Simeon and I went camping this past week at Ft. Casey State Park. Ft. Casey was a battery created to protect the Admiralty Strait from foreign attack – and a very cool place to visit, complete with a glorious lighthouse.
We took a ferry to get there:
The Admiralty Head Lighthouse:
The lighthouse was not only open, we were able to climb steps to the very top:
And it just gets better: after the lighthouse, we toured the big guns – 10” anti-ship artillery pieces:
He was fearless about climbing all over the guns:
Some emplacements didn’t have guns any more, so Sim pretended to fill in. He’s angled and ready to fire:
What targets might present themselves? Why, a Washington State Ferry:
And our campsite was, literally, a stone’s throw from the ferry dock:
We slept fine anyway, after a traditional campfire and s’mores. Friday morning, we drove up to Deception Pass and went kayaking:
There was one other family with us, along with the instructor:
The blue of the water was just incredible – the whole thing was beautiful. I had never done sea kayaking before, and it was amazing.
The kelp was growing quickly – a foot per day, our guide said. She also said it was edible. Sim wasn’t interested, but I tried some. It was like a salt-flavored Fruit Roll-up.
- “Having fun, Sim?”
- Thumbs up, Dad:
I was pretty tired after 90 minutes of kayaking, but Sim was quite happy:
One more ferry ride made the trip home complete:
It was really a blast to get away for a night, and by the time we arrived home, it seemed like we’d been away more than a day. The ferry-side camp site was a little weird, but I’d definitely go back to Ft. Casey.
- Michael
