The best way to Plan a Solo Journey to Whidbey Island, Washington

Rivulets streamed down the within of my head-to-toe rain gear. I stood on a promontory, gleeful as a toddler, watching harbor seals dart about within the chilly water under. Farther offshore, a lone elephant seal fished for its lunch, and, in a rocky inlet, an otter bobbed alongside on its again, a crab clutched between its entrance paws. It was the beginning of the wet season, and I used to be searching for solitude on Whidbey Island.

Positioned about 35 miles north of Seattle, the island is usually overshadowed by the San Juan Islands, the archipelago farther north in Puget Sound that’s higher recognized, and fewer developed. But it surely shouldn’t be. Whidbey is less complicated to get to — simply take the 20-minute ferry trip from the mainland city of Mukilteo — and has fewer crowds. 

I needed to expertise your complete size of the island with out doubling again, so as an alternative of the ferry, which matches to the southern tip, I drove two hours from Seattle and crossed the Deception Cross Bridge, a historic span that connects Whidbey from the north. It was a dramatic entrance, with the fog thick and the rain coming down in sheets. Somewhat than going on to my lodge, I made a detour to Deception Cross State Park and stopped at a parking zone that ignored a shallow bay, relieved to see no different vehicles. 

This was my first airplane journey for the reason that pandemic. I used to be additionally newly separated from my companion and had left our younger twins at house in New York’s Hudson Valley. Now that I’d flown throughout the nation, I needed to commune with the woods and the water, alone.

I adopted the path markers, crossed a pebbled seashore, and climbed a steep cliff hugged by Douglas firs. The timber have been no protection towards the rain, however I used to be already soaked and had ceased to care. I clambered throughout rocky outcroppings till I got here to a clearing. And it was there that I noticed the primary seal. I don’t know the way lengthy I stayed, solely that, with the ocean mammals unaware of my presence, I felt blissfully small. When my fingers grew numb, I wended my method again to the automobile and drove south, my home windows fogged from the damp. 

Whidbey Island is simply about 40 miles lengthy, however with largely winding two-lane roads, it feels a lot bigger. I drove a couple of half-hour, previous the primary city of Oak Harbor, and arrived on the Captain Whidbey, a 1907 inn on Penn Cove that was not too long ago modernized. I stayed within the Glasswing cabin, which has wooden paneling, a fire, and a balcony overlooking the cove. I wrapped my still-damp physique in a wool blanket and took within the view. A terrific blue heron stood stock-still on the lodge’s lengthy dock. I used to be amazed by its means to remain immobile.

The heron remained there even after I became dry garments and walked to the primary lodge for an early dinner on the bar. I’d introduced a e book to sign to the bartender I wasn’t searching for firm; she graciously left me alone after bringing an ideal rye Manhattan and a number of other small plates. Again in my cabin, I took a scorching bathtub and fell into a protracted sleep. 

Within the morning, I took my espresso on the balcony. The heron was there once more. (Had it been there all night time?) The day unfolded slowly and blessedly freed from plans. I spent the morning on the 151-acre Greenbank Farm, which has a café and miles of dog-friendly trails. Simply as I reached the highest of the primary rise, the clouds moved apart to disclose the snowy tops of the Cascade Mountains on the mainland. Then I headed into the woods and walked for hours, rising solely after I realized how hungry I had change into. 

Fortunately, it was solely a 15-minute drive to the sleepy village of Coupeville. I ate a heaping bowl of Penn Cove mussels with fries and drank a beer at Toby’s Tavern. I meandered by way of city, popping into the Kingfisher Bookstore (the island has a flourishing literary group) and throughout the road to Briggs Shore Ceramics, which occupies a slim home. I discovered myself questioning concerning the heron, which I’d come to think about as a steward of the cove. I returned to the Captain Whidbey to seek out it nonetheless on the dock. 

The next day, I bade farewell to the chook and continued south alongside a street flanked by small farms. The rain had returned, however I hardly observed it beneath the towering cover at Trustland Trails Park, the place I spent the morning on the lookout for mushrooms. I walked till I used to be ravenous, then drove into Langley, a small metropolis with a few wineries and an arts middle. On the Saltwater Fish Home & Oyster Bar, I ordered uncooked oysters, a inexperienced salad, and a hearty chowder, together with a flinty white wine. 

Full and drained, I walked a couple of minutes to the Inn at Langley, the place I’d spend my last night time. My room was flooded with gentle and had unobstructed views of Puget Sound. I made a day of soaking within the tub and cooling off within the briny air of my balcony. The sky had cleared by then, so I walked to the seashore, stopping to have a look at starfish and driftwood. A trio of older girls emerged from the sound in cold-water moist fits. I admired their bodily energy and grit; they appeared as a lot creatures of the island because the heron did. 

I woke to sunshine on my last morning. After lingering over the inn’s luxurious breakfast, I drove to the Deer Lagoon Protect, a chook sanctuary flanked by steep cliffs. The solar was so vibrant I might hardly see the goldeneyes, grebes, and sandpipers by way of my binoculars. I needed to remain, however I had a ferry to catch. My time on the island had pulled me out of my narrowed world, and introduced me again to myself. Unusual, how being far-off can carry a couple of feeling of homecoming. Like that heron, I wanted to return to my group, my household, my perch.  

A model of this story first appeared within the February 2024 concern of Journey + Leisure beneath the headline “Breaking Away.“