Knowing we had several big trips coming up, we had been considering laying low for the next couple of weeks but a 3 day weekend combined with good weather was too hard to pass up. I made a last minute camping reservation at Birch bay state park which is just north of Bellingham right before you get to Blaine. We have been to a nearby state park (Larabee) several times so we knew the area, but this was a whole new place to explore.
We got in to camp fairly late on Sunday after leaving Seattle around noon and stopping for some food to grill on the way. Since this was going to be a quick trip and we didn’t have any big hikes/kayaks planned, we decided to have a fancy dinner and grill some veges/shrimp over the fire when we got to camp.
The next morning we took our time getting ready and started to head back to Seattle, making a couple of stops on the way. It was a chilly morning and Sara, in her fashion, just wanted to be cozy…
Our first stop was in Bellingham to grab some breakfast and, as we found out when we got there, walk around in there summerfest/farmers market/life music festival. It was super fun and we all ended up taking naps in the field outside (except maybe not Sara…). After that, we headed over to see our old stomping grounds - the Bellingham harbor where we got married and the chrysalis hotel where we stayed before the wedding. The boat we got married on was out - but the rest of it was just as we remembered.
Our second stop on the way back to Seattle was at Deception pass state park. We went for a hike we have done in the past (Goose Rock loop) but saw a different side of it in the Spring. The loop basically runs along the water on the south side of the pass and then goes up and over Goose Rock. Spring brought the Rhododendron and we were treated with a draw that was just filled with wild ones on the backside of goose rock - truly amazing.
Map of our route:
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And some pictures from the hike. Very lush/green this time of year.
