Deception Pass is a ocean water strait which separates Whidbey Island and Fidalgo Island and is located in the northwest part of the state of Washington. The pass connects two bodies of ocean water: Skagit Bay, (a part of Puget Sound) and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, (an arm of the Pacific Ocean.)

Both bodies of water, Skagit Bay (Puget Sound) and the Straight of San de Fuca are also contained within an inland body of ocean water called the Salish Sea Basin.

Spanning Deception Pass is a pair of bridges called the Canoe Pass bridge and Deception Pass bridge, and known collectively Deception Pass Bridge. These two bridges took about one year to build by a company of the Civilian Conservation Corps and were completed on July 31, 1935. These two bridges connect Fidalago island on the north side of the pass, Pass island in the middle of the pass and Whidbey island to the south and the connection of these three islands create a gateway for exploration.

Deception Pass State Park includes over 3,854 acres and is a marine and camping park with 77,000 feet of saltwater shoreline and 33,900 feet of freshwater shoreline on three lakes. The park is actually located on three highway accessible islands, Whidbey, Fidalgo and Pass. Also, there are several other islands including: Ben Ure Island, Deception Island, Hope Island, Northwest Island and Strawberry Island, which are only accessible by watercraft.

Land activities in the park include: beach exploration; biking; birding; 360 sites for camping; hiking, horseback riding; horseshoe pit; kitchen shelters, Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail; picnicking; and wildlife viewing.

Water activities in the park include: 450 foot dock; 710 foot dock; 1,980 feet of moorage; boating (fresh and saltwater); crabbing; diving; fishing (fresh and saltwater); swimming; 5 watercraft launches; and white-water kayaking.

For a list of the other parks, please see: Whidbey Island parks.

Awake, dress in my fall blues, start the jammer engine and drive to Deception Pass state park, cross the Deception Pass bridge and then drive to Bowman Bay for a hot shower at the campground.

After a week in Ponderay, Idaho, I awake, drive to the d-mart to purchase a carton of coconut milk and then drive south on US 2 to Sandpoint, Idaho, then east on US 2 along the north side of the Pend Oreille river across the rest of Idaho. I have chosen to drive to the Washington coast because it has become much to hot here for me to stay any longer. In fact, the last few nights have not cooled off below 80 degrees until after ten each evening.

It is evening of this day when I first sight Mount Erie as I am approaching the Salish Sea and the many islands that rise above its water. Soon after, I come upon Pass Lake which has Mount Erie as its backdrop.

Although when I cross the Swinomish channel over the Twin Bridges, I am actually leaving the mainland and coming upon, not The Island, which I do not come upon until crossing The Bridge, but instead, Fidalago Island where upon is Anacortes, Washington, Washington Park, Bowman Bay, Rosario Head, Lighthouse Point, Pass Lake, Campbell Lake (upon which is Eagle Rock, one of the only places in the lower forty-eight where there is an island on an island), Mount Erie, Rainbow Bridge, and many, many more places that I have explored during the many years while living upon The Island. If I was to tell the stories about all of these, I would not have the time or space to relate them all. Nevertheless, I continue south on SH 20 to the bottom of Fidalgo Island and enter Deception Pass state park, where I stop at the Deception Pass Bridge for a few photos but like many of the recent times that I have driven onto the island, there is commercial painting equipment blocking most all of the parking spots.

While crossing The Bridge, I slow down and take a photo of Deception Island which lies in the Straight of San de Fuca just outside of Deception Pass.

On the left side of Deception Pass is North Beach and West Point, both on Whidbey Island. On the right side of this photo is seen a peninsula on Fidalgo Island where upon is Lighthouse Point. Look closely and you will see the small lighthouse atop the edge of the rock.

Across the Straight of San de Fuca just above Deception Island is the bottom of Lopez Island, in the San Juan islands and the faded island in the distance haze to the left of Deception Island is Vancouver Island.

I drive into the park, turn into the campground and stop at the lake store to purchase two dollars of shower tokens, which are two for a dollar and each token provide three minutes of hot water. I then drive to the shower house next to campsite number 85, park, grab my towel, shower bag, clean clothes and walk into the shower house.

After my shower, I drive further into the park, past Cranberry Lake and park in the West Beach parking lot near West Point, where I get out with my camera to take photos of Deception Pass.

I return to the jammer, but pause to take a photo of the onset of the evening sunglow as it begins to show over the distant islands. Then, I drive to Cranberry lake and stop once again to photograph the sunglow.

After getting my full measure of photos, I drive out of the park

In the early evening, when I see that the amount of people arriving into town for the fireworks display has increases substantially, this signals to me that I should head out of town to avoid all the craziness. So, I pack out and drive north on SH 20, cross The Bridge and turn into Deception Pass state park, stopping first at Rosario Beach. I drive into the parking area, grab my camera and then begin walking the trail out to Rosario Head.

The trail leads past a boat dock, through a forested area and then out onto an open grass covered bluff around the east side of the head where Bowman Bay comes into view. I continue around the bluff and soon, West Point and then Deception Island come into view. I stop to take a panorama photo.

On the north side of the head, I take photos of the off shore rock surrounding Rosario Head with Lopez island in the distance and one of Rosario Beach.

The grassy trail continues along side steep cliffs about a hundred feet above the water below, around the top of the head to the west side and then back towards the picnic and parking areas.

Leaving the Rosario area, I next drive to Bowman Bay, park and begin walking along the beach towards the Lighthouse Point and Lottie trails, stopping just before the trail leaves the beach to begin climbing up over the bluff.

I find a comfortable rock, sit down and await for the sunglow show to begin.

Finally, I return to the parking lot and when turning around see that the Bowman Bay pier is highlighted by the sunglow.

I leave town late in the evening to drive to the state park for a hot shower and on the way, I see that the sunglow has already begun and stop along the highway to take a photo. Then, I drive across the bridge, stop at the Bowman Bay campground to fill my need in the hot water and then drive back across the bridge to drive to West Point for photos of the sunset.

Upon arriving, the sunglow is in full glory and the sky is the clearest that I have seen it since I arrived here nearly a month ago when I crossed the Bridge.

I drive to Deception Pass, stop at the West Beach parking lot and because the sky is so clear, I take photos of the Olympic Mountains, the San de Fuca Straight and then walk out to West Point and begin taking photos here, which because this sunset is the best I have seen so far, end up taking over a hundred photos.