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charming 19th-century seaport village
that sits in the middle of Ebey’s Landing
National Historic Reserve, established
in 1978 “to preserve and protect a rural
community which provides an unbroken
historic record from the 19th century ex-
ploration and settlement in Puget Sound
to the present time,” says the National
Park Service. This 17,400-acre preserve
features miles of hiking trails to forests,
prairies, lagoons and beaches. It’s also a
bird watchers paradise, a biker’s destina-
tion and even a favorite of scuba divers.

You can tour some of Ebey’s Landing’s 17
working farms or just sample their har-
vests at the Coupeville Farmers Market,
now in its 35th year making it one of the
longest running markets in one of the
oldest towns in Washington, held every
Saturday from April to mid-October.
I stopped by the wonderful Island County
Historical Society & Museum in Coupe-
ville to learn about the Native Americans,
including the Snohomish, Suquamish,
Swinomish and Lower Skagit tribes; the
sea captains of the 1800s; the pioneer
settlers including Colonel Isaac Neff
Ebey who settled here in 1851; and the
long military history that’s integral to
Whidbey Island still today -- its Naval Air
Station in Oak Harbor is the premier na-
val aviation installation in all the Pacific
Northwest.

I indulged in the splendid homemade
bread for a huge sandwich at Knead &
Feed bakery/cafe, right on Coupeville’s
Front Street. This is a locals’ hangout,
and when I was settling my bill, a woman
engaged me in friendly conversation.
I told her I was headed to Deception Pass.
“You must go to Mount Erie,” she advised
me. “It’s just beyond Deception Pass on
Fidalgo Island, and the views from the
top are just amazing.”
She told me exactly how to get
there, and I was mighty glad she directed
me to that awesome place. I hiked a low-
er trail first through thick forests of fra-
grant cedars and spruces and hemlocks,
some of which were literally oozing pools
of sticky sap onto the trail.
Top: The views from the 1935 Deception Pass Bridge, a historic landmark
Then I simply drove to the top of Mount at the northern end of Whidbey Island. Opposite top: Knead & Feed is a
Erie, the highest point on Fidalgo Island locals’ favorite on the waterfront in Coupeville for oversized sandwiches on
which connects Whidbey Island to the
mainland via Deception Pass. The views homemade bread. Opposite bottom: A trail through the woods on Mount
from this lookout are vast, spreading Erie, the highest point on Fidalgo Island, which lies immediately north of
across the Puget Sound and several of Whidbey Island and connects Whidbey to the mainland.
its smaller islands. On very clear days,
you can see Mount Baker 43 miles to the

Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2015 59