We started the weekend off with a little Geocaching on Whidbey Island. There is a cache that we did not get to on another outing, so decided to head out and look for it. This time we took the low route along the beach. Last time we were here we were up on the bluff you see to the right. I did not like that very much! We did have some sunshine, so it was a great day for an outing. Will and Ron are up ahead. I always manage to lag behind as I am taking pictures.
We found the cache in a log. See it hiding down inside there?
We checked out the treasures, but didn't take or leave anything. We did sign the log.
We don't find as much "stuff" on the beach as we used to and that is a good sign. People must be more aware of what they do with their garbage. Occasionally though we come across a treasure or two.
There are so many photo opps on the island.
Since we still had some nice weather we headed off into the woods for another cache or 2. It was really beautiful in this area. A forest fire came through here many years ago and one of the caches was called Fire! Fire! Fire!. We looked and looked for this one, but didn't find it. I was right on with my coordinates, but still didn't see it. One of the clues said you had to get down and dirty to see it. Well, it was still pretty wet and muddy from all the rain we have had and there was a limit to how down and dirty I wanted to get.
We didn't find the first cache, but we were able to enjoy the beauty of the woods. Whidbey Island is the only place that I see Rhododendrons growing wild. I loved this one standing all by itself with woods all around.
The next few pictures are things you can discover in the woods.
We decide to try another cache. We checked our coordinates and headed off through the woods - literally. We did NOT take a path, but were real trail blazers as we battled brush and trees. Will was in the lead and pretty soon told us he had found a trail. And... right off the trail was a tree with the cache we were looking for. We were able to take the trail back to the car. Much easier than hiking through the brush.
For dinner on Friday night we had smoked salmon pizza on the barbecue. It was so good. If you have never tried a BBQ pizza I recommend it. YUMMY!!!
Jennie enjoying her BBQ pizza.
Not everyone had been on the new Chetzemoka ferry. So, we decided to go for a ferry ride. We rode from Keystone to Port Townsend, got off the ferry, bought return trip tickets, and got right back on and came back to Keystone. That's really a quick round trip.
As we were leaving Port Townsend the sailboats were out preparing for a race.
Eleanor, Nate, Carole, Jennifer and Ron just enjoying the sunshine on the return trip to Keystone.
As the ferry pulls into Keystone you can see the Fort Casey campground at the waters edge. It's time for us to head downstairs.
This is the Keystone ferry dock. We have called it this for years, but it looks like they are now going to be calling it Coupeville.
This is my cousin Kristi. She had been at her daughter Leah's in Port Townsend and had just come across on the ferry. Not the same one we were on, but maybe the next one. She came by our camp to see if we were there and ended up staying for several hours and had dinner with us. She had never been geocaching, so I showed her how it worked and helped her find a few caches near by. It was great seeing her. Aren't surprise visits fun?
Notice we still have sunshine!
Saturday night and it's John's Soup for dinner. It might have a real name, but the cooks kept calling it John's Soup. Let's see there were clams, mussels, calamari, scallops, shrimp and cod in a tomato soup base. The seafood eaters loved it, but I took the mussels and clams out.
On Sunday some of the gang went clam digging. Nate, Brad and Robin's grandson, is helping Ron.
Jennie's friends Amanda and Scott came over for a few days and went scuba diving. What a process it is to get all the gear on. The tanks weigh so much that Amanda could barely lift them. They get hot while struggling to get all the equipment on and though they are in dry suits it gets cold once they are in the water. It also is not much easier once they get in the water as they have to kick and sometimes fight their way through the kelp beds. Sounds like way to much work to me.
Scott and Amanda entering the water as the Chetzemoka is coming into the dock. They stay on the left of the breakwater and this area is actually a diving preserve. There is a lot of sea life for them to see. They saw a HUGE octopus on this dive along with many other creatures.
It's Monday and time to go home, but there's time for one last walk on the beach. As we got near the ferry landing we saw a Heron in the water. Nothing unusual for us as we seem them there often. I didn't even bother to get my camera out as I have lots of pictures of them. Well, this time was different. As we walked by he reached in the water and pulled out this eel. I got my camera ready just in time to see him take off with it.
Next we started to hear squawking and in swoops an eagle. He ends up with the eel and the heron is flying off in one direction and the eagle in another. It all happened so quickly and I was trying to take pictures, that I didn't see it all. I do know that the eagle ended up with the herons catch.
The waves curl and splash along the beach.
All good things must come to an end. Ron, Brad, Greta and Robin are heading back to camp. It was another fun weekend at Keystone.
We found the cache in a log. See it hiding down inside there?
We checked out the treasures, but didn't take or leave anything. We did sign the log.
We don't find as much "stuff" on the beach as we used to and that is a good sign. People must be more aware of what they do with their garbage. Occasionally though we come across a treasure or two.
There are so many photo opps on the island.
Since we still had some nice weather we headed off into the woods for another cache or 2. It was really beautiful in this area. A forest fire came through here many years ago and one of the caches was called Fire! Fire! Fire!. We looked and looked for this one, but didn't find it. I was right on with my coordinates, but still didn't see it. One of the clues said you had to get down and dirty to see it. Well, it was still pretty wet and muddy from all the rain we have had and there was a limit to how down and dirty I wanted to get.
We didn't find the first cache, but we were able to enjoy the beauty of the woods. Whidbey Island is the only place that I see Rhododendrons growing wild. I loved this one standing all by itself with woods all around.
The next few pictures are things you can discover in the woods.
We decide to try another cache. We checked our coordinates and headed off through the woods - literally. We did NOT take a path, but were real trail blazers as we battled brush and trees. Will was in the lead and pretty soon told us he had found a trail. And... right off the trail was a tree with the cache we were looking for. We were able to take the trail back to the car. Much easier than hiking through the brush.
For dinner on Friday night we had smoked salmon pizza on the barbecue. It was so good. If you have never tried a BBQ pizza I recommend it. YUMMY!!!
Jennie enjoying her BBQ pizza.
Not everyone had been on the new Chetzemoka ferry. So, we decided to go for a ferry ride. We rode from Keystone to Port Townsend, got off the ferry, bought return trip tickets, and got right back on and came back to Keystone. That's really a quick round trip.
As we were leaving Port Townsend the sailboats were out preparing for a race.
Eleanor, Nate, Carole, Jennifer and Ron just enjoying the sunshine on the return trip to Keystone.
As the ferry pulls into Keystone you can see the Fort Casey campground at the waters edge. It's time for us to head downstairs.
This is the Keystone ferry dock. We have called it this for years, but it looks like they are now going to be calling it Coupeville.
This is my cousin Kristi. She had been at her daughter Leah's in Port Townsend and had just come across on the ferry. Not the same one we were on, but maybe the next one. She came by our camp to see if we were there and ended up staying for several hours and had dinner with us. She had never been geocaching, so I showed her how it worked and helped her find a few caches near by. It was great seeing her. Aren't surprise visits fun?
Notice we still have sunshine!
Saturday night and it's John's Soup for dinner. It might have a real name, but the cooks kept calling it John's Soup. Let's see there were clams, mussels, calamari, scallops, shrimp and cod in a tomato soup base. The seafood eaters loved it, but I took the mussels and clams out.
On Sunday some of the gang went clam digging. Nate, Brad and Robin's grandson, is helping Ron.
Jennie's friends Amanda and Scott came over for a few days and went scuba diving. What a process it is to get all the gear on. The tanks weigh so much that Amanda could barely lift them. They get hot while struggling to get all the equipment on and though they are in dry suits it gets cold once they are in the water. It also is not much easier once they get in the water as they have to kick and sometimes fight their way through the kelp beds. Sounds like way to much work to me.
Scott and Amanda entering the water as the Chetzemoka is coming into the dock. They stay on the left of the breakwater and this area is actually a diving preserve. There is a lot of sea life for them to see. They saw a HUGE octopus on this dive along with many other creatures.
It's Monday and time to go home, but there's time for one last walk on the beach. As we got near the ferry landing we saw a Heron in the water. Nothing unusual for us as we seem them there often. I didn't even bother to get my camera out as I have lots of pictures of them. Well, this time was different. As we walked by he reached in the water and pulled out this eel. I got my camera ready just in time to see him take off with it.
Next we started to hear squawking and in swoops an eagle. He ends up with the eel and the heron is flying off in one direction and the eagle in another. It all happened so quickly and I was trying to take pictures, that I didn't see it all. I do know that the eagle ended up with the herons catch.
The waves curl and splash along the beach.
All good things must come to an end. Ron, Brad, Greta and Robin are heading back to camp. It was another fun weekend at Keystone.
