Summer is such a wonderful time. It lets us get out and do, even if it is just in the garden. But there is so much outside our yard that it is hard to stay home.
Several of us went to Orcas Island for a little outing. The San Juans are known the world over for the splendor, and there they are right in our back yard. We just don’t usually take advantage, and so off we went.
It was an early start from Tacoma, as we didn’t want to take a chance on missing the ferry out of Anacortes. As it was, we had great traffic conditions (now there is a rarity) and made it early and just in time for the earlier ferry. That allowed us to arrive in Orcas with time for lunch, shopping and sightseeing in East Sound. These small villages have some of the most amazing things to see and shops to visit. You can tell they rely a lot on the tourist trade, and we were happy to cooperate.
Our stay was at the Orcas Inn, built in the 1800s and now owned and operated by the niece of one of our travelers. It is very conveniently located just as you get off the ferry, which also means that it has magnificent views. The rooms were quaint and each different. Mine had a lovely balcony to sit n and enjoy a glass of wine while watching the ferries come and go between Orcas and Shaw Island. I also got to watch the birds come and go from a nest snuggled in a crook of the inn.
An early morning breakfast at Maimi’s gave us a start on the day, and from there it was off to explore the island. Crow Valley Pottery was our first stop to look at pottery, garden art, jewelry and paintings. From there it was to the top of Mount Constitution for a surround view. You could see Vancouver, Mount Baker, Anacortes and Birch Bay. The day was sunny and the views spectacular.
A side trip to Olga (were we really looking for the nudist colony?), and then we headed to Rosario for a tour of the resort, a stop at the museum and down to the Cascade Bay Cafe for lunch on the deck.
We packed a lot into the day but still made it back to the ferry landing in time to have Orcas Island ice cream before boarding and heading home. If you haven’t done it, you really should explore our own back yard and see this beautiful area.
Perhaps we will head to the ocean for an overnight next. Get on the e-mail list to find out about this possibility and more. Fancy brochures are now available for the October 2015 trip to Israel and the February 2015 trip to Costa Rica. Space is still available for the Vancouver to San Francisco cruise in September and the Panama Canal trip in April.
For reservations and information, call me at 253-927-8207 or get on the e-mail list at linda.finch@gmail.com.
Linda Finch wrote this article.
