A work trip to Baby Island

Dode got to make a trip to Baby Island one work day. Baby Island is a tiny island off Whidbey Island.  During low tides it is connected to Whidbey by a long peninsula.  (A much smaller undeveloped version of Mont St. Michel in France.)  The Tribe purchased the island in the 1980's and is wanting to start some shellfish beds around Baby Island.  They need to figure out where their property rights extend to.

It was their second try to get out the to island.  The first scheduled day was a nasty windy stormy day.  Dode kept waiting for them to cancel the trip but never heard anything.  When he got to the marina, ready to go but dreading it, they found out there was a small craft advisory and the trip was postponed.  He was quite relieved.  It was much more enjoyable to go out to the  island on a calm sunny day.


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the "A" is Baby Island

There isn't much to Baby Island when the tide is in.  It measures just 80'x230' at high tide!  Not a structure remains today, but Dode did find some old foundations on the island.  The greenery on the island is a bunch of low bushes.

In the 1920's there was a small resort on the island with a few cabins, a meeting hall, a water tower and wind generated power.  It burnt down in the 1960's.

Mont St. Michel, a bit more developed!

They left the Tulalip marina bright and early to make the trip to the island.

Dode NEVER gets on a small boat without a life jacket.

Once there, Dode and his partner Steve got to work mapping the island and the peninsula that sometimes attaches it to Whidbey Island.

Using a GPS to mark elevations.  You can see their boat beached in the background.

Standing at the low point between the two islands.  It is covered by water during higher tides.

Looking back toward Baby Island from Whidbey Island.

Lots of people were taking advantage of the low tide to walk over to the island and spend some time exploring.  What is it about human nature that causes us to have such fascination with areas we can only get to some of the time?

Dode found a beach made entirely of sea shells.  You can see the white beach in the photo above.  He had to bring some home in a baggie to show the kids.  By the end of their day, they'd walked 5 3/4 miles around that tiny island and from one island to the next and back.  That's a lot of walking around in circles!  Dode's shoes show the results of all that walking, the leather is bleached out by the salt water and will never be quite the same.

Dode's coworker Steve on the ride home

On the way back, near the marina.  You can see the administration building where he works with its wonderful views of the water.  Mount Pilchuck is showing off in the background.  I'm glad that he gets to work at a place where he gets to have fun adventures from time to time.  It almost makes up for all the years he worked standing in the rain and crawling through blackberries!  Seeing the photos of Baby Island has left us with some children who wonder when it's our turn to go exploring.