbell. It’s nearly 400 acres in size and on this day offered up a pretty view as the sun reflected off its surface. We saw about a dozen or so families camped out on its shores enjoying the day. The lake is popular for fishing largemouth bass, bluegill, and catfish.

Campbell Lake

After leaving Campbell Lake it wasn’t long before we reached Deception Pass. We parked the car and I hopped out, camera in hand.

WHOO HOO! WE MADE IT!

There were lots of ooooo’s as I approached Deception Pass Bridge. It's technically two two-lane bridges with an average of  15,000 cars crossing it a day. You can also walk across it. I snapped a few pictures but as I got closer it was if an invisible wall stopped me dead in my tracks.

Suddenly I realized what this entails.

Whoa.

*deep breaths*

I’m not afraid of heights but you won’t see me skydiving either (maybe one day but I will have to be shoved…hard). I just needed to get my bearings before I could walk across the iconic green bridge.

Don’t look down.

Several deep breaths later I relaxed and felt slightly more comfortable.

Absolutely worth it. Just gorgeous.

Crews finished constructing the bridge in 1935. Prior to that you had to take a ferry to cross the pass. According to the Deception Pass Foundation, “the ferry was owned and operated by Berte Olson, who was the first female ferry captain in the state of Washington.” Made up of 1,500 tons of steel the bridge stands about 180 feet from the water. It cost $482,000 to build and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A large state park bearing its name is also a popular destination. 

Good things happen when you look down. It's a seal!

Me in front of the Deception Pass marker.

Next we grabbed a cup of coffee in downtown Oak Harbor. Our day trip ended with a nice dinner on the marina in La Conner. The clams were sooooooo good. They gave my Dad's clam stew a run for his money! Sitting by the water and eating seafood always reminds me of home. Our meal topped off a perfect outing.

Our appetizer. Local clams with garlic, onion and butter

As an added bonus we took a bit of a detour and stopped in a small town called Conway. This was special to me because there's a Conway back home in South Carolina.

Conway, Washington.

One more "to do" item is now crossed off my list. I look forward to going back and spending time at the state park. Maybe we'll even go camping... (Stay tuned)

“I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.”

-Arthur Rubinstein