Our next adventure in the San Juan Islands was to explore the neighboring island of Orcas Island. We got up early and caught the inter-island ferry. The ferry rides are always fun as you never know what you will see. Sometimes it is just the local harbor seals, but if you are lucky you can see all the way to Mount Baker and Mount Rainier, or the elusive whales. We just soaked up the islands on this ride.
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So after driving the Ford Focus off the ferry we decided to take the scenic route around the island and we headed off. Our first magical moment of the day came as we drove around a bend and startled a hunting owl. He still managed to get his breakfast and we enjoyed watching him eat it. Then it was time to feed our bellies so we drove into Eastsound Village and located the Saturday Farmer’s Market. They have a bountiful market with everything the locals, or tourists, could need. We stocked up on some veggies, and then had the most delicious homemade ice-cream sandwiches. Have you ever had chocolate cookies with ginger ice cream or sugar cookies with strawberry cheesecake ice cream? Well they were amazing! We then explored the lovely village. It is right along the bay front with beautiful views and many quaint shops. Oh and a delicious bakery!
Having our fill of sweets, we decided to walk some calories off at Moran State Park. The park is located on the eastern side of the island and contains the largest mountain in the San Juan Islands, Mount Constitution. We made the long journey up the switchbacks to reach the summit of the mountain. At the top of Mt Constitution stands a stone observation tower built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It offers breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding islands and the Cascade Mountain range. On this day it was pretty clear so we could see all the way to Canada and Mount Baker. We took in the view, and then descended the mountain to find some waterfalls. We finished our tour of Moran State Park with marveling at the mountain lakes.
Next we explored the historic mansion at Rosario Resort and Spa. The mansion was built between 1906-1909 and has the most amazing music room with a built in pipe organ.
At this point it was time for lunch so we headed back into Eastsound for a scrumptious local lunch at Roses Bakery Café and some drinks at the local brewery, Island Hoppin Brewery. To finish our day we drove to the western side of the island and Deer Harbor. There is a permaculture farm, Bullock’s Permaculture Homestead, located near this quaint harbor town that is world renown. We are very interested in permaculture therefore we drove to the farm. Upon arrival we were greeted by several land sharks, aka Chihuahuas, and one of the owners. She somewhat graciously said we could explore the homestead on foot. As it was late in the day and we had a ferry to catch we declined but did get to see several aspects of the farm from the car. Our next non-moving permanent home will definitely evolve around permaculture. We ended our lovely day by driving on the ferry and watching the sunset over Mount Baker as we approached Friday Harbor and our home on the island.
Next up is Lopez Island! This blog post will be up soon![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]