October, 2024
Today I didn’t leave the campground, not once … I didn’t even climb into the big white truck, not once. I just walked all over the place and had a great time.
Cranberry Lake is included within the boundaries of Deception Pass State Park. Cranberry Lake really is a lake where cranberries were grown commercially years ago, hence its name. These days it is stocked with trout, and has a resident population of Largemouth Bass and Yellow Perch according to one of the Park Rangers here. It’s a very popular place for locals (and visitors) to go fishing (no power boats allowed). It sure seems it would be a nice place just to put your canoe or your kayak in the water and paddle around. It is a really pretty place to visit. Most of the view through the trees from my campsite was of Cranberry Lake, with just a tad view of the ocean beyond as well.
But, back to today. I hiked down a foot path from my campsite, through the woods, and down to the state park roadway that led out to West Beach. My campsite is back up in the woods on the left in the photo below. Almost directly below my campsite was this parking area that was also the boat “ramp” where one can back a boat on a trailer into the water. Obviously, you don’t want to be using a heavy boat since you could get stuck in the sand/mud. A small row boat, kayak, etc, would be fine. I suspect most people launch boats here that they can lift/carry off their trailer by hand and then carry the boat/kayak/canoe to the water.
I stood there awhile and looked around, enjoying the warm October sun and the view out over Cranberry Lake. The view below looks over Cranberry Lake in the foreground, then shows the state park “clubhouse” that you can rent/reserve for group gatherings, and then just 30-40 feet beyond that clubhouse is the Pacific Ocean. Ok, this isn’t technically on the Pacific Coast but it is Pacific Ocean water out there just past that clubhouse. I’m standing right at the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca … where the ocean comes in from the west, from the Pacific Ocean directly to this spot. Look at a map. It’s a long way from where I’m standing to the really real Pacific Coast (about 100 miles!), but it is a direct line. This part of Whidbey Island receives the full brunt of Pacific Ocean storms. But not today! The photo below was taken shortly after noon … how peaceful!
Below … turning a little bit to the left.
Then a little bit more to the left, to show actually just a portion of Cranberry Lake. It’s a large lake.
That point of land on the left side of the photo above fascinated me. Here (below) is a closeup. You can’t walk out there … only access is by water … or by beaver or otter, etc.
I walked along the state park road that borders about one-third of Cranberry Lake and found these trees below. Whoa, they are about to fall in the lake! I asked one of the Park Rangers about this. She said there was some talk about constructing a support wall to prevent the trees from falling in the lake, but it was decided that … well, if the state park wasn’t here, then the trees would fall into the lake, naturally. So they are letting natural processes happen.
I walked over to those trees and got down as close as I could to the water. In the photo below, it might look like those grasses are just hanging there in the air … but they are in the water, top parts are reflected off the water.
And then just a bit further to the right there were more grasses, and some dark growths in the water. But way more interesting to me was that the grass/reeds on the right were flattened … absolutely FLAT. Hmmm, maybe someone has been sleeping here? A beaver? There are beaver around this lake.
I kept on walking … saw the dock at the east end of the lake where you can sit and watch the world go by, or you can fish from that dock, or both. I kept a look-out for wildlife, beavers, birds, etc. Nothing to report. So I headed back around the lake, back towards my campsite. Most of the lake has no road, no access for humans to the shoreline. I bet there’s lots of wildlife over there!
Whoa, wait a minute! I found wildlife! Right by the side of the road. Bunny rabbits!
These two folks were munching away on plants they obviously loved because they simply stayed there and kept on munching even when I approached them. Of course, I didn’t get too close, but I really was only about 7 or 8 feet away, using the zoom on my camera.
The one below finally opened an eye towards me, but kept on munching.
And FINALLY, the one below realized I was there and looked up. But he just looked at me for a few moments and then went back to munching. I guess I’m not considered a danger. 🙂
And then on around the road and eventually I got back to my campsite, and the western view through the trees to Cranberry Lake (and to the ocean beyond).
What a lovely day. 🙂