day 10: whidbey island

The next day, we decided to...surprise...take a ferry somewhere. Can't...stop...the island hop. So we were off to our fourth island: Whidbey Island, which was very easy to get to from Seattle. Once off the ferry, we decided to try our mussel prospects at the famous Penn Cove.


I will eat all of you glorious mussels, all of you! Actually, I didn't really see any.


We sauntered over the wharf...


...then took a peek at the cute town of Coupeville, where you can eat all the scrumptious mussels you want in adorable restaurants.


But no. That was not for us. We much prefer...dry grasses.


And hey, I like me some squash.


And the cool and creepy blockhouse to protect ourselves from the Indians. For we were at Ebey's Landing, a National Historical Reserve.


We began our hike, with Peloton in tow and my sister carrying a bakery bag of ... pastries, lemon brioche to be exact. What, you don't power up with brioche while hiking? We passed through the prairie...


And passed by some lovely tilled land.


And began our coastal bluff hike...


Hallo, down there.


We leave the pastures behind, and walk along the bluff with gorgeous views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.


So steep, so high! So bluffy.


So rural.


So hot.


More of that Juan de Fuca.


And some intriguing saltwater lagoons below us.


Can we please keep moving? (Both of them say.)


Do you think we can descend and bathe in those saltwater pools?


And...too far to hear my pleas.


We eventually come to the end of the bluff, and the only way down is, steeply, to the beach.


Now? Pools? But we hiked back.


And then drove around, coming back to the beach...


...below the bluff that we had climbed. No more bluffs. No more beaches.


It's time to eat.


Off to the Whidbey Island Greenbank Farm, once the largest loganberry farm in the world, and now owned by the county.


At the cafe, some blt paninis...


...and scrumptious blueberry pie.


We took a gander at some cheese, and then we were off, back on the ferry to Seattle.


That night for dinner, we headed over to Kabul Afghan Cuisine in Wallingford. Our appetizer, the Burta: crushed eggplant blended with yogurt, sour cream, garlic, mint, cilantro, olive oil and lemon juice, served with Afghan bread. Delicious.


And some bolani: turnovers filled with scallions, cilantro and potato, served with yogurt-garlic dip.


Kabuli Palaw - $9.50
Scott was apparently doing some serious carbo-loading. He started with a huge portion of Basmati rice cooked in the oven in a special blend of saffron, black pepper, cardamom, coriander and cumin, topped with raisins, nuts and julienned carrots.


Then moved onto Ashak: fresh pasta filled with scallions, leeks and cilantro, served with yogurt-garlic sauce and topped with a mildly spiced tomato and onion sauce, and sprinkled with mint flakes. Very addictive.


Sis had the Qorma-i Sabzi: a combination of spinach, cilantro, parsley and scallions, topped with a special lamb sauce, served with Basmati rice.


Matt had the Kebab Murgh: fillet of chicken marinated overnight in yogurt, turmeric, garlic and a touch of cayenne pepper.


For me, the Qorma-i Tarkari: Cauliflower, baby carrots and potatoes topped with our special lamb sauce in a blend of dill, saffron, turmeric and cumin, and served with Basmati rice on the side. All delicious, and a lot of it.


And for dessert, the yummiest thing, the Firni: custard pudding flavored with cardamom and rosewater and topped with ground pistachios.