Ferry Boat to the Corner of America
Sadly we left the Portland area for a drive up north. The day was sunny so the drive up was amazing. We were treated to views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker, the Olympic Peninsula, and Mt. Rainier. We got to Seattle and kept on going. Our destination was farther North and West, Orcas Island. To get to the island you need to take a car ferry from the mainland. The trip takes a little over an hour and offers some of the most idyllic scenes of the Northwest one could ever hope to see. Mist rolled across the islands and water as we went. The mist lifted to the heavens as the first rays of the sun slowly fought their way through. It’s an awesome scene to behold grey horizons give way to blue sky and craggy lush pine covered islands. We had been to the island once before for a wedding but it did not afford us an opportunity to really explore.
The ferry docked and we drove off down narrow two-lane roads through pastoral farmland to our home for the week on the bayside in the town of Eastsound.
Exploring the Northwest Paradise, Hiking Mountains, and Traversing Lakes
This island is very quaint and laid back. The town opens a little later and closes a little early. The island is filled with farmers, artists, fisherman, and when the season is high tourists. We had incredible sunny weather for our stay. This gave us the opportunity to take many trips around the island to discover it’s many hidden treasures.
Our first trip was a hike up Turtleback Mountain. This was a strenuous 3 mile hike up an 800 ft peak through a vanilla pine-scented forest and moss-covered granite outcroppings. It was awesome! All the kids grumbled a little as we made our way up, but we got to the top and were rewarded with stunning vistas of the surrounding islands and the Canadian Rockies off in the distance. My little guy Lennox likes to complain on these harder hikes, but we’ve found that a conversation about superheroes is a great distraction to get him to the top.
The next trip we decided to go to Obstruction Pass State Park. The trail was short and took us through the forest down to the cobble beach. The goal was a little tide pooling. When we arrived at the beach we saw a beautiful Heron fishing the low tide. We love to see animals in nature, although Sienna and Lennox sometimes get a bit too excited and run right at them causing them to flee. You can’t fault the excitement and wonder of being a kid seeing some of this stuff for the first time up close and personal. We had a wonderful time searching the tide pools and basking in the afternoon sun.
Another hike we went on took us to Cascade Lake and Cascade Falls. The Cascade Lake trail is an easy three-mile hike around the entire lake with great views of Mt Constitution reflected on its surface. Halfway around the lake is a bridge. This bridge is famous with the locals as a rite of passage as people walk to its center and jump off. The bridge is about 20ft above the water. Colette, Sienna and I could not summon the will to do the jump, so Katie took the challenge. Amazingly our little guy Lennox decided to jump the bridge as well! It was so cool to watch mom and son brave the fear of the jump and plunge into the chilly mountain lake. I do have to mention that although she didn’t jump, Sienna braved the cold water for a swim. So proud of them both. After the hike, we drove to the top of Mt Constitution for views of the other islands from 2,000+ feet above. An amazing day for sure.
The cascade falls trail is actually the trailhead for 4 other waterfalls. the hike is super short but the access they provide to the falls is awesome and leads to some beautiful scenery.
Whale Watching
The only other time we went whale watching was off Cape Cod in the late fall. We had great success then and hoped that same luck would come with us to the other coast. One thing we really wanted to see were the Orca whales. Pods of killer whales frequent these waters, but we were very early in the season so it was a 50/50 chance to see these great creatures. We showed up early to the boat, found our spots on board, and were ready to explore. The boat was much smaller than the huge whaling ship we took on the cape. We like the more intimate setting as we wouldn’t have to worry so much about trying to get around people for a picture. We motored out of the harbor and into the greater sound and the Strait of Georgia. We actually passed into Canadian waters which was awesome. Alas, this was not our day to find the Orcas, however, we did get very lucky and were able to view a number of Humpback whales. Our driver was great and got us very close for some great pics. We had a great day and all the kids had fun seeing the whales and running around the boat. On the way back we saw sea lions. This particular species is the largest in North America and they also bark the loudest! The sun was out all day and almost gave us the sense we were in the Carribean islands. The water was turquoise blue and the only giveaway was that the islands were covered with Pine instead of Palm. We loved our day on the water and didn’t want it to end.
Random Island Thoughts
Along with all the other activities, we did find a couple other distractions. Located on the west side of the island is Orcas Island Pottery. This is a super cool studio with really unique pottery and glazings. There’s a swing and treehouse to distract the kids! This brought our breakage anxiety way down. We found some great pieces at this studio and highly recommend checking it out if you’re on the island.
Nestled in a little cove on the East side of the island is the town of Olga. Here sits an unassuming house that hides an incredible seafood store. We saw hand-painted signs along the road and decided to stop. We were so glad we did. The owner’s farm clams right in the cove in front of their house. Local fishermen bring fresh salmon, Dungeness crabs, and shrimp as well. We grabbed a bunch of fresh seafood treats and had a great feast that evening. You could taste the salty sea in every bite. We loved it. Search out Buck Bay Shellfish Farms if you want the freshest seafood on the island.
The Emerald City and a Birthday
After our relaxing time on the Orcas we wanted a couple days to hang in Seattle. We also wanted to give Lennox his Birthday experience at Chuck E Cheeses! (his choice). We did a lot of touristy things like visit the Pike Street Market, ride the Seattle Wheel, and visit the Space Needle. One major highlight of our short trip to the Emerald City was the Chihuly Museum. Such an incredible artist with the ability to manifest his visions into incredible, almost living, glass sculptures. Even the kids were in awe, which says a lot for an art based museum visit. Seattle is a fun town. We ate our way through the visit and had many laughs as we strolled the streets. Our next stop is a brief visit to some great cousins in Spokane with our final destination being Yellowstone National Park.
Walking Seattle
Chihuly Museum
Lennox’s Cheesy Birthday!!
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