![]() What do you think of when you hear the word break? I think of grandmother’s cracked china tea cups. But as I laced up my new hiking shoes, I began to think of other meanings. There’s the fast break in basketball. When playing pool you start with a break. There’s taking a break from an activity. And if you hear the words break in, what comes to mind? A burglary? Or a break in the weather, which I took advantage of in order to break in a new pair of shoes at Greenbank Farm. Between “rivers of rain”, between north and south, between Saratoga Passage and Puget Sound, I went birding at the dog park. I was greeted enthusiastically by several bright eyed Brewer’s blackbirds among the Master Gardener’s flowerbeds. Was there a nest nearby? Isn’t there always this time of year? I walked by pink roses climbing neat trellises, beyond the flowering rhodies and bentwood chairs, and through the native plant garden. Red columbine bloomed among the lush oxalis. Coming up toward the barn, a sparrow sang from the top of the archway encouraging visitors to come stroll down the path. I emerged at the pond complete with a family of Canada geese, admired the flowers at the barn and then crossed the parking lot. Entering the dog park, the overcast sky thinned in places with a trace of blue to the north. Circling the hill I found the grassy slopes busy with birds. Swallows swarmed after mosquitoes that rose from the tall grass as I walked. White crowned sparrows sang from every blackberry bramble while savannah sparrows shyly ducked inside. A violet green swallow slipped into a bird house. I sat down to see if I could catch it peeking out. But I was distracted by a killdeer that popped up out of the grass nearby. It stretched its neck up and peered at me, then walked first toward me, then away, calling continuously. Then the swallow peeked out and leapt from the box to join the others circling and swooping all around the field. Climbing the hill, I met dogs and their owners. Black labs, golden retrievers, Australian shepherds and friendly mutts. It’s a real meet and greet here among both species. Tails wag, dogs circle, people smile, stop and talk. Someone said, “This is where my dog became a good citizen.” I’m not sure what they means but I’ve heard the phrase before. I think it’s something like a scout badge, or driver’s license. They took the course and passed the test. Good dog! Good owner! On the north side of the field near the trees, I heard robins, Swainson’s thrush and western tanager. A break in the fence provided access to the forest trails. Wild rhodies bloomed among the evergreen trees. The woods were lush with new growth. Salal hung their tiny bell-like blossoms out toward the trail. Fir trees showed a few inches of bright new growth. Around the corner I found a tree looking at me in surprise. I was surprised as well! Passing through the gate I spied the delicate pink blossoms of wild roses glowing wet with rain. I zigzagged across the field again, meeting more canines and their companions, seeing more sparrows and swallows. Osprey and eagles soared over the tree tops. On the south side I came upon fenced in chickens, turkeys and cows, and a solar array with a Savannah sparrow singing its praises. There’s another meaning of break, taking a lead in a musical concert. I was happy to take a break on my way up the island, to go birding in the dog park and walk the fields and forest. It began to sprinkle as I made my way back to the car. The bus whizzed by reminding me that next time, I could break from the norm and hop on Island Transit. Maribeth PS Dogs must be on a leash from the barns to the kiosk. There are pet waste bags at that kiosk and at the top of the hill on the north end of the park. Please pick-up after your dog. PSS After your walk you may want to visit the cafe', wine shop, cheese shop, art gallery, playground and other attractions at the barns. Directions: Take Highway 525 8 miles north of Freeland or 10.8 miles south of Coupeville to Wonn Road. Turn east toward the red barns and park. The Master Gardener and Native Plant gardens are on the pond side of the parking lot. The dog park is on the hill on the other side.
By Bus or Bike: Take fare-free Island Transit bus Route 1 seven days a week. Tell the driver you want to stop at the Farm, at the bottom of the hill. There is a gate in the fence at the bus stop. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. For the new bus schedule click here. Cyclists may ride from Freeland on Smuggler’s Cove Road. It has a wide shoulder with less traffic than the highway. Please wear something bright while riding on the road. Mobility: The trails are mowed through the field and have a gentle grade. Trails through the woods are narrow with some muddy areas. The Master Gardener and Native Plant gardens are more accessible.
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![]() Visit State Parks by fare free bus this summer! Island Transit just started their Central Whidbey State Parks bus, only available between Memorial Day and Labor Day. They offered this free service last year, too. I took it twice, once by myself to figure it out, and once with a group of friends. We visited Fort Ebey State Park, Ebey’s Landing, and Fort Casey State Park with 90 minutes at each park and time for a picnic lunch and ice cream in Coupeville. 8:52 Catch the Central Whidbey Parks bus northbound at the Coupeville Park & Ride (across from the Cedar and Salt coffee shop on S. Main Street) 9:15 Arrive at Fort Ebey State Park with 90 minutes to explore (bring a trail map). 10:55 Catch the Parks bus at the Lake Pondilla parking lot. (Near the restrooms.) 11:08 Arrive in Coupeville next to Bayleaf with 90 minutes for lunch. 12:38 Catch the southbound Parks bus at the same stop (by Bayleaf) 12:45 Arrive at Ebey’s Landing with 90 minutes to walk the beach or the bluff (not the whole loop) 2:15 Catch the bus at the sharp curve by the parking lot and go to Fort Casey. 2:25 The bus stops in front of Fort Casey’s big guns (near the restrooms). 2: 35 The bus goes to the ferry, then returns to Fort Casey’s big guns at 2:40. 2:52 The bus arrives at the Coupeville Park & Ride. I live on South Whidbey as do the friends that came along with me last year. So we took the Route 1 Northbound to start our adventure. When we reached Race Road I asked our driver to radio the driver of the State Park bus to make sure we could catch it at the Coupeville Park and Ride. It’s a tight connection. The drivers spoke and we transitioned flawlessly from one bus to the other. Our first stop was at Fort Ebey State Park. We got off at the Entrance Station and walked up the road to the left, then turned right onto the old service road. We passed the Hiker Biker campground and came out near a picnic shelter overlooking the water. Kids were riding bikes in front of the gun battery. The smallest enthusiastically pointed out the entrance. We walked through the tunnel and came out on the other side. We took the trail along the bluff stopping to enjoy the view across the water. The twisted trees told us of blustery winds. We walked until we turned onto the Hokey-Ka-Dodo Trail, then turned right on the Kettle’s Trail, left on the Forest Run Trail, right on the Campground Trail, and left onto the Raider Creek Trail. (Bring a map.) This is my favorite trail in the park alongside a ravine where ferns are lush and birds call from the cedar and alder trees. When we reached the road we turned left and walked a short distance and turned right onto the old entrance road (no cars). We turned left again to walk down toward Lake Pondilla and turned left again onto the Pacific NW Trail. At the road we turned right to meet the bus near the restrooms. Next we took the bus to Coupeville where we occupied a picnic table by the wharf. After sharing our bag lunches, we had time for a walk out to the end of the wharf to see the marine life exhibits and then got ice cream before meeting the bus again. (Restaurants in Coupeville can be busy, so we packed bag lunches.) Our next stop was Ebey’s Landing where we got out and split up. Some climbed the bluff for a good workout. Others strolled the beach for 90 minutes until we collected again at the parking lot to catch the bus on the sharp curve. Then it was off to Fort Casey State Park. The driver let us out for a quick visit to the fort (and the restrooms) while he drove the bus to the ferry and then came back for us. Again, it was a close connection between the State Park bus and the Route 1 Southbound in Coupeville, so we asked the driver to call ahead. We just crossed the street and hopped on the Route 1 bus sharing photos on the ride back home. I look forward to taking more friends on our State Park bus this summer. Of course you don’t have to go to all three State Parks, but it makes a great adventure! Maribeth You can also take the Route 1 bus to South Whidbey State Park and Greenbank Farm. And you can take the 411W bus to Deception Pass State Park seven days a week, year round! For bus info call 360-678-7771 or click here www.islandtransit.org/ For a map of Fort Ebey State Park trails click here Directions: The Central Whidbey State Park bus loops around Central Whidbey with stops in downtown Coupeville, the Coupeville Ferry and three State Parks (See Island Transit schedule for all the stops and times.)
By Bus: Take the bus to reduce your climate footprint and enhance your adventure. Give your bus driver plenty of time to help you make connections between the Park bus and other buses you may need. Mobility: Fort Ebey State Park has many trails that are narrow and hilly. Ebey's Landing provides good beach access, and a short trail at the base of the bluff with restrooms, picnic tables and interpretive signs. Fort Casey State Park has a sidewalk to the gun batteries near the restrooms. ![]() Very cool! Island Transit has a new bus route that can take hikers right into Fort Ebey State Park, Fort Casey State Park and to the Ebey’s Landing trailhead to the Ebey’s Bluff Trail. But it’s only for the summer and not many know about it. So I decided to try it myself. Here’s what I learned. I caught the Route 1 Northbound from Freeland. As we neared Coupeville I told the driver I wanted to catch the Central Whidbey State Park bus. It’s a close connection between these buses at the Coupeville Park and Ride. The driver radioed ahead telling the next bus to wait for me. So tip number one, tell your bus driver where you want to go and they’ll help you get there. The next bus driver took me into Fort Ebey State Park. I asked to be let off at the entrance station, but told him to look for me at the Lake Pondilla parking lot when he came back in 90 minutes. Then I had to figure out how far I could hike in 90 minutes. I know how fast I walk on a sidewalk, but trails are slower. I take pictures, listen to birds, stop to enjoy flowers, and views of the water, and there are ups and downs, roots and rocks, etc. So I set out with a modest plan with options to add a short section if I had time at the end. I took the Old Gun Battery Road just up the hill from the entrance station, an easy walk passing the Hiker Biker campsite. The bus had turned down toward Lake Pondilla as I got off but here it was at the gun battery parking lot. I passed by and took the Bluff Trail looking into a thick fog bank, hearing buoy bells, fog horns and waves hit the beach below, but seeing only a white curtain. Turning into the forest the twisted trees told how hard the wind blows on the bluff. I circled the campground and took the Hokey-Ka-Dodo trail inland. Other trails presented themselves, but with a limited time, I stuck to my plan taking the Forest Run trail over to the Raiders Creek trail. That is my favorite trail in the park. It’s lush with a ravine on one side and a bank on the other. I walked flanked by sword ferns four feet high. As I reached the road, I crossed to take the Kyle’s Kettle Trail. A deer stepped out from behind a tree. A snag told of hungry woodpeckers hard at work. Several ravens were barking madly close together making a terrible raucous. A moment later I came upon some trees with scratch marks up over my head. Bear? Was that what the birds were so excited about? This park is plenty big to hide and feed a black bear. One had been seen on the north end a few weeks ago. I arrived at the Old Entrance Road and turned toward the lake. A few minutes later I was walking the narrow trail toward the water. Lily pads graced the surface. But I couldn’t linger. So I turned and climbed the hill to the Beach parking lot. No bus. I walked down to the end of the road around the corner. No bus. I walked up to the entrance station. No, Karen told me, the bus had left. It must have passed through my end of the park and gone up to the gun battery. So I went on another walk, found a spot in the sun to eat lunch, and then came out to the entrance station (which is also the exit station) to make sure I caught the next bus. I called Island Transit and the park staff to talk about it and they’d prefer we meet the bus at the Lake Pondilla or Beach parking area. But not all the drivers know this. It will take a while to work out the kinks. It’s cool to take a bus to a trailhead, but bring a lunch just in case. Maribeth To get the schedule for the Central Whidbey Parks bus click here. For a park trail map, ask at the entrance station. Directions: From Highway 20, 4 miles north of Coupeville, turn left on Libbey Road. Turn left on Hill Valley Drive which leads into the park.
By Bus and Bike: See the Island Transit bus route for the Central Whidbey State Parks here. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. Mountain biking is popular at this park and the adjoining Kettles Trails. Libbey Road is moderately traveled but there is no shoulder once you turn onto Hill Valley Road which twists and turns and is hilly so please wear something bright if you bike there. Be careful of RVers as you near the park. Mobility: The trail from the Beach parking area to Lake Pondilla is smooth and nearly level except at the end near the parking lot. The Old Entrance Road is smooth, almost level and wide with a small place to pull over where it meets the park road. Other trails are more challenging with roots, rocks, ups and downs. The gun battery is paved and level. ![]() If you look at a map, it’s at the heart of Whidbey Island. And if you want to impress your sweetheart, you might bring them here. That’s what Vin Sherman told me while walking in Rhododendron Park last fall. He grew up on Ebey’s Prairie, just outside of Coupeville, and said on prom night, they’d cruise the Rhodie Road and see the wild rhododendrons in bloom, as pretty as the corsage they’d just pinned on their date. What a lovely image. I filed that away in my memory bank and this spring, I actually remembered to go see for myself. My yard has huge rhododendrons that erupted in full bloom this month. The largest could hide a house with purple flowers as big as a cheerleader’s pompoms. When people stop by, their eyes widen, they draw in their breath and praise the beauty thinking maybe I had something to do with it. I didn’t. These shrubs were planted here thirty years ago by Harold and Gerta. But I’ve been doing my best to maintain them. Walking through Rhododendron Park is totally different. These rhodies are native, growing among the tall fir and cedar in a natural forest. It took me awhile to adjust to their subtle beauty. A pale blossom spotlighted by a single ray of sunshine breaking through the canopy; a cluster of purple flowers reaching for the sky between tall trees. I’d hopped on the bus after work and hopped off at Quail Trail Lane, just across the street. I waited for the cars to part and then hustled across the highway to the Rhododendron Bike Trail for easy walking away from traffic. I turned at the WAIF animal shelter and walked the park road with salal hedges on both sides. A few tall rhodies caught my eye above the bushes. I studied my options on a park map at the kiosk. The Rhodie Road is what Vin had described so I went straight down the middle of the park starting through the quiet campground with no campers in sight. The touch-and-go airfield is nearby, but thankfully, the jets weren’t flying. Coming to a closed gate I found there was enough room on one side to allow access for a bike, a horse, or a wheelchair. I went around, too. The Rhodie Road is a paved, one lane road for service vehicles, though I’d never seen one there. Piles of horse manure in different stages of decay marked their passing, though I didn’t see them either. In fact, I didn’t see anyone on my walk through the park. But I heard spotted towhee, robins and crows calling through the forest. A Pacific wren sang proudly from the tip top of a snag. There was space here, between the branches, and gaps in the canopy that let in light and air through which the rhodies climbed, twisted and bloomed. I walked almost a mile to the end of the park where I came to Patmore Road. After a short walk on the shoulder, I turned back into the park. The south end has ball fields, a playground and a picnic shelter, the perfect place for a little league game, family reunion or 4th of July BBQ. Behind the parking lot, I discovered the trail back into the woods and found myself returning to the Rhodie Road. It was so easy walking here in the shade, no roots or rocks to step over. It would be a pleasant jog with a baby stroller, an extension to the bike trail by the highway, a horseback ride, or a stroll for someone using a wheelchair or walker. Nearing the end of my walk, I encountered a couple coming toward me. They looked tiny between the tall trees. We greeted each other warmly and then continued. As I turned around, I saw them in the distance, holding hands. It’s a good place to bring your sweetheart. Maribeth Here's a map of Rhododendron County Park. Rhododendron County Park is at the east end of the Rhododendron Bike Trail that runs parallel to Highway 20 for 4 miles connecting with the Kettles Bike Trails. You can also find the trailhead to the new Walking Ebey Trail that zigzags through Central Whidbey to Admiralty Inlet Preserve. See the connections on this map: Island Transit has a new bus route for Central Whidbey State Parks that goes into Fort Ebey and Fort Casey, with a stop at Ebey’s Landing from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It also stops in Coupeville and the Coupeville Ferry. Also new is Sunday service including Route 4 to Deception Pass State Park on Sundays. And its all fare-free. See the schedule here: Directions: From Coupeville, drive 1.8 miles south on Highway 20 and turn right onto Park Road. To find the south entrance, drive 3.5 miles south of Coupeville on Highway 20 and turn right onto Patmore Road. Drive a half mile and turn right into the park at 502 West Patmore Road, Coupeville.
Bus and Bike: On weekdays fare-free Island Transit Route 1 stops at Jacobs Road going south and Quail Trail Lane going north near the park entrance. Two bikes fit on a bus bike rack. Island Transit does not pass the park on weekends. Pedestrians and bikes can take the Rhododendron Bike Trail from Coupeville, 2 miles south to Rhododendron Park. The park is accessible from Patmore Road on the south side which is a lightly traveled road. Please wear something bright if walking or riding a bike by the road. Mobility: The Rhodie Road down the middle of Rhododendron County Park is accessible with a wide, paved surface. There is a gate in the campground with enough room to get around it in a wheelchair. Off Patmore Road on the south end of the park, the ball field and picnic shelter area has accessible restrooms and parking. Side trails are narrow, with roots, and not as well maintained. |
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
July 2024
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