Visiting Whidbey Island

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Happy Weekend! I wanted to pop in and share some pics from one of our recents trips with you. I mentioned before that I wanted to share more of our travels with you all (don’t worry I won’t over do it). I want you guys to see how beautiful our part of the country is, there really is nothing like living in the Pacific Northwest. If you love nature, beautiful scenery, exploring new places and quiet and quaint places you really have to visit. And if you live here already, hope you find some new places to visit and feel free to send some recommendations to us as well!

I have always had the travel bug. I love change, I love being on the go and being outdoors is something I grew up doing. I come from a very adventurous family and as my kids get a little older and easier to travel with, it’s something I want to do with them too. A few weeks ago we took a long weekend trip up to Whidbey Island. Despite our massive amount of rainfall this winter, we lucked out with one of the most gorgeous weekends up there and it was so much fun capturing the beauty around us. So here are some pics from our most recent trip visiting Whidbey Island. 

There are times when I feel like I grew up on the island. My grandparents have a house up here and I spent every summer of my childhood here and we still make it up a few times a year. It’s not very often that we come up in the winter time, I honestly can’t remember the last time we were here when the temps were freezing and the place is iced over. Everything looked so beautiful but in an entirely different way.

We were greeted with some of the most amazing sun rises over the ocean. I guess that’s one great thing about having little kids who wake up before the sun rises, you actually get to see them!

The golden and pink colors were not like anything I have ever seen up here. 
That piece of land across the water is Camano Island. Both of these island sit right below the San Juan Islands that take you up into Canada. Neither are technically a part of them, but very close.

If you love cute quaint little towns, you have to visit Coupeville on Whidbey Island. It’s such a sweet town filled with cute shops, an amazing pier to walk down that also has a little local coffee shop at the end that we visit every morning. It’s our little tradition every time we are visiting. Normally the weather is warm and we are getting ready for a day of boating, so seeing the dock all iced over and walking outside in freezing temps was so different. This was probably one of my favorite mornings I’ve been out on the pier. The weather was so awesome and in just a matter of 30 minutes the scenery changed so much. Watching the low hanging fog over the water slowly burn off to reveal the scenery and mountains was gorgeous. Keep scrolling to see how it progressed. 

And in just a matter of minutes, it looked like this….. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Baker peaking out of the fog. 
In a matter of minutes the fog lifted and everything was clear and just gorgeous. We haven’t had many sunny weekend here this winter, and this weekend was absolutely perfection. The views were stunning. Just accross the way from Coupeville, on the other side of the island is Ebey’s Landing. The state park has one of the most beautiful hikes with stunning views and it also has a huge wide open beach that is much sandier than other parts of the island. This is my kids’ very favorite spot on the island. There are huge log forts built along the beach, wide open space to run, you can always catch a few fisherman out here during season. From Whidbey Island you can a small ferry over to Port Townsend. It’s a small town on the Olympic Peninsula. You can either drive or walk on the ferry. And you know what… I have been coming to the island since I was born, and I have NEVER taken this trip before! We are always so ‘busy’ relaxing or playing on the beach or crabbing, that we never seem to venture out. But with our own kids, we love exploring and discovering new places and I’m so glad my husband suggested we take a day trip over here.

The ferry ride was about 30 minutes and the views were beyond words. The weather was so different this weekend that it made for some really awesome pictures. The mountains in the distance are the Olympic Mountain Range, a place I haven’t been to since I was a kid and I’d love to get over there again soon!The quaint little town of Port Townsend is so beautiful. It has really grown over the years and now includes tons of beautiful boutiques and restaurants. I feel in love with all the historical buildings and the sweet quiet town. It’s really one of those places that makes you relax a little more.

We walked around the town, got ice cream, played at the park, ran up and down the docks, watched an incredible sunset and then headed to dinner at Silverwater Cafe (highly recommend it).

Here are a few more sunset pics from the cabin. It was the perfect weekend seeing the colors of the sunset with mountain still lit up was perfection.

If you are ever able to come visit this part of the country, this whole area is perfect for families, exploring, nature hikes, activities and so much more. I can’t wait to show you more places around the PNW!

About Taryn Whiteaker

Taryn Whiteaker is the voice of style behind TarynWhiteaker.com (formerly Design, Dining and Diapers) ! Taryn is a previous PR/Marketing professional who got back to her creative roots after becoming a mom and now shares her passion for home decor and design for the world to see. Taryn lives in the greater Seattle area with her husband and three kids and loves coffee, the outdoors, and exploring with her family.