For my last fall break, I wanted to do something awesome! I wanted to get out of Tacoma, but I wasn’t sure what to do. That was until last Monday when my freshman year roommate, Lauren, invited me to go camping on the San Juan Islands. After some quick planning, we ended up reserving a camp site for Saturday through Monday at Deception Pass State Park, which was basically on Whidbey Island. It was under $100 for Lauren, our friend Sara, and me, which no seems ridiculous! People told us the weather would be awful and that going to Northern Washington in October was a bad idea. But boy were they wrong!
The whole weekend was perfect! We couldn’t believe how beautiful the weather and our surroundings were! It did rain Sunday night, but we were asleep and left the next morning. It also stopped raining long enough on Monday morning so that we could pack and cook breakfast in peace.
Some shots from the drive up
We kept “ooo”ing and “aaahhh”ing because every bend we’d take or hill we’d drive over just kept presenting our eyes with gifts! It was unbelievable!
When we made it to our campsite, we got down to work, like the modern feminist monsters we are, and pitched two tents: The first turned into our closet because the second one ended up being ridiculously huge, aka our camp mansion.
The closet and mansion
our campsite
After setting up camp, we then had time to explore the beauty of Deception Pass State Park.
Lauren and Sara
Lauren and me
Us girls
Sara cooking the fajitas
The next day, we woke up and did a quick hike around the lake and then drove to the bridge that is over the actual strait of Deception Pass. When we had seen it the day before, it was a must to visit because…well…just look at it!
Then, we went to have some pb&js at a beach that we drove up to on our way to the next activity, which I will get to in a few.
Our picnic table view
After the beach, we drove to the other side of Whidbey Island, right by Langley,WA to Lauren’s friend’s vineyard for a wine tasting! The awesome thing about spending your 21st year in the Pacific North West is that you are able to do thing like this. People don’t know that this is a great area for wine, but boy is it! The perk of knowing the son of vineyard owner’s is that we were able to speak more to his mother about the wine and got a tour of the vineyard/farm.
Comfort’s Vineyard on Whidbey Island
The beautiful 4 acre vineyard/farm has hosted many weddings, which isn’t surprising, look at that view!
A picture that Lauren took of the Comfort’s dog, Atlas, and me in the arch where people get married
Me and Sinclair the llama. He was shy
We walked around Langley, a cute town with a lot of galleries and coffee and food. I wish I had taken more photos, but I was so taken aback by the environment that I just wanted to enjoy it rather that photograph it.
Everyone should try and do this trip sometime. It’s worth every dollar, especially because it is extremely cheap compared to other trips like this. One warning though, we did take a Prius…so the tank was full with $25 worth of gas. So that’s one thing to take into account, but it would still be fun and beautiful! Consider going in the spring or summer and plan in advanced to assure a camp site.
I hope that this was helpful for future trips!
Happy Fall!
