Enjoying the outdoors in travel-trailer style

I noticed recently that one of my colleagues, along with some friends, camped in the snow at Paradise in the shadow of Mount Rainier and wrote about how much fun it was. She heralded how relaxing it was -- no crowds or noise, plus the sheer beauty of it all.

Guess what? It also was cold, wet and icy, and Mother Earth was covered with five feet of snow. It was so cold her group woke up in the middle of the night with a layer of frost on their sleeping bags. She said her water bladder even froze. I bet that's not all that froze.

Well, I've discovered a much more civilized way to camp in Washington at a much lower altitude that is very accessible and where it's usually impossible to freeze a water bladder or worse. Two state parks on Whidbey Island, sheltered slightly from the heavy winter rains by the Olympic Mountains, are open year-round -- Fort Casey and Fort Ebey State Parks, both on the west side of the island facing the Strait of Juan De Fuca. A number of other parks in the state are open year-round as well, but these two are about the closest to Seattle.

Last month I inaugurated our new 19-foot Airstream travel trailer (yes, they still build them) to check out the advantages and disadvantages of both campsites during the winter. OK, I realize a luxury travel trailer with a furnace, three-burner range, refrigerator, hot water, shower, toilet and solar power, is about as far from the rigors of snow camping as you can get. But life onboard is so much easier -- and certainly warmer.

JEFF LARSEN / P-I

Storm clouds over Admiralty Inlet are reflected in the rear window of a trailer at the Fort Casey State Park campground.

As far as travel trailers go, Airstream is an icon and probably the most recognizable-shaped trailer on the road.

As I towed the silver Bambi (Airstream's name, not mine) from Seattle north on Interstate 5, west over the Deception Pass Bridge, then south on the island, a number of motorists gawked and gave me thumbs up as they passed by my truck. The Airstream is so retro-looking that Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vetter likes to hang out in his 16-foot version for inspiration.

The northerly route from Seattle to Whidbey can be shortened considerably if you have deep pockets and want to tow a trailer on a Washington State Ferry from Mukilteo, southwest of Everett, to Clinton on the island. It would have cost about $66 round trip to ferry the Airstream to Clinton.

Only one loop of the campground at the 640-acre Fort Ebey State Park, two miles north of Coupeville, is open during the winter. The loop is quite a distance from the water and in a heavily wooded area, and the last thing serious campers want on a winter day in the Northwest is protection from the sun.

The park originally was a coastal defense fort during World War II. Only the circular, concrete gun emplacements that face the Strait of Juan de Fuca remain.

JEFF LARSEN / P-I

A Washington State Ferry pulls away from the Keystone dock on Whidbey Island on its way to Port Townsend.

A parking area with new restrooms is near the former gun emplacements, with good public access and some sweeping views of the strait. I watched the Victoria Clipper head north on its way to Vancouver Island.

Remember to bring some cash. It's pay-to-park now in all Washington state parks. The parks folks right now, however, are howling to the Legislature that the $5 parking fee has severely reduced the number of visitors since it was implemented. As far as I'm concerned, the fee is more of a nuisance than anything else.

Fort Ebey State Park also features more than three miles of shoreline along the strait, accessed by a short trail from another $5 parking area. By the way, if you pay to camp, you don't have to worry about all those pesky $5 parking charges. If you aren't camped, you only have to pay the $5 once while in the park. The fee also carries over if you visit other parks on the same day. A tip: Pick a low tide for any beach adventures.

After one quick drive-through at the heavily forested camping area at Fort Ebey State Park, I turned my attention to Fort Casey State Park, about 15 minutes farther south next to the Keystone ferry landing and Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve.

The 467-acre park feels much more user-friendly than Fort Ebey State Park. Even during the winter, the park draws hundreds of visitors each week who want to walk the ramparts of the former coast artillery post that once guarded Admiralty Inlet and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Two of the giant, original shore guns are on display. The historic Admiralty Head Lighthouse is a huge draw year-round. The park also features almost 11,000 feet of saltwater shoreline along with a number of those pesky $5 parking areas.

JEFF LARSEN / P-I

A couple walks their dog along the gun emplacement ruins at Fort Casey State Park.

The park's campground is wide open to the weather with a short walk to the beach from any of the 35 -- what the state calls -- "standard tent sites" (no utility hook-ups). All of the sites are first-come, first-served year-round. The campground has one restroom facility and showers. The ferry dock was so close to my site in the night that I could hear the engines as the skipper guided the boat into the landing. About six large motorhomes that dwarfed my Airstream also were parked at the campground.

Getting to the campground is a little tricky. It's so close to the ferry terminal that it looks like you have to barge into the ferry line to reach it. Instead, campers need to drive past the ferry terminal and turn into the Fort Casey State Park entrance farther up the road and follow the signs down the hill to the beachfront campground. Standard campsites cost $15 per night (self-registration).

I caught a break in the weather and was able to stroll the beach near the campground at dusk without rain gear, in a brisk, cool breeze. I also climbed the gently sloping hillside from the campground to the gun emplacements and lighthouse that face the strait.

The next morning I was able to spend a little time at Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve nearby, which is a prime location on the Pacific Flyway that attracts a large variety of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. I watched a couple of northern harriers ride the wind currents in search of rodents, and bald eagle parents with two youngsters out for an afternoon hunt near Keystone Spit.

The stunning sunset over the strait (early though it was) capped off a wonderful adventure for me with the new trailer. I also learned that winter in the Pacific Northwest is a good time to beat the camping crowds and soak in some of the true essence of the Pacific Northwest.

Fort Casey State Park -- goto.seattlepi.com/r72

Washington State Parks and recreation -- www.parks.wa.gov

Fort Ebey State Park -- goto.seattlepi.com/r73

Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve -- www.nps.gov/ebla/

Washington State Ferries -- www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/

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