Fort Ebey Father's Day Hike 06-19-11

Father's Day got rolling a little late this year since I was on my way home from the Summer Solstice shindig in Maple Falls... so I didn't get the usual opportunity to wake up and ponder if anyone is going to bring me breakfast in bed.

The family was already awake when I got home. They were wondering what exciting adventures they might be subjected to on this special, but drizzly, holiday.

It was too wet to go out and to cold to play ball. It appeared as though we might end up sitting in the house. Doing nothing at all.

A quick check of my favorite (and most reliable) weather forecast website indicated that it wasn't quite so drizzly over on Whidbey Island. In fact, it looked as if it wasn't drizzly over there at all.

So, I grabbed some supplies, threw them in a backpack, made sure everyone had some kind of footwear, a coat and a good attitude before throwing them all into the Pathfinder. Off to Whidbey Island for the 2011 Father's Day TEAM Rolfs Family Hike!

This is third "not-annual TEAM Rolfs Father's Day Hike". The last one was back in 2008 when I took the kids up to the Chuckanut Bat Caves. Prior to that there was a Father's Day Hike with the Klinger's to the Big Four Ice Caves in 2006.

As we drove out of town, the light drizzle at the house turned into an all out downpour. Cats and dogs all over the place. It was raining that hard.

No one complained. It was a Father's Day Miracle!

Deep down we were all pondering the liklihood of finding a good movie to see in Oak Harbor when the hike gets canceled after five minutes of puddle stomping.

The rain continued through Anacortes, through Deception Pass and through Oak Harbor. As we took the final turns to the Fort Ebey State Park, the rain stopped. Completely. In fact, it appeared that it hadn't been raining at all in Fort Ebey State Park. The pavement was dry... and the trails were dry too!

Woo Hoo!

Upon our entry to the park, we turned to the right and parked way down at that end of the park. The kids saw the beach right away and were suddenly excited to get outside and explore.

We hiked along the Bluff trail to the main picnic area and the ammunition bunker, exploring all the sights to see along the way.





























All in all, it was a great family hike and a perfect Father's Day!

There are a lot more pictures and videos from my Trip to Fort Ebey earlier this year. That story starts right here.

Did you know we have a family blog too? TEAM Rolfs


Thank you, Family, and Happy Trails!

~E