Orcas

I began questioning my breakfast choices as I chomped into a heavenly cinnamon roll at the hotel cafe this morning. Humanity deserves something better than Poptarts, Sunny-D and instant oatmeal for breakfast, doesn't it? The accompanying Starbucks coffee and a glass of refreshing OJ aided the digestion process and kept me from contracting scurvy.

Whatever happened today, it would be a good day; My brother, Bjorn, is a captain in the Air Force. For the last 6 months, he had been serving and working hard in Iraq, first outside of Mosul, then near Baghdad. My family wondered and worried about him every day. He was expected to return to the States today! Everyone seemed to be giddy! It was hard to believe. I couldn't wait to talk to him.

Following breakfast, Emily and I rolled quickly out of the hotel and the ferry terminal area. The hotel was quaint (in spite of being haunted), but it was old. The walls were thin and I could hear all of our neighbors.

Our plan for the day was to sea kayak, venture to the top of Mt. Constitution for a look around, then board a ferry back to the mainland.

Orcas Island is shaped like a saddle (or upside-down "U"). We started on the western "saddle bag" and drove to the "seat", through the town of Eastsound, and to the well-protected cove of Crescent Bay. We rented kayaks from an interesting woman that knew all about the island. She gave Emily a quick lesson on how to kayak (and I listed too, because although I had done it several times in the past, I never was formally taught the proper technique.)

The water was glassy and the tide was out. We avoided rows of oysters on the farm while we carried our kayaks to the water. We paddled out of the bay, around a point, and back to Eastsound while viewing beautiful purple and orange starfish. We watched a seal for a short time before he dipped back below the water and out of site.

Conrad carried us through Moran State Park in the eastern saddle bag and up the winding road to Mt. Constitution for a beautiful 360-degree view of the San Juan Islands. We spent some time taking pictures, enjoyed a picnic, and climbed to the top of the lookout tower. Stunning.

We started thinking about our 4:20 PM ferry back to the mainland in Anacortes, Washington, and finally ventured back to the port. The ferry ride was beautiful, but otherwise uneventful. We reviewed pictures and talked a little more about our plans for the next couple days. We decided to pay a quick visit to the North Cascades National Park before heading back to Vancouver for a night. We followed Highway 20 east out Anacortes and settled in at the beautiful Colonial Creek Campground in the heart of the Cascades. We found a spot near Diablo Lake, made dinner and went to bed.