The Deception pass bridge connects Whidbey island to Fidalgo Island which form the gateway to the San Juan islands. This bridge falls on the western part of I-20, also known as the north cascade scenic highway. We had planned to visit the North Cascades National Park and while researching , found out that I-20 runs on the south end of the park and is also referred to as the scenic highway. So, when we traced I-20 to the west of the park, it went over many islands. Zooming in on the route in Google Earth, deception pass bridge emerged out of nowehere and looked awesome. So, we took a deroute to fit in this place also into our itinerary. We were glad we did so

As is the trend this time of the year, fall colours were at their best all along the route. We were admiring the scenery on a narrow stretch of the road, when we noticed that many cars had been parked on the side (not allowed on that strectch) and there were people looking at something. After crossing a line of trees, the spectacle came to our view. In one particlar place, there were thousands of ducks (or swans or geese, i am not an ornithologist). None of us had ever seen such a congregation of birds before. So, we also illegally parked our car and went over to take some photos.

After many twists and turns on the road, we reached the deception pass state park and pulled over to a viewpoint for our first look at the bridge.

We crossed over the bridge and parked on the viewpoint on the other side. There was a map with LOT of trails crosscrossing either sides of the bridge. You are allowed to walk on the bridge, which was very surprising, as compared to the high-cost security measures taken on Golden gate bridge in San francisco to prevent suicides. maybe, people wanting to commit suicide prefer to do so at famous locations! The water was way down below and all of us experienced a bit of vertigo for the initial few steps.

There are numerous small islands in this area. It somehow resembled the archipelago of thailand or malaysia when seen from the top of the bridge.

We went to the other side of the bridge and got down to the side to take some pictures encompassing the entire structure. But, it was very difficult even with a relatively wide-angled lens.

We went on one of the smaller trails which lead down to the beach by the side of the bridge. From there, the bridge looked imposing and awesome! If you visit this place, make sure to allot time for walking on few of these trails. Each of them would give you a different view based on the position of the sun.

We entered the destination as “City center, Port Townsend” and the distance shown was just short of 60 miles, not much of a drive. So, off we went on I-5 north. The route shown by the GPS was pretty straightforward – I5 N, Edmonds, Kingston, Port Gamble, Port Ludlow and then Port Townsend. But, the GPS forgot one important thing in its summary.

When we were nearing Edmonds, dutifully following the GPS and enjoying the fall cours, at one point , the GPS voice casually said:

Go Ahead 140 yards and take the ferry!

Ferry??? We thought that we had come out on a drive. But, it was too late, we had committed ourselves to Port Townsend and we were not going to return without seeing port Townsend. Luckily, there was only a 10 minute wait for the next ferry and off we went, on our first ferry trip in Seattle.

We thought that the drive-on ferry would be a basic service across the islands. But, we were wrong. It was as good as a regular cruise boat with ample seating space, viewing decks and even few restaurants. The trip from edmonds to kingston was a short 30-minute one. But, the views were great. The wind was almost as on the open seas.

The drive from Kingston towards Port townsend was even more pictureqsue, crossing many islands and bridges, including Hood Canal Bridge, the longest saltwater floating bridge in the world. Finally, after many twists and turns, we reached Port Townsend and entered Fort Worden State Park. We wanted to reach an old lighthouse inside this park called Point Wilson Lighthouse.

Port Wilson lighthouse is more than 100 years old and presented a great sight in the light of the setting sun. We took some photographs, felt the pacific ocean and were on our way back after a good afternoon’s drive!

We weren’t aware of such a landmark existing on this route. So, a casual drive resulted in another landmark being visited!

• Enter the Mount Rainier National Park from the Nisqually Entrance.
• Drive to the Kautz Creek Bridge.
• Drive to Longmire, walk the trail of the shadows and visit the Longmire museum.
• Go on the Carter Falls trail.
• Stop at Christine Falls.
• Drive through the Ricksecker Point Loop Road.
• Go on the short trail to Narada Falls.
• Visit the Paradise Visitor Center and go for any of the dozens of the trails. We went for the Myrtle Falls trail.
• Stop at the reflection lakes. (A must-visit!)
• Stop at the Box Canyon.

It was late evening by the time we finished all the above spots. But, if you have the time and interest, go for the “Grove of the patriarchs” trail and then return to Seattle either through Ashford and take the mountainous route through the White River side (East of the Park).