This is a view of Deception Pass and bridge from the water level looking westward toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the open sea beyond. The current through this bottleneck of water can be treacherous at certain times for small craft if not carefully considered. Here is more about the bridge history from Wikipedia:
The Deception Pass Bridge is a two-lane bridge connecting
Whidbey Island to
Fidalgo Island in the U.S. state of
Washington. The bridge is a commonly-photographed landmark of the
Puget Sound region. In the spring of 1792,
Joseph Whidbey, master of
HMS Discovery and
Captain Vancouver's chief navigator proved that it was not really a small bay as charted by the
Spaniards (hence the name "Deception"), but a deep and turbulent channel that connects the
Strait of Juan de Fuca with the
Saratoga Passage, which separates the mainland from what they believed was a peninsula (actually Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island). Thomas Coupe, a sea captain and founder of Coupeville, was the only man ever to sail a full-rigged ship through the strait discovered by Whidbey.In the early years of the 20th century, travelers of the horse-and-buggy era used an unscheduled ferry to cross from Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island. To call the ferry, they banged a saw with a mallet and then sat back to wait.The bridge, one of the scenic wonders of the
Pacific Northwest, is actually two spans, one over
Canoe Pass to the north, and another over Deception Pass to the south. In 1982, the bridge was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places.
In the waters of Deception Pass, just east of the present-day Deception Pass Bridge is a small island known as
Ben Ure Island. The island became infamous for its activity of smuggling illegal Chinese immigrants for local labor. Ure and his partner Lawrence "Pirate" Kelly were quite profitable at their smuggling business and played hide-and-seek with the United States Customs Department for years. Ure's own operation at Deception Pass in the late 1880's consisted of Ure and his Native-American wife. Local tradition has it that his wife would camp on the nearby Strawberry Island (which was visible from the open sea) and signal him with a fire on the island's summit to alert him to whether or not it was safe to bring his illegal cargo ashore. For transport, Ure would tie the illegal immigrants up in burlap bags so that if customs agents were to approach then he could easily toss the bags overboard. The tidal currents would carry the discarded immigrant's bodies to
San Juan Island to the north and west of the pass and many ended up in what became known as Dead Man's Bay.
Deception Pass is a dramatic seascape where the tidal flow and whirlpools beneath the twin bridges connecting Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island move quickly. During low tides, the swift current can lead to standing waves, large whirlpools, and roiling eddies. This swift current phenomenon can be viewed from the twin bridges' pedestrian walkways or from the trail leading below the larger south bridge from the parking lot on the Whidbey Island side.
Boats can be seen waiting on either side of the pass for the current to stop or change direction before going through. Thrill-seeking kayakers go there during large tide changes to surf the standing waves and brave the class 2 and 3 rapid conditions
A bright, but windy, January day at one of Port townsend's favorite walking beaches makes for rough passage at times of high tides and northerly storms as seen here.
The letter this week for the ABC Wednesday meme is Y.
A view of Mt Rainier, or as known locally, The Mountain, seen from Pt Hudson Marina in downtown Port Townsend.
This is a view of Deception Pass and bridge from the water level looking westward toward the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the open sea beyond. The current through this bottleneck of water can be treacherous at certain times for small craft if not carefully considered. Here is more about the bridge history from Wikipedia:
Sky watching at Seattle's Pike Place Market can include many diversions with all the activities happening around you. This bright cherry-red scooter is an eye-catcher and provides a nice foreground for a picture of that bold, blue Seattle sky above the market. I'm not positive, but I'm guessing the Vespa may be the ride of a favorite professional photographer, who we in the photoblogging community know as Mr. Pefley. If so, here's one for you , Chuck. Your scoot is a beauty!
At early morning light, a motor vessel slips quietly around Pt Hudson and out of Port Townsend Bay toward Admiralty Inlet and a heavy blanket of fog.
A stroll downtown on Water Street with our granddaughter brought an utterly delightful moment when she stopped suddenly to admire with awe and glee, a lady bug that had hopped aboard her thumb for a ride.
