View on Orcas Island
We’re settled into our home for the week on beautiful Orcas Island! We were fortunate to find lodging on the island Saturday night at the end of our travel day. As a result, we were able to spend more time on the island and not at one of the motels in Anacortes, waiting until the next ferry would take us out.
We spent yesterday checking out the always-fascinating Rosario Resort again, exploring parts of the lodge I hadn’t seen before. I love walking through the rooms detailing the life and work of its builder, Robert Moran. He was a shipbuilder, philanthropist, and mayor of Seattle who won high praise for his leadership during the Great Seattle fire of 1889. Quite a fascinating man to match the fascinating resort he built with the most modern conveniences of its time in the early 1900s.
We then walked around downtown Eastsound, searching for food. Being Sunday morning we didn’t find much, though we finally settled on an excellent crepery and coffee shop. Once our bellies were full, we went to the beach at East Sound and explored the exposed shoreline and driftwood.
We headed over to Moran State Park after about an hour, where the kids played at the playground while Kelly and I caught quick naps. After a whine-filled walk around part of Cascade Lake, we returned to the car and opted to visit Kelly’s friend Leigh Taylor at their rented beach house. The kids somehow picked up a second wind there, paddling sea kayaks with the Taylor kids for about an hour while the grown-ups visited.
After 3 PM our home for the week became available, so we picked up the keys and headed out to find it. It’s spectacular! It’s huge inside, has a hot tub, and a amazing view of East Sound and the surrounding hills! We’re thrilled with our place.
Today we go hiking around Moran State Park and get in some sea kayaking time, too. We’ll also visit my friend Ron, who lives here full-time.
So far this trip has been living up to its expectations, and we have the rest of the week, too!