Ebey's Landing

What a perfect day! Early low cloud clearing to almost unbroken skies, with bald eagles and northern harriers soaring over the cliffs. A cool breeze off the Sound on the clifftops, but I wasn't going to complain about that.

Spring has very definitely arrived on Whidbey Island. Butterflies, bees, wildflowers and birdsong everywhere, and sadly also some flies starting to congregate in the sun on the sandy trail. I followed the loop trail up the bluff, then inland to Sunnyside Cemetary, before going back to the cliffs over Perego's Lagoon and down to the beach for the trip back to the car park as the tide receded.

This loop has it all - the farmland above the cliffs has all the meadow birds currently competing for fence-posts to sing from, the cliffs have the raptors, and the sea and lagoon have the ducks and waders. The mixture of rich, arable soil and sandy bluffs gives the same contrast of plant life, and the views are outstanding in every direction. The driftwood all along the lagoon and beach provides dramatic features for photos.

On top of all that, the beauty of a loop hike that almost everyone takes in the same direction is that even though there may be a few people around, you rarely meet them. The illusion of isolation on a busy trail. The basic loop is 3.5 miles with a 250 foot climb up the cliffs, but with the side trip to Sunnyside and some general beachy wandering, I made it a 7.2 mile day.