Too LOUD! · 22 July 2017
Deception Pass State Park is a beautiful place to camp or just enjoy for a day, but beware! IT IS LOUD!
We had not been camping for years when we decided to go for a few days this summer. My wife made reservations in March and there were only a few spots left to reserve around our anniversary. So she picked a spot. She read a note on the official Deception Pass State Park website that said there could be noisy conditions due to the military aircraft flying by. Little did we know.
One of the things I like about camping is the quiet and solitude. After all, being out in nature is all about being out in nature. Listening to the birds and squirrels and whatever other wildlife is around. Even seeing people at campsites near you is pleasant. Unfortunately, being able to sit quietly and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the great outdoors is not quite what we got at Deception Pass.
Deception Pass is just north of N.A.S. Whidbey Island. N.A.S. stands for Naval Air Station. Which stands for lots of airplanes flying around the island. Which means they fly around the campground too. And unfortunately, the state park often happens to be in the flight path of airplanes whose pilots are practicing to land on aircraft carriers. That means lots of slow flying planes going around in circles touching down for a moment and then taking off again with full power. Which means LOUD!
I must admit that I was amazed to see the planes when we first got there. I just love to see F/A-18 Hornets flying around. And whether the military jet flying is the same plane as in Top Gun or not (those were mainly F-14s), I hear the song Danger Zone in my head. There were also some prop planes used for refueling which were not so loud. All of which meant that I got so see an airshow (complete with music in my head) for the days we were camping. No matter where we went at the park, we saw planes. All day and all night. Now, I like airshows, but not all day and all night, all day and all night, all day (we left before the third all night).
However, I did not have trouble sleeping. I just put in earplugs and fell right to sleep. And the mornings were peaceful and quiet. There were also stretches each day when it was quiet. But the times when it was loud, it was so loud that we could not just sit and visit. We had to wear earplugs then too. Or at least we should have.
Still, all in all, it was a nice camping trip. We had s’mores and some more s’mores and got to enjoy the fire and each other’s company. What camping is all about. I would visit Deception Pass State Park again, but not to camp. For while it is beautiful and scenic and clean, it is just too LOUD for us.
© 2017 Michael T. Miyoshi
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