Traversing the Northwest Passage
1 - 27 September 2025

5-6 September 2025: Day 5-6

Widbey Island, Seattle Art Museum and a bike ride for charity

Introduction

It is convenient to rollour days in Seattle together in one page. On Friday we were taken on a tour of Widbey Island, but first we had to take the new light rail train from U-District to the end of the line at Lynnwood. Heres we met our hosts for the drive around Whidbey Island. The island is reputed to have great views, expecially from the Deception Pass Bridge that crosses the ocean at Canoe Pass. But alas there was a dense sea fog that blocked all views. We moved on to Coupville, a small rustic seaside town for lunch then south across the island to the car ferry that took us back to the mainland at Mukilteo and to the light rail back into Seattle.

On Saturday we visited the Seattle Art Museum to see the works of Ai, a Chinese artist. We then travelled north again to meet another cousin and samp,le country prooduce, including massive ice creams.

Whidbey Island

Whidbey Island is an historic part of Seattle, with early settlers, lighthouses and an Air Force base. It is also home to many alternative lifestyle families who operate small horticulture businesses, especially a wide range of berries. The sea fog limited our viewing but we could see the impressive bridge at Deception Pass and then the coast near Fort Ebey, that we had passed in the ferry. We then headed to Coupville for lunch. Here the Front Street Grill (that actually fronts onto the harbour) specialises in seafood, especially mussels. After a nice lunch we continued, visiting Fort Casey and the nearby Admiralty Head Lighthouse.

Fantastic view they told us we would see....

I think they would like you to pay...

Puget Sound - we sailed past here yesterday

Coupeville - Front St Grill

Mussels seven ways - I had green curry

"Not Bad!!" but not quite as good as NZ Greenlip mussels

Mussel food miles are extremely short

The guns of Fort Casey (while being the same type, these came from the Phillipines)

Seattle Art Museum

Hammer Man

His hammer goes up...

and down.

Ai's version of a shoe collection

Food in the country

We drove north to Mt Vernon for lunch at the Calico Cupboard Cafe, then purused the adjacent antique shops. From there we checked in on progress with the "Bike MS" charity fund raising bike ride before the 52 flavours of ice cream (massive sized) at the Snowgoose Produce Market.