October, 2024
No! I’m not saying that all of us are supposed to spit! We’ve talked about this before when I visited Dungeness Spit on the Olympic Peninsula here in Washington State. No spitting! 🙂
At the north end of Whidbey Island, over on the east side of the island, there is a spit of land called “Ala Spit”. That’s where we’re going today. I’ve been past that spit of land many times in my boats, but I’ve never driven there on the road. Today … we go by road! 🙂
Here’s a map below of just the very north end of Whidbey Island. The RED dot on the left is where I’m camped. The YELLOW arrow points to the Deception Pass Bridge (where ocean water races back and forth with the tide from left to right (and then right to left). The RED arrow on the right points to the northern tip of Ala Spit. Notice, also, there’s an island next to Ala Spit … Hope Island (north). [There is another Hope Island in south Puget Sound … hence the words “(north)” and “(south)” have been appended to their names to reduce confusion.]
As you can see, I didn’t have far to drive from my campsite in order to reach Ala Spit. It was just a short, lovely, autumn country drive.
The small green sign in the photo above states that Ala Spit Beach Park is maintained by the local Oak Harbor High School Honor Society. Oak Harbor is the largest town on the island and is just a bit south of this location. I went to high school there … there was no national honor society when I went there, just sayin’. 🙂 Maybe that’s a good thing, or I would have been one of the volunteers who maintained this Park. On the other hand, I bet I would have loved doing that.
So, I drove down a short access road, parked, and then walked out onto the southern part of the spit, and I turned and looked north. Wow, what a beautiful view! The small, protected bay to the left of the spit, between the spit and the big island (Whidbey), was so beautiful and calm. (Please enlarge this photo if you can, it’s a gorgeous view.)
The spit itself (it’s just shy of half a mile long) was chock-a-block full of old tree trunks and tree limbs washed up there by the tide and storms. There were sections of the spit where you either waded in the water to get around the tree debris, or you waited for the tide to go out a bit so you would have beach access to the next section.
I’m not sure whether that’s a tree trunk in the photos above and below, or whether it’s a VERY dangerous human-eating animal. I didn’t wait around to see if it would suddenly curl around towards me and open its mouth to snap off one of my feet or one of my legs. Yikes.
Here below are two videos I took while I was standing on the very southern shore of that little bay between Whidbey (on the left) and the spit. It was high tide. Turn your sound on and listen for geese.
And then, below, still standing on the southern part of the spit, I turned to face east, towards Hope Island. It looks like there’s lots of water between Ala Spit and Hope Island, doesn’t it? Ahh, looks can be deceiving!
And then I turned to look south (below). The small islands in the photos below run along a human-dredged channel that becomes the Swinomish Channel off to the left that takes boaters to the town of La Conner (and then further north after that).
You can see a boat in the distance on the very right edge of the photo (below). It had come south between Hope Island and the spit and was now heading further south towards large Camano Island, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle … who knows where they were headed? But look at that large tree trunk in the water. It was not floating, it was sitting solidly on the bottom. It is REALLY shallow here, on the east side of the spit, the side that faces Hope Island. In a boat, you don’t want to get any where near this spit or you will run aground.
To polish that point, I waited until late in the afternoon this same day and then drove back here … at almost low tide. The tide was not quite all the way out yet, but getting close to it. The photo below shows how that lovely, peaceful small bay looks at low tide. It’s mud!
Then below, looking at the west side of the spit, again that small bay … all mud.
And now (below) take a look at the east side of the spit, the side towards Hope Island. If you look closely, you can see some of the tree trunks up on the spit on the very left side of the photo below. The distance between those tree trunks up on the spit and the edge of Hope Island is about .3 miles.
Once the tide is all the out, low, there’s still a LONG expanse of mud that’s just a few feet under the water. That expanse of mud/sand extends more than half way over to Hope Island. You don’t want to run your boat any where near the spit! You want to be WAY over and right next to Hope Island. In fact, I’ve been by here in both of my boats over the years. One time, when I was heading north, I pulled over to Hope Island, slowed WAY down, watched my depth-sounder to make sure I had plenty of water under my boat. I pulled up right next to that rocky point on Hope Island, reached my hand out my boat’s window, and touched the rock! All with plenty of water under my boat. So you really do want to be way over next to Hope Island and no where near Ala Spit.
Here below is a video I took this morning, at high tide, of a boat heading north between Hope Island and Ala Spit. You’ll see that it is way over next to Hope Island, nicely done.
I sure enjoyed seeing a part of this world that I’d seen many times by boat, but never from a land perspective. What a beautiful and fascinating world we live in, yes?
Safe travels everyone, keep your eye on the depth-sounding equipment in your boat, and watch those tide charts too. 🙂
Oh thank goodness your post appeared! I’ve been clicking on it since 3pm when you usually post your blog on Fridays. Ok, I’ll calm down now. 🙂 But wow that first photo of the little bay and the spit, oh my word that’s gorgeous. Thanks Ann. Sure was worth waiting for. 🙂
Oh my apologies, Fran. I got busy with life and such and didn’t get the blog posted on time. You will have to dock my pay! 🙂
I love that photo too, I loved standing there! Thank you.
Me too Fran. Where is Ann? Where is Ann? 🙂 But she’s here, and all is right with the world. Beautiful photos.
Ha! Thanks Joe. If my producing a blog post on time means that all is right with the world, then I will produce a blog post on time for the rest of my life! 🙂 Thank you for that sentiment. Thanks for being here.
I really like your “very dangerous human-eating animal”. 🙂 You have such a wonderful imagination. That was fun! You understand about life, and that life is in all things. I’d bet you got out of there with both feet and both legs intact because I bet that very dangerous animal respected you same as you respected it. 🙂
Well, I did walk up close to that dangerous human-eating animal and it didn’t attack me, so I think you are correct Sesapa … respect works both ways. 🙂
Great description of this passage between Hope Island and the spit and the water depth. I’ve been here in my boats too, many times, have seen more than a few boats stuck on the mud over by the spit. Really super info and videos and photos. Actually, I like the video of the high tide where the geese are honking. They are at peace.
Me too, Rob. I’ve seen boats stuck over there too when I’ve been by there in my boat/s. Mostly sailboats stuck over there on the mud, but a few power boats too. High tide is really peaceful isn’t it?
Such a pretty place! I see animals (mostly animals) in downed logs often too.
We are so perceptive! 🙂
Boats! I’ve been past there too, just a couple of times in my boat. It sure is a beautiful place to be. One time I was there, I noticed some mooring bouys along the northern edge of Hope Island, do you know if they are “free” state park buoys?
Ah, yes, those buoys on the north shore of Hope Island. Good question, Mark. Indeed they are state park buoys. And yes, you know, they are “free” to use if you have already purchased a state park marine pass to use them, but I’ve never seen a state park boat out checking these buoys. But I also know that just 50-100 feet east of those buoys is a super place to drop an anchor (absolutely free!) since I’ve done that there twice … excellent holding ground and almost no wash from passing boats since it’s so far from the main channel.
I’m fascinated by the plant life on that spit. And in the mud. I know a lot about plant life on dry land, but I know nothing about plant life around or IN salt water. Love the photos. Glad that dangerous human-eating “log” didn’t get you. 🙂
Ruby, I actually don’t know much about plant life in those mudflats. I just know I really like how high tide looks, and I really like how low tide looks, mud flats and all. I’m glad that dangerous “log” didn’t get me too. 🙂
Great photos and videos and descriptions. What a beautiful place!
Thanks June. It surely was beautiful.
Wow, the water goes out a long way. And yet that’s just sideways … the height/depth of the water loss when it goes to low tide doesn’t seem to be that much. That’s a lot of mud. I always thought there would be a cavernous hole when the water went out, but not so! Fascinating. Gorgeous country, water, sky. Glad that log monster didn’t eat you up alive. 🙂
Oh Tim, you should come here and spend time and watch tides. It’s a very peaceful experience. Friends from North Dakota visited here years ago … the two kids wanted to go down on the beach … the Mom said “NO, the tide will come in and wash you away!” and she really was seriously scared. They had no idea how SLOW the tide water moves. It takes hours to go out, and then HOURS to come back in, it is so slow! So no there are no cavernous holes, but that would be a reasonable expectation for someone who hasn’t watched this process. Mostly, when the tide goes out, all that’s left are mud flats. 🙂 Or gravel and rock beaches with lots of green plantlife and crabs and other critters on them. The monster was no match for me. 🙂
Aha! You found one of our favorite walks. It IS beautiful. But I can’t recall ever seeing it with that much driftwood piled up. We always could walk the length of the spit using the paths. We have watched eagles and kingfishers and listened to redwing blackbirds and plovers, and observed many of the song birds, ducks and. hawks. My most unusual sighting was a flock of Brant Geese, which look like diminutive Canada Geese. It’s a wonderful place.
Oh you’ve been here! How cool, Fritzi! As long as there isn’t a super high tide, like when I was there this day, then yes one can walk around on the beach a bit and then use the paths too … making sure to avoid the dangerous human-eating log people. Oh, wow … eagles, kingfishers, hawks, etc. Next time I’m here, I’ll have to pay more attention. I saw some Brant Geese on the southern Washington Coast a few years ago, but just that one time in all the years of boating and camping. There’s so much to see here isn’t there? A wonderful place indeed. Thank you. 🙂
Great explanation of the tides and the danger for boaters!
As long as boaters watch their tide charts, and the depth sounder in their boat (hopefully they have one), then all is A-OK. Thanks FG.
I did not spit! 🙂 Fascinating info about tides and all that, thank you.
Ok, just saying … as long as you did not spit, then you are good to go. Ha!
Thanks Babe. 🙂