Orcas Island

Orcas on Orcas Island.

It's Wednesday and I've taken the day off from work so Laura and I can go to Orcas Island.  We caught the ferry in Anacortes and headed into the San Juan Islands.  The first stop was Shaw Island, and then to our final destination at Orcas.

On the ferry for the short hop from Shaw Island to Orcas Island.

Our Honda Fit is hidden on the lower car deck.

Looking small amongst the tour buses and trucks.

A common sight in the San Juan Islands.

Despite the cloudy day, the temperature was wonderful and the views spectacular.  More than once I wished I was on the water in my own boat.

Cruising the islands.

After landing in Orcas, we drove to the village of Eastsound for breakfast/lunch at the Island Skillet.  Laura found them on Yelp and they lived up to the reviews.

Breakfast in Eastsound on Orcas Island.

Mount Constitution

Our next destination was the top of Mount Constitution in Moran State Park.  Despite being summer, arriving on a Wednesday turned out to be an advantage from a crowds point of view.  Our visit two years ago proved to be challenging because parking at the top is limited.

Atop Mount Constitution looking southeast toward Anacortes.

Even on a cloudy day, the views are awesome from the island's highest point (2,409').  Looking southeast across Orcas, we could see Cypress Island to the right, Sinclair Island to the right, and Guemes Island in the center.  The three small dots between Cypress and Guemes are the Cone Islands.  A circumnavigation of Guemes Island in a sailboat is on my bucket list, due to its proximity to Cap Sante Marina at Anacortes.

Laura Mack atop Mount Constitution, Orcas Island.

It's hard to beat the view from the picnic area.  The longer we stayed the clearer the sky became.  As the clouds parted and the sun warmed out cheeks, we walked to the tower to catch sight of Sucia Island to the northwest.

Picnic area at the base of the tower.

The tower was a CCC project from the Depression-era.  Built of native sandstone, its approximately 53 feet tall and the walls are two and a half feet thick at the base.  The Mount Constitution Tower was designed by Seattle architect Ellsworth Storey.  During the Great Depression, Storey was hired by the National Park Service to design buildings to be constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) crews.  Many of Storey's Seattle-area works are still standing, including the Unitarian Church (now University Presbyterian Church Chapel, and the famous Ellsworth Storey Cottages near Colman Park.

Mount Constitution Tower built in 1935.

The tower underwent a major restoration starting in 2003.  Because no old growth trees were available on Orcas Island, the restoration effort sourced cedar from Moclips on the Washington coast, to replace sections of the summit house on the structure.

The observation room at the top of the tower.

The original interior door is representative of the woodwork and ironwork craftmanship that when into the tower's construction.

A sample of the rustic nature of the tower.

The walk to the top of the tower rewards the adventurous with a view above the trees.  The fog had lifted, and the sun was starting to break through the clouds as we looked northwest in the direction of Matia Island to the right, and Sucia Island to the left.

Atop Mount Constitution looking northwest to Sucia Island.

Sucia Island.

Dale and Laura Mack on Mount Constitution.

Near the parking lot is a most interesting concession trailer.  For more than forty years the trailer has been a resident of Orcas Island.  Its current owners found it sitting in a field.

A converted 1963 Airstream trailer.

 Laura purchases a consumable souvenir for our trip back down the mountain.

Coffee in hand, Laura is ready to continue the adventure.

On the way down there is a break in the trees that happens to coincide with a curve in the road that has a turnout.  From this vantage point, one can look south to the body of water the separates Lopez Island to the right and Blakely Island to the left.

Looking south

Rosario Resort

Laura and I first visited Rosario in 2008 when we were cruising the San Juan Island in our Bayliner 38.  The resort closed not long after our visit, so it is very satisfying to see it open once again.

The Moran Mansion at Rosario is the centerpiece of the resort.

Vessels anchored outside the harbor.

Laura Mack.

Even if one isn't staying at the resort, the place is worth visiting.  The grounds make for a delightful walk, and there are shops to visit, a choice of restaurants from formal to casual to enjoy.

The pond at Rosario Resort.

So here are two pictures taken ten years apart.  On one hand, I'm feeling pretty good that I don't look that different, perhaps a little grayer under the hat, but I clearly love than red Lands End vest.  And yes, it's the exact same vest.

2008	2018

When we visited in 2008, the harbor was nearly empty, and the docks were wood.  While the housing bubble and the start of the Great Recession were still a couple of months off, the San Juan Islands in June of 2008 were already showing signs that something was happening in the economy.

Our Bayliner 38 "Celtic Myst" in 2008.

The Rosario Harbor in June 2008.

Compared to 2008, Rosario Resort is alive with guests, and shows a number of substantial investments in the property, like all new non-wood docks in the harbor, and numerous landscaping upgrades.

Rosario Harbor in August 2018.

Eastsound

As we headed back toward the ferry, we stop again in Eastsound.  This time the goal was to window shop and enjoy the art and style of the village.

Bells made out of old cylinders.

Plasma cutter artwork with a Pacific Northwest theme.

Eastsound is an eclectic mix of tourist shops and businesses that meet the needs of locals.  Situated on the shore of Orcas Island's Eastsound, the village shares the same body of water as Rosario Resort just four miles south.

Nest, a floral boutique.

Orcas Arts & Gifts.

Public artwork is everywhere in Eastsound.  Below is an example covering the gates to the back of a restaurant.  I love the creativity that imagines such things.  Not just the creation, but that an octopus covering the gates would be cool.

Octopus.

Our original plan had us back in Anacortes for dinner, but the ferry serving Anacortes was operating on only one engine this day,  and the reduction in speed meant everything was behind schedule.  We didn't actually depart Orcas until 8:30 pm.

Overlooking the Orcas ferry landing.

Although unplanned, being in the islands past sunset was very special.  The silhouettes and the colors were stunning.  The evening was calm, and the temperature was to the cool side of balmy.

Passing in the night.

Our wake.

The color of the sky kept changing as the sun slowly set.  The picture below was taken only four minutes after the picture above.

Changing sky as the sun sets.

Being a work night, the ferry system doesn't see a lot of traffic from the islands heading to the mainland.  Most of the folks we encountered on the ferry looked like tourists like us.

Ghostship at 8:35 pm on a summer's evening.

I went topside to take in the view and enjoy the night air.  It was peaceful strolling along the decks.  I only went below when I realized that if something were to happen, no one would be around to notice.

Topside and alone.

The daymark at the south end of Blakely Island as the ferry enters Thatcher Pass.

Our gray Honda Fit tucker away on the car deck.

It had been a long day by the time we got back to the motorhome.  We'd seen the familiar and made new discoveries.  We'd relived past adventures and made some new memories.  What an amazing place the San Juan Islands are.

Live well, Laugh often, Love much