Whidbey Scenic Isle Way: A Magical Culinary Road Trip There are three portals to Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. Two are ferries crossing Puget Sound and Possession Sound and the third, a bridge sitting 18 stories above Deception Pass. All of them drop you onto an island where the agricultural bounty, farm-to-table food producers, and ethos for rural preservation join forces for a perfect summer culinary get-away. To fully appreciate the island’s bounty, begin near its midpoint at the 522-acre Greenbank Farm. Built as a dairy operation in 1904, by 1970 the farm had also become the largest loganberry producer in the United States. Today, the land with its iconic red barn, out buildings converted to retail and offices, and the original homestead are owned and maintained by the Port of Coupeville and administered by a trust. Two community gardens (one for veterans and one solar-powered) and a demonstration native plant garden speak to the farm’s community and environmental operating values. The former loganberry fields overlooking the Cascade and Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound are lined with trails open to the public and their off-leash dogs, if the red flag is flying. Greenbank wines, cheeses, and pies, as well as other locally sourced foods, are sold on the premises. South of Greenbank, historic Bayview Corner is anchored
HIGHWAY
525
46
3rd Act magazine | summer 2022
The island’s slogan is, “It’s the shortest distance to far away.” STORY AND PHOTOS BY ANN RANDALL
by Bayview School, built in 1909, and the Bayview Cash Store and Community Hall, both built in 1924. The two-story, white clapboard Cash Store building and grounds were renovated by a local nonprofit in 2004, and today they house local businesses as diverse as a taproom, bicycle shop, and the Bard Boutique, which supports the popular Island Shakespeare Festival. Next door’s Bayview Farm and Garden is nirvana for plant lovers. Inside is an expansive general store selling books, seeds, garden implements, clothing, jewelry, and gifts. Outside their garden experts will help you select a native plant souvenir. Make sure to drop by the Flower House Café or the next door Whidbey Doughnuts to chow down on food and libations from their locally sourced menus, best enjoyed on the decks and patios of Bayview Corner. Also take time to walk through the stunning Golden Chain Tree Laburnum Arbor and check out the Victorian greenhouse. Whidbey’s ethos of agriculture and community mindedness is evident at The Goose Community Grocer, a mandatory next stop. At face value, it appears to be a large
www.3rdActMag.com
