I'm sorry to report that we still didn't actually go all the way to Fort Ebey on this hike (I promise it is coming next!!). Instead, to give ourselves an excuse to walk the other trails in the Admiralty Inlet Preserve, we selected one of Whitbey Island's two brewpubs as our destination: Penn Cove Taproom in Coupeville. (The other being Double Bluff Brewing in Langley.) It was a pretty flat 10km round trip.
Since google maps could not map our walk through the Admiralty Inlet Preserve, here's a closeup of the park's trail map. You can see the distances of each section are indicated on the map (click photo to enlarge).
Now, just a bit of background on our choice of destination: Washington State is fantastic for microbrewed beer. On the drive down to Fort Casey, we had brought with us a small collection of growlers, and filled them at 5 different microbreweries along the way. Here are some photos of a few we visited: Kulshan, Aslan, Chuckanut... the abundance of great beers was nearly mind-boggling. ;) So we were excited to stop by Penn Cove Taproom to try a few more local suds.
We started our hike at the public trailhead just past the intersection of S Engle Rd and S Fort Casey Rd, at the entrance to the Fort Casey Inn. You can see the white sign indicating the Inn at the intersection. We selected the multi-use trail, instead of the Loop Trail, which also had an access at this location. Although there was the requisite info station signage at the trailhead, we noticed that on this trail, as opposed to the other trails in the park, running was permitted. ;)
After a very brief stint in the forest, the path ran along an open field. Then back through another small forest, until we were beside the "marvelous treeless plain." Just like on the Loop Trail we had previously taken, this trail had the same signage describing how: "Settlers in the 1890s marveled at these treeless plains, unaware they were products of intentional management [by First Nations groups] for millennia."
So we marvelled.
Just past the field, right where we saw the hawk before, we saw another big brown raptor. I had to assume it was the same one. Then I found a lovely brown raptor feather! :D I really enjoyed how this path had a wide variety of scenery, despite being so close to the road.
Just then, I spotted a big raptor sitting in a tree. It looked like a bald eagle. My cell phone camera did not do a great job of capturing it, but you can see it in silhouette on the lowest branch of the leftmost big tree.
We walked along S Engle Rd, past the junction with Hill Rd, where we had previously turned to go to Ebey's Landing, and followed it straight on into town. Both sides of the road had picturesque farms and amber waves of grain. (Is it just me, or does Bill Gaither not look a lot like Neil Breen??)
A sign welcomed us to the city limits of Coupeville, Washington's second-oldest colonial town. The styles of the buildings reflected that heritage. Several houses were wonderfully preserved or restored.
Penn Cove Taproom was in an apex-shaped building. They offered a plethora of microbrewed beers from the region, including their in-house Pilsner.
We were amused to see BC's Dead Frog on the list of Washington beers. We ordered a selection of samplers, and a basket of chips and salsa, taking them to the near-empty patio. Despite being on the main road, it was quieter than the busy interior.
As I tried on a Penn Cove t-shirt over my tank top, a woman sitting at the bar easily identified us as Canadians. I asked whether she could hear my accent (I've been told by Americans that I have more of an accent than your average Vancouverite). It got us into a short conversation about Canadianisms like "eh?" (Yep, I'm guilty) and Americanisms like "y'all."
On this trip, Colin and I would often forget that we were in America, not Canada, because the geography and local accent were so similar to ours, but then someone would say "y'all," or say "uh-huh" in response to our "thank you," and we'd remember where we were.
All the "no trespassing" signs were another hint. Lol. Americans were sure serious about trespassing. It was a big change from my recent hikes in Europe, where public trails often crossed through private lands.
On the walk back, we again passed the farms and fields, along with signs for "vegetables" and "peas." One farm we passed had turkeys, so we paused to watch them establish their pecking orders with the chickens. It was quite obvious which chickens were living tha thug life, and which were just trying to get out of the way.
As we walked on the road overlooking the ocean, we talked about buying a cabin in the Cowichan. I was having a very hard time re-adjusting to the city, after my walking trips in France, Spain, and Cowichan. Each time I returned, it was more difficult for me to cope with the noise and lack of natural greenspace.
We had recently located a set of cabins for sale on the Cowichan River that seemed suitable for us to purchase as a vacation home. However, owning two places meant a lot of travel (4 hours each way), plus the potential of us spending nearly a third of each month apart, which was not ideal. We discussed the pros and cons, including taking out another small mortgage. Actually, a minor goal of this Fort Casey trip was to make a decision on this issue.
Soon enough, we were back at the entrance to the Admiralty Inlet Preserve, and at the closest junction, chose the Bluff Path.
We paused to admire a cute little rabbit hopping down towards the dead end we had walked the previous time here. "Don't try to cut through the house at the end of Cathedral Drive!" I warned him, "He is serious about prosecuting trespassers!" ;)
We headed back alongside the "marvelous treeless meadow"; this time on its opposite edge. The white and red berries created a pleasant pattern in the bushes on the bluff side.
We encountered a short staircase and realized we were walking on top of a military bunker, sunk into the earth. From the other direction, and from the top, it was invisible!
The path was gorgeous. I especially liked these young trees which created a tunnel-like effect.
We soon reached the junction with the Loop Trail, where the Fort Casey Secondary Fire Patrol Stations were located. Like the fire stations at Fort Casey itself, this station was not used to put out fires, but rather meant to provide the gunners with the speed, direction, and distance of approaching enemy ships.
At the viewpoint, I couldn't help but take in the view of the walk I would attempt next: from Ebey's Landing to Fort Ebey. I was especially eager to walk along the seaward side of the lagoon, which was clearly visible in the photo (click to enlarge). From my vantage point, I could also see that the beach trail was impassable at that time, due to high tide.
The junction also marked the beginning of the "amazing tree" walk. One huge tree stood in the centre of the junction, as if acting as sentry to the grove that followed.
The trees in the Admiralty Inlet Preserve were so impressive and gnarled. This was a result of the ocean winds and called "wind flagging." A sign in the centre of that portion of the trail described the trees of this forest. The oldest were 300 year old Douglas Fir. The tallest were 150-foot (46m) Grand Fir. It was impossible to select among all the great photos I got of these trees, so I will include a bunch of them.
As Colin pulled ahead, I noticed this small painted stone lodged in the thick bark of a tree. I was shocked at its resemblance to Colin's "self-portrait" from the comic that he began drawing 25 years ago... Upon closer inspection I saw the initials C.R. on it!!!! :O Upon even closer inspection, I realized that his "ears" were actually two more "people": it was not Colin's art after all. I'll include a comparison, so you can understand my surprise. (There exist even more similar versions, including the usual three-pronged tuft of hair, which is for some reason missing in this version, but this was the only one I could easily locate at the moment of writing.)
Ok here are some more cool trees!! This portion of the trail also has a few benches to repose on and admire the wind flagging.
When we reached the end of the Admiralty Inlet Reserve lands, the signage clearly indicated that to the left one could take the Loop Trail, and from there, exit the park via the multi-use path. Directly ahead, the path was private, belonging to the Fort Casey property. Fortunately, the Inn Office told us that we were allowed to walk on these "private" trails, because we were Fort Casey guests.
On this private trail, we again passed Battery Thomas Parker, and then exited the trail at the campground, as before. For more detail on these locations, please see my previous blog entry.
On the campground road, we passed a couple little houses that were not on any map I had. We were just exiting the campground road when we ran into Nathan and Jenna on their bikes, and Jim with his wineglass. Apparently, happy hour had begun back at the cabins, so we hightailed it back. ;)
Back at the cabins, we encountered the two boys, Corbin and Sam, along with their chaperone Matt, hard at work collecting insects with a strange contraption that looked like a water gun, but worked like a vacuum cleaner. It sucked up the bugs and deposited them into a capsule which had a magnifying glass on it. Corb declared confidently: "I'm a bug expert!" I laughed when I reviewed my photos: due to the angle, it looks like Corb is sucking out Sam's brains.
Supper was DIY tacos. I changed into my new t-shirt for the occasion. I'll let you practice your mirror-reading. ;)
After supper, I played a little frisbee with Colin, until we got booted out of the space for the annual croquet tournament. The trophies, one of which sporting an in-memoriam photo of Colin's father, were perched on the BBQ, awaiting their annual change-of-hands.
Becky told us that she had also been on the Admiralty Inlet Preserve trail that day, and noticed the "no running" signs everywhere. While she was jogging on the trail, she encountered a woman hiker, and declared: "I'm breaking the law!" To Becky's surprise, the woman deadpanned "yes!"
Soon, I was socialized-out, and retired at a respectable 9:30pm. lol. It was sure hard going without my daily 2-to-3-hour afternoon naps I had become accustomed to, while walking in Spain and Cowichan! ;)
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