Whidbey Island, Washington

Returning home after 15 years was a rebirth, seeing my city with brand new eyes. Not only because Vancouver has changed a lot since, neighbourhoods being hippified, places returning to their Indigenous names, memory a bit hazy anyway. I was in a different place in life. You could say I was a different person. Also, I wondered how well did I really know Vancouver?

I can certainly still find my way around the city, not so much in the suburbs and surrounding cities and towns. (We went to Fort Langley for the first time the other day!) Recently when my friend was here with her two kids, we went to Lynn Canyon (first time), the Powell Street Festival, Stanley Park, and Soap Dispensary on Main. And lots of Japanese food. Her daughter is obsessed with avocado rolls. With cream cheese and mayo. Even eating Japanese food has changed for me, since I don’t eat sushi anymore.

So I have a comfortable familiarity that I hadn’t felt the need to push beyond. Then increasingly I was feeling tight around the collar, and this travel itch needing to scratch. Then this opportunity for a day trip south of the border. I was pretty stoked. With my sister looking in on Cat, I was set to spend the day on Whidbey Island.

The funny thing is, I came across Whidbey Island in Megan Griswold’s The Book of Help, which I was reading at the time. Another wonderful reminder of a synchronous world.

The Drive Down

Being August, the later sunrises are getting more and more noticeable. Now when I wait up at 5 AM to feed Cat, I stumble in the dark, not wanting lights to shock me into complete wakefulness.

That morning, I needed to be jolted awake, having been kept up late – very late – by Cat. I jumped into the car after 6 AM, a little later than planned, with a full daypack, heavy with liquids and snacks. I checked again for my passport.

We were meeting at 8 AM halfway between the border and Whidbey Island. So the 10 minute announcement on the the border crossing times board was welcomed. Alas sometime in those few minutes to get to the border, the wait morphed into 45 minutes according to online sources. Finally around 8 AM, I was talking to the customs officer. Tip – go really early or be there for 8 AM. The custom offer, so confident in his meteorology, assured me that the sun would come out. Even as the rain was coming down. You know what? He was right.

Onwards to Whidbey Island

Before the trip, I duckduckgo’d Whidbey Island and looked for #whidbeyisland on Instagram. Surprisingly there was very little. I got the usual “what to do”, “best beaches”, and geographic info.

Whidbey Island’s Salishan name is Tscha-kole-chy, home to several tribes including the Swinomish, Suquamish, and Snohomish. Less than 50 km north of Seattle, Whidbey Island has more than 65,000 residents, most of whom live in rural areas, and is much longer than it’s narrow, some of these stats reminding me of another place I lived in – Bermuda. Similar in population, it too was narrow in places, with one main thoroughfare.

From Megan Griswold’s book, I already got the idea that Whidbey Island was an artist’s colony. I was soon to find out the amazing earth work that goes on as well. Walking through a friend’s lands and the Earth Sanctuary, the energy of relatively untouched forest is amazing to behold and to stand in.

Salmon Woman

Our first stop was Rosario Beach, to visit with The Maiden of Deception Passs, Ko-kwahl-alwoot. These lands are the traditional territory, also including the Fidalgo Island, Lopez, and the Orcas – of the Samish Tribe, a Coast Salish people. A nomadic water people. Due to some error, they lost legal status in the 1960s, while in 1847, there were 2000 living in the village, a number which dwindled to 150 by the time of the Point Elliott Treaty signing in 1855. It wasn’t until 1996 that their federally recognized indigenous state was restored.

At this beach, a red cedar carving stands for the story of the sacrifice of the salmon woman for her people.

The Legend of the Maiden of Deception Pass

Ko-kwahl-alwoot is a beautiful maiden and the sea falls in love with her. One day a watery hand reaches out to her, as she following “jumping clams” deeper into the sea. He tells her she is the most beautiful woman. Over time, he tells her about the beautiful world he lives in and asks her to join him. When her father, who believes she will die in the sea, refuses to allow their marriage, the sea becomes angry, proclaiming he will no longer feed their people. True to his word, the sea becomes empty of salmon and clams, until finally her father concedes, with Ko-kwahl-alwoot willing to sacrifice for her father, family, and people. And as promised, Ko-kwahl-alwoot returns for one day a year so her father knows she is happy. In the end, her people release her from this promise, fearing her death as with each visit, her time on land has become more and more difficult.

They say that Ko-kwahl-alwoot lives eternally in the seas, abundant with food and the spring water always sweet, her kelp hair flowing with the tide.

This is a story of sacrifice and caring for your people, which I understand. What I find amazing is how wrathful gods and the elementals can be in legends across our world.

You can read the legend of the Maiden of Deception Pass, as told by Charlie Edwards in 1938.

You may have heard how carvers work with their material, their medium, to express what is hidden. To release the spirit. Whether it is marble or wood, in this case. In the video above, they speak of how they waited to carve, respecting the wood, the bark, seeing how the maiden wants to emerge. Carver Tracey Powell recalls also seeing the three-dimensional being inside.

The four of us stood in silence to connect with the maiden, to hear her messages. I saw a crystal beneath her, a sparkling jewel that was the sea. Others were called to lead us to walk around the carving and to connect to the earth and soul stars. Barefoot, I made my way, digging into the cool earth, making marks in the ground with my feet.

We then made our way to Rosario beach. I stood in the water, watching the kelp below. It felt so good standing there in the cold water. I used to take my dogs Abby and Lou to the beach, so there’s that.

As we sat on the log, exchanging stories, picking up pebbles, and staring into the guardian faces of the rock face across the water, we watched the families that came down onto the beach with their dogs. Kids clothed in hoodies and gum boots. The sun was yet to make its full entrance.

Where do you call to take a dive into the new? To believe in a world so beautiful yet so different that it takes heart to enter? What parts of yourself are you deceiving into non-existence that can now be released into the purifying water, through the geometric portals now in the dirt and sand?

Deception Pass Bridge

Our next stop was a friend’s place. Before that, we had to cross the narrow Deception Pass Bridge, which now connects Whidbey to the Island previously accessible by ferry. The waters are deceptive and risky to navigate, though heavily used by both commercial and recreational boats.

While we had a date to meet, many people had parked and stood on the pedestrian walk taking landscape photos and selfies. As we drove over Deception Pass, we allowed any and all deceptions – perceived, self-created, and experienced – to dissolve into the water below, churning in the tides.

Freeland & Langley

We visited a friend at her amazing land, where she had quite a sanctuary. Surrounded by a beautiful art collection and an obvious love of birds, especially owls, we sat and chatted, about her work, plans, and about our trip. We drew cards from her deck, reflecting the intention and experiences so far on this day of August 9. The group had begun 8.8 at Mount Baker, a journey that would culminate in the Orcas Islands.

With plans to meet her birthday-girl mom, our host bid us farewell after showing us the Peace Tree. We had each written a peace prayer, which we then tied to the cedar.

We headed to Langley for lunch with a healthy appetite. The sun shining, our table on the outdoor patio of Prima Bistro was perfect. French-inspired Northwest food. There were a lot of choices, even accounting for all the burger non-options. A fickle and demanding stomach called for a quick decision and essentially I ended up with fish & chips. semolina crusted rock fish, fennel-red onion slaw, french fries, caper remoulade. I guess not associating rock fish with fish & chips, the thought never even crossed my mind. It was delicious.

The patio was lively with birds visiting for food and overlooked the main street and the ocean beyond. My friend’s sharp eyes found her a crystal shop.

The Earth Sanctuary

The Earth Sanctuary is indeed the vision of its founder, Chuck Pettis. The author of Secrets of Sacred Space, he has a plan to restore these 70+ acres to old-growth forests with its accompany biodiversity.

We got there late in the afternoon. Entering the sanctuary is like stepping into another world. Judging from the number of cars, we were probably among the few walking the lands there. It was quiet. Very quiet. Like they were waiting, waiting to see what we were up to.

The first stop was the Dolmen. Years ago, in Bermuda actually, I came across a book on the standing stones at Carnac. Older than Stonehenge, these 3000+ stones are found in this French village. There are many theories about standing stones and other stone structures, from the pyramids to Stonehenge to Easter Island. It’s pretty amazing to feel their energies. I have yet been to Carnac; it’s on my list. Easter Island, also on the list.

What is a dolmen? It’s a structure of large slabs of stone that create a chamber. The vertical stones support a large horizontal one. This one at Earth Sanctuary is 20 tonnes and according to the website, the first to be built in the United States in modern times.

So each of us took our turn inside the Earth Sanctuary dolmen. Inside there are offerings, pleas for prayers and help, with photographs, stones, and other momentoes. I sat inside and was called to face outward, touching the slabs of the cool stone in the afternoon heat.

We sat by the bog, past the labyrinth. It’s amazing that so much life is here at the bog, when it appears so solid. So impenetrable. Yet there is fierce energy, of dragons and other beings. Wow!

Homebound

The sun was already in descent when we headed back to our friend’s place, deep in farmland. Windows down, I followed the road directions in reverse, northbound. My sister had just left Cat after binging on Netflix, some stand off, and hissing. I did consider stopping on the way, for food, for gas, for more chocolate. Cat on my mind, I headed to the borders, playing by ear time-wise for dinner. Sure the border crossing would quick, unlike the morning, I was thinking dinner. Slowly to a crawl, the traffic was impressive, on both sides of the border and I was there to watch the sun sink lower and lower, the skies from pinks to oranges to illumined darkness. It was a big day.