Exploring Whidbey Island

We've been enjoying our stay here at the Cliffside RV Park riding our E-bikes and walking on the cliff trail. One of the unique characters of this campground are the many posted family plaques made from drift wood found on the beach.

These customized creations are on display along the trail between the RV sites and tent site area. We have plans on adding our own before we leave,

On Thursday, September 29 we made a date to meet Karen's cousins Maree and Roger Haug from Everett, WA for lunch on Whidbey Island. They drove over to Whidbey via the ferry from Mukilteo, WA to Clinton on the island. We met up in Coupeville at Toby's Bar and Grill right on the waters of Penn Cove for their steamed mussels. Both Karen and I enjoyed sharing a two pound bowl of these little seafood delights cooked in a broth of water, onions, wine and basil.

Penn Cove Mussels spawn in the early spring and are therefore wonderful during the summer months through winter. The fast growth rate in the nutrient rich waters insures a firm texture with a flavor sweeter than any other mussel, with not a trace of sand or grit. The Penn Cove Shellfish Company grows and harvests over two million pounds of mussels per year from their two farms located in Penn Cove on Whidbey Island and the other in Quilcene Bay, located on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula.

Coupeville, WA on Whidbey Island is a small seaport village. The main street is only 3 or 4 blocks long and houses many boutique shops and eateries.

I found Toby's to be more a "local hangout". And just about all our family members up in the Puget Sound area recommended we check it out. This seaport village was picturesque with the beginning of fall colors showing in the trees; it had a real "New England" feel to it.