C.J. and I have been talking about doing an overnight kayak trip since the weather first improved in June (?) (No, it wasn't June because the weather was lousy then, as it was in almost-winter May), or maybe July. The San Juans looked like a good possibility, especially Lopez Island. But it's been difficult to schedule the ferry with the tides/currents and decent weather. So we decided to just go somewhere the first time we had decent weather even if we didn't kayak camp.
6 Oct, Wed - We got up no earlier than usual and didn't rush breakfast, but we still got the trailer out of the driveway by 11:00 (including a trip around the block to go back to get the brake controller). We were definitely running a bit late when we knew that the slack at Deception Pass was supposed to be between 1500 and 1600. It was while we were going through Mt. Vernon that I noticed that the brake controller wasn't showing "C" for "connected". I pulled up to the curb in front of a Les Schwab, checked the trailer cable and found that a loop of cable had been dragging long enough that most of the wires were ground-off. I could fix that but I'd need some tools and supplies that I didn't have. About when I was thinking how I'd have to find a NAPA auto parts or something, a Les Schwab manager came out and asked if we needed any help. He called his friend, Greg, at a local auto repair place and he said he could fit us in. Greg cut the abraded piece out, stripped back some of the insulation and used heat-shrink butt connectors and a bunch of electrical tape to make a pretty permanent repair. We were on our way in about a half-hour only about $50 lighter in the wallet.
Our first objective was to set up camp at the Bowman Bay section of Deception Pass State Park, 
but it was "closed for the winter". That meant we had to go to the main Cranberry Lake section of DPSP. The entrance was unmanned but the signs said all campsites were subject to reservation - would there be a site for us? Only one loop of the campground was open but the place was mostly deserted so we had no problem finding a "primitive" pull-thru site in an open forest with good sun exposure. Wasting no time, we set up and then headed back to where I thought we could launch the kayak, but Rosario Beach was gated and "closed for the winter" also. The boat ramp at Bowm
an Bay was open, though, so we put in there. The Bay was a great place to start as the water was glassy and the wind calm. As we poked our nose out around Rosario Head, the wind picked up and there was some current. Rosario Bay was also calm as we paddled around to see the Native American sculpture, KO KWAL AL WOOT, we had hiked to many years ago when we were diving here for the first time in dry suits. We backtracked and crossed the mouth of Bowman Bay, rounding Reservation Light for a view of the Deception Pass bridge and a little feel of the roiling currents of the ebb tide. We paddled almost as far as Lottie Bay before turning back to the calm of Bowman Bay where we spotted a group of sea otters along with many birds, especially noteworthy being the huge, pterodactyl-like Great Blue Herons.
but it was "closed for the winter". That meant we had to go to the main Cranberry Lake section of DPSP. The entrance was unmanned but the signs said all campsites were subject to reservation - would there be a site for us? Only one loop of the campground was open but the place was mostly deserted so we had no problem finding a "primitive" pull-thru site in an open forest with good sun exposure. Wasting no time, we set up and then headed back to where I thought we could launch the kayak, but Rosario Beach was gated and "closed for the winter" also. The boat ramp at Bowm
an Bay was open, though, so we put in there. The Bay was a great place to start as the water was glassy and the wind calm. As we poked our nose out around Rosario Head, the wind picked up and there was some current. Rosario Bay was also calm as we paddled around to see the Native American sculpture, KO KWAL AL WOOT, we had hiked to many years ago when we were diving here for the first time in dry suits. We backtracked and crossed the mouth of Bowman Bay, rounding Reservation Light for a view of the Deception Pass bridge and a little feel of the roiling currents of the ebb tide. We paddled almost as far as Lottie Bay before turning back to the calm of Bowman Bay where we spotted a group of sea otters along with many birds, especially noteworthy being the huge, pterodactyl-like Great Blue Herons.
After loading the kayak back on the car we wandered over to the CCC interpretive center (closed for the season, of course) and looked at some of the old CCC-built picnic shelters and bathrooms. 
There was still sunshine so when we got back to our campsite, we grabbed some snacks and headed for West Beach which turned out to be just a short distance from our site. We found the trail to North Beach, but abandoned it for the chance to walk along the firm sand shore. At North Beach we settled on a rocky point to watch the sun set while we had some bread and cheese (should have brought the wine...). We got back to camp before it became really dark and the sunset color lasted even longer.Uh oh! No lights! No power in the trailer! Is the battery discharged? Checked the fuses - all good. Took the battery cover off and found the main 20-amp fuse was blown - probably while the repair was being made. Fortunately I had a spare 20-amp so we were back in business with lights and refrigerator (Does the fridge use some electricity even while running on propane?)
7 Oct, Thurs - After breakfast we stopped at the entrance station on the way out to use our credit card to pay for camping . [ We found out that there is a "senior off-season pass" that allows you to camp for free from October through April for an annual $50 fee.] We exited the park and crossed the highway and entered the Cornet Bay section of DPSP. The tide was low and we had missed the 0945 slack current but the paddling in the bay was fine. We went out to Ben
Ure Island and looked around the point at the Deception Pass bridge and the flood tide, then backed off and continued around the other side of the island, then along the shore of the bay. There were lots of birds but no mammals this time. We paddled past our put-in place and on toward Hoypus Point which is the site of the old ferry that was replaced by the bridge. As we approached the point our speed increased from the lazy 3 mph we had been making to 4, then 4.9; it seemed like a good time to turn around before we were swept beyond the end of the road. The eddy wasn't particularly hard to paddle against and soon we were back to the boat launch. After securing our kayak to the roof rack again we took lunch and walked out to Hoypus Point and a view of Deception Pass. The road is gated and beset by cracks and subsidence, but makes a good walk. Other trails branch off and wander through the old forest, something to look forward to on another trip.We returned to our campsite to pack up the trailer and headed home through Burlington where we got gas at Costco (2.779). Traffic was light until we passed SR 520 and then we did the Bellevue Crawl all the way to I-90. Nevertheless, we were home by 1700 and ready for some rest.
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