Nice and pretty, excellent weather and views.

Well, this hike didn't go as planned. Note to self and anyone planning this hike in the winter. Check the tide tables! We didn't and we got there and there was no beach, the water was up to the driftwood. We opted to do the Bluff part and skip the beach. That's my favorite part of the hike anyway, but it was cold and the wind was blowing in the trees. Wind in trees makes me nervous! We hiked the bluff then turned around when we hit the switchback. We were cold and wanted coffee. Next time I do this classic, I'll wait for better weather. Once we had our coffee, we walked thru the Price Sculpture Forest, a 10 minute walk, check it out next time you're on Whidbey 

We arrived at the Ebey Prairie parking area around 1:30 pm on a gorgeous Sunday and were lucky to find parking in the small lot across from the cemetery. Cars lined the road for 1/4 mile. From the bluff, we could see the lower parking area: full lot, traffic jam, and cars lining the road on both sides!

Note to self: avoid this hike on the weekends, even in the middle of January!

This hike never gets old. It is simply gorgeous. No wind today so we took a long break on the bluff rather then walk the entire loop to down along the beach. The light from the setting sun was so pretty but the sun is directly in your eyes looking out to the water the entire time. Once we hit the shade of the return trail through the prairie, the temperature dropped fast! We'll come back another time to explore the prairie trails. Returned to the car around 4:30 pm.

The outhouse at the prairie parking lot was open with just a bit of TP left. We decided to take the ferry back, along with everyone else. The line started 0.7 miles from the toll booth but we only had to wait one hour before getting on a boat. We watched four cars try to enter the ferry line from Columbia Beach Drive and every one was sent to the back of the line.

Did a Whidbey walkabout starting out with breakfast in downtown Langley, visiting the goats at the chocolate flower farm and then wandering the Price Sculpture Forest. The quick trails at the forest are fun for the kids to explore and the art is beautiful. We also drove to Ebey’s landing beach and walked on the beach it was a little windy for the kids to stay too long or attempt the full Ebey’s landing trail but we will be back to do the whole trail again soon. We love winter on Whidbey. If anyone finds a key fob to a Toyota Highlander my daughter knocked it off the key ring and we don’t know where it was lost. Thanks! 

I teamed up with my hiking friend today to go revisit this lowland gem. We arrived at the Sunnyside Cemetery parking lot at 10am, finding just one other car parked there. The clouds were extremely moody, with another fresh weather system rolling in and the winds being pretty stiff. Despite near 50-degree temps the wind chill was enough that we had to bundle up. The Prairie Overlook trail was slightly damp but very firm, and that continued with the bluff trail as well. In fact I never even got my boots dirty. Unfortunately the Jacob Ebey house was once again closed.

The winds along the bluff were sufficiently intense that it was hard to hold still long enough to take pictures, but once we reached the end of the bluff trail to the switchbacks down to the beach the winds suddenly and miraculously subsided, being blocked by the bluff itself. Earlier in the hike we were unsure if we would even be able to cross the beach as it was high tide, but by the time we finally made it down there the tide was going out and the beach was wide enough to safely traverse. We did take a brief side trip to the lagoons as well. I briefly entertained the thought of tasting the lagoon water to see if it was freshwater or saltwater, but upon seeing algae blooms along the shore that thought was quickly dashed.

We made it the rest of the way along the beach then completed the loop back to our vehicle, seeing many others along the way but with everyone spaced well apart. Somebody did leave a very large and nasty dog poop bag lying right in the middle of the seaside trail, perhaps assuming the Poop Bag Fairy makes regular visits to this area. Fortunately though that was the only trash we encountered. We returned to our vehicle shortly after 1pm, and we briefly considered visiting other trails in the area. However our stomachs were growling and we decided to go find somewhere to eat first, and by then it was too late in the day to squeeze in another hike.