I’ve lived in Edmonds for 15 years and my Edmonds-Kingston ferry memories involve waiting in a long line of cars, usually with bored children in the backseat and a trunk full of camping gear. Add a kid who is potty training to the mix, and the experience becomes extra zesty. The one and only time I walked onto the ferry was 12 years ago, when I chaperoned a preschool field trip. I don’t remember much from that trip except worrying that someone would be bitten.

But a couple of weeks ago, I experienced the ferry in a whole new delightful way. Bored out of our minds and desperate for something to do, my daughter and I decided to walk on the ferry and visit Kingston for the afternoon. We packed a small bag, and headed out the front door.

Now, I’ve suggested taking a day trip to Kingston before, but my husband has always nixed that idea. “Why would we pay that much money just to go eat crepes?” He has a point. An adult passenger fare costs $9.05 and youths ages 6-18 are $4.50. (Seniors cost $4.50, too). For my family of four to visit Kingston for the afternoon, sans car, it would cost $27.10. My husband is right; that would be expensive.

But on this particular day, he and my son were geocaching at Lord Hill Park in Snohomish. It was just my daughter and me, and we had a hankering for blackberry ice cream.

After parking our car in downtown Edmonds, we walked right onto the ferry and sailed away five minutes later. I was impressed by the safety regulations in place. Ferry workers made sure everyone wore masks and wouldn’t let passengers board without one. My daughter and I zipped up our coats and went up to the top deck to enjoy the fresh air.

It wasn’t a trip to Alaska, but the mountains stunned. The setting was so beautiful that I tortured my daughter by making her help me take pictures of my new book, “Sweet Bliss,” with the water in the background. I’m always plotting my next Instagram shot.

We arrived in Kingston and walked up the hill to Mora Iced Creamery, where we both ordered enough ice cream to ruin dinner. Then, we walked over to the marina to savor it. Along the way, we talked about how Kingston is different than Edmonds. It’s smaller, more laid back and has a much better selection of pizza.

This is where the afternoon took a surprising turn, because after we finished the ice cream, we visited Sweet Life Cakery, where low and behold, they sell a pastry called Sweet Bliss!

“I’m going to be weird,” I told the owner, as I whipped out a copy of my book to take a picture in front of the display case. My daughter pretended not to know me. Even though we were already full, we bought two Sweet Bliss cakes to-go, which we ate as soon as we got home.

Is it too expensive to walk on the Kingston ferry just to stuff your face with desserts? Not in the slightest, as far as I’m concerned.

Jennifer Bardsley publishes books under her own name and the pseudonym Louise Cypress. Find her online on Instagram @jenniferbardsleyauthor, on Twitter @jennbardsley or on Facebook as Jennifer Bardsley Author. Email her at teachingmybabytoread@gmail.com.