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2015 May 17-22: Whidbey Island

56 images Created 14 Feb 2016

Whidbey Island, Washington photos by Tom Dempsey from May 17-22, 2016:
- Deception Pass State Park: native rhododendron flowers bloom pink-magenta on May 19 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail; tidal currents & Ben Ure Island in Deception Pass, a strait in the Salish Sea; yellow stonecrop (sedum) flower; Madrona / Arbutus menziesii bark.
- Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve: 1854 Block House, Bluff Trail, 1856 Jacob Ebey House.
- Island County Historical Museum, Coupeville: Salmon Wheel (1996) was the signature carved piece of artist Roger Purdue (1938 - 2014).
- Admiralty Head Lighthouse, Fort Casey SP.
- Meerkerk Gardens: hybrid rhododendron flowers, yellow iris.
- Forest Discovery Trail in South Whidbey State Park.

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  • A purple and white Columbine flower (Aquilegia genus) blooms against the blue sky, in a garden on Whidbey Island. Langley, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-005_Columbine-flower.jpg
  • "Beware of attack chicken" sign on garden fence. Langley, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-012_Attack-chicken-sign.jpg
  • My road touring bicycle rests on a deck of Robert L. Smith Park (locally called Boy and Dog Park for its 1986 sculpture) with a view across Saratoga Passage to the Cascades Range. This public stairway descends to scenic Seawall Park, in the village of Langley, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-023.jpg
  • See North Beach and Macs Cove on Whidbey Island in Deception Pass State Park, and look across the strait to Fidalgo Island (right), in Washington, USA. This is the most-visited State Park in Washington. The strait of Deception Pass connects Skagit Bay (part of Puget Sound) with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which are all part of the Salish Sea. This panorama was stitched from 3 overlapping photos.
    1505WHI-029-31pan_Deception-Pass-SP-...jpg
  • A salal leaf decays into splotchy patterns of red, green, yellow, and brown. Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is a leathery-leaved shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae), native to western North America.  The photo was taken in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-036.jpg
  • Surrounded by the salty waters of Deception Pass, this remote house on Ben Ure Island can only be reached via boat. Aside from several private properties such as this, most of Ben Ure Island is within Deception Pass State Park, in Washington, USA. Elsewhere on the island, you can rent a quiet State Park cabin. Photographed from the park's scenic Goose Rock Perimeter Trail on Whidbey Island. In the late 1880s, Ben Ure and his partner Lawrence "Pirate" Kelly ran a profitable but illegal business smuggling Chinese immigrants for local labor. Local stories say he would hide the immigrants wrapped in burlap bags which could be tossed overboard if US Customs agents were encountered. Tidal currents would carry the immigrants' bodies northwest to San Juan Island to what became known as Dead Man's Bay -- now called Deadman Bay, bordering Lime Kiln Point State Park. Deception Pass is a strait of water separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island, and connects Skagit Bay (part of Puget Sound) with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which are all part of the Salish Sea. Deception Pass is the most-visited State Park in Washington.
    1505WHI-039_Deception-Pass-SP-WA.jpg
  • Hike through a lush forest of Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) and other evergreen trees on the Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in scenic Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA. Deception Pass is a strait of water separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island, and connects Skagit Bay (part of Puget Sound) with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which are all part of the Salish Sea. Deception Pass is the most-visited State Park in Washington.
    1505WHI-040_Deception-Pass-SP-WA.jpg
  • A yellow stonecrop (sedum) flower blooms on a sunny slope in Deception Pass State Park, in the state of Washington, USA. Sedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae. Hike the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail on Whidbey Island.
    1505WHI-044_yellow-sedum-flowers.jpg
  • Red bark of the Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) peals in a pattern to reveal a bulging yellow layer, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA. Photographed along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail.
    1505WHI-050_Arbutus-menziesii.jpg
  • Red bark of the Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) peals in a pattern to reveal a new yellow layer, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA. Photographed along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail.
    1505WHI-052_Arbutus-menziesii.jpg
  • A naked, human-like breast shape grows naturally in the red and yellow bark of a Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) tree, along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-054_Arbutus-menziesii_breast.jpg
  • A naked, human-like breast shape grows naturally in the red and yellow bark of a Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) tree, along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-057_Arbutus-menziesii_breast.jpg
  • Red bark of a Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) peals in a curled pattern to reveal a new yellow layer. Photographed along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-059_Arbutus-menziesii.jpg
  • Bark of a Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) tree grows in an unusually bumpy yellow and red pattern. Photographed along the lovely Goose Rock Perimeter Trail, in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-070_Arbutus-menziesii.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-083_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-091_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-095_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-101_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-102-p1_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta in this vertical panorama on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA. This panorama was stitched from 7 overlapping photos.
    1505WHI-102-108pan-Edit_wild-rhodode...jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta in this vertical panorama on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.  This panorama was stitched from 9 overlapping photos.
    1505WHI-109-117pan_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-123_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Native rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom pink-magenta on May 19, 2015 at the southern base of Goose Rock Summit Trail in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, in Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-125_wild-rhododendron.jpg
  • Tidal currents swirl through the strait in Deception Pass State Park, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA. State Route 20 crosses a scenic bridge 180 feet above Deception Pass, a strait of water separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island. Deception Pass connects Skagit Bay (part of Puget Sound) with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which are all part of the Salish Sea. Deception Pass is the most-visited State Park in Washington.
    1505WHI-137_Deception-Pass-SP-WA.jpg
  • North Beach and Macs Cove in Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA. This is the most-visited State Park in Washington. Deception Pass connects Skagit Bay (part of Puget Sound) with the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which are all part of the Salish Sea.
    1505WHI-141_Deception-Pass-SP-WA.jpg
  • Metal child, dog, farmer, plow, and whirligig sculptures decorate a lawn on Sherman Road in Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-144.jpg
  • The Ebey Block House, built in 1854, is one of four remaining today (out of as many as 11 built in the 1850s). The blockhouse was built for defense against Native Americans who were being displaced from their traditional lands. Start your walking tour from Sunnyside Cemetery Wayside on Cemetery Road to explore Ebey's Prairie Trail (or start from the beach lot at Ebey's Landing State Park), all within Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-148.jpg
  • Walk the Ebey's Prairie Trail along the green fields of Sherman-Bishop Farms then ascend the scenic Bluff Trail in Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA. In the distance, fog rolls across the beach called Ebey's Landing, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, at the gateway to Puget Sound. A few thousand years ago, the basin of Ebey's Prairie was a lake which silted to become marshland and then grassland attractive for farming. In 1850, Isaac Neth Ebey (Whidbey Island's first permanent Euro-American settler) chose to homestead this low, flat area which has easy beach access to upper reaches of the island. Ebey's Landing became a popular boat launch, supported by the historic Ferry House (built in 1860), where early travelers could get lodging, food, postal services, supplies, and overland transportation to the Island County seat across the island (at Penn Cove). Start your walking tour of the scenic Bluff Trail either from Ebey's Prairie Trail on Sunnyside Cemetery Wayside on Cemetery Road, or from the beach lot at Ebey's Landing State Park.  This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
    1505WHI-164-167pan.jpg
  • On Ebey's Prairie Trail in Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, see the Jacob & Sarah Ebey House, built in 1856. Jacob was the father of Whidbey Island's first permanent Euro-American settler, Isaac Neth Ebey, who arrived in 1850. At left, the Ebey Block House, built in 1854, is one of four remaining today (out of as many as 11 built in the 1850s). The blockhouse was built for defense against Native Americans who were being displaced from their traditional lands. Start your walking tour from Sunnyside Cemetery Wayside on Cemetery Road to explore Ebey's Prairie Trail (or start from the beach lot at Ebey's Landing State Park), on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-171.jpg
  • On Ebey's Prairie Trail in Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, see the Jacob & Sarah Ebey House, built in 1856. Jacob was the father of Whidbey Island's first permanent Euro-American settler, Isaac Neth Ebey, who arrived in 1850. Start your walking tour from Sunnyside Cemetery Wayside on Cemetery Road to explore Ebey's Prairie Trail (or start from the beach lot at Ebey's Landing State Park), on Whidbey Island, Washington state, USA.
    1505WHI-172.jpg
  • Antique pill and drug screw-top bottles and corked vials. Island County Historical Museum is at the foot of the 1905 Coupeville Wharf, in one of Washington's oldest towns -- Coupeville,  on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA. 20,000+ artifacts in the collections from Island County cover Ice Ages, early sea captains, settlers, and modern times. See Native American dugout canoes and the first automobile on Whidbey Island.
    1505WHI-181.jpg
  • The Salmon Wheel (1996) was the signature carved piece of artist Roger Purdue (1938 - 2014), a registered member of the Tsimshian tribe. The wood design features the five salmon species native to the Pacific Coast arranged on a spindle whorl in the artistic style of Pacific Northwest Native Americans. Purdue's mother Huldah was half Coastal Native, a member of the Tsimshian Tribe, from the Ketchikan area, Alaska. Photographed at a 2015 exhibit in Island County Historical Museum, 908 NW Alexander St, Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Washingotn, USA.
    1505WHI-185_Salmon-Wheel_Purdue.jpg
  • Carved wood canoe of Pacific Northwest Native American design. Island County Historical Museum is at the foot of the 1905 Coupeville Wharf, in one of Washington's oldest towns -- Coupeville, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-186.jpg
  • Attractive purple flowers in garden. Whidbey Island, Langley, WA, USA.
    1505WHI-209.jpg
  • Attractive purple flowers in garden. Whidbey Island, Langley, WA, USA.
    1505WHI-210.jpg
  • Start from a driftwood-strewn beach at Ebey's Landing State Park and walk to the Bluff Trail, in Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA. Ebey's Landing is on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, at the gateway to Puget Sound.  In 1850, Isaac Neth Ebey (Whidbey Island's first permanent Euro-American settler) homesteaded the adjacent low prairie which has easy access to upper reaches of the island. Ebey's Landing became a popular boat launch, supported by the historic Ferry House (built in 1860), where early travelers could get lodging, food, postal services, supplies, and overland transportation to the Island County seat across the island (at Penn Cove).
    1505WHI-214.jpg
  • Admiralty Head Lighthouse was built in 1890 to help guide ships into Puget Sound, and became obsolete in 1927 when its lantern was removed. Fort Casey State Park is part of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-219_Admiralty-Head-Lighthous...jpg
  • Admiralty Head Lighthouse was built in 1890 to help guide ships into Puget Sound, and became obsolete in 1927 when its lantern was removed. Fort Casey State Park is part of Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-220_Admiralty-Head-Lighthous...jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-222_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom in shades of purple color in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-225_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • A peaceful pond reflects evergreen trees at Meerkerk Gardens, a not-for-profit garden open to the public. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road. Address: 3531 Meerkerk Lane, Whidbey Island, Washington, 98253 USA. (Photo taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-227_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Yellow iris flowers bloom in Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-229_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Yellow iris flowers bloom in Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-230_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Yellow iris flowers bloom in Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-231_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom in shades of purple color in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-237_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom in shades of purple color in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-239_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom reddish pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-240_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom reddish pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-241_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom reddish pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-243_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • The mouth of a hybrid rhododendron flower (in the heath family, Ericaceae) blooms reddish pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-246_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • The mouth of a hybrid rhododendron flower (in the heath family, Ericaceae) blooms magenta-pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-247_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • A hybrid rhododendron flower (in the heath family, Ericaceae) blooms magenta-pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-249_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom magenta-pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-252_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom magenta-pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-253_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • Hybrid rhododendron flowers (in the heath family, Ericaceae) bloom magenta-pink in beautiful Meerkerk Gardens, on Whidbey Island, in the state of Washington, USA. To see the park's blossoms at their spectacular peak, visit around late April or early May. Getting there: 2 miles south of Greenbank, turn east at the corner of Highway 525 and Resort Road, and go to 3531 Meerkerk Lane. (Photo was taken May 22, 2015.)
    1505WHI-254_Meerkerk-Gardens.jpg
  • An evergreen tree soars vertically on the lush Forest Discovery Trail in South Whidbey State Park, on Whidbey Island, Washington, USA.
    1505WHI-264_South-Whidbey-SP.jpg
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