Anniversary Trip #9

Finally!  An entry about our trip to Orcas Island!  This was one of our most relaxed trips ever.  Being on an island limits you on what you can and cannot do, and this island was the perfect size for us to go sight seeing and exploring, plus taking a day to stay at the home and just do nothing.

This was the first trip in years that our destination was only a days drive.  The kids enjoyed the ferry ride and we spent alot of time outside watching the scenery go by until it got too cold and windy for our ears.







 

Watching some of the smaller islands go by


Our first full day there we went exploring.  First stop was the water falls.


 "Fishing" in the stream

Next stop was going to Mount Constitution.  This is the highest point in the San Juan Islands.  We climbed a tower to get a 360 degree view of the area, including the distant Canada.  The tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1936.  We learned alot about the CCC on this trip.

 Finding Canada on the reference map

 

The next day we went to a little beach near the house we were staying at.  This was our favorite we went to on our trip.  The beach was all rocky, with lots of beautiful rocks to find, tide pools to explore and big rocks to climb.

 Climbing on the big rocks

 Finding little crabs and snails in the tide pools

A  Bald Eagles nest was right where we were playing

 

 

After dinner we went to the other end of the island to another beach.  This one was more private.  We found out why.  Located in Obstruction Pass State Park, we had to hike about half a mile on a windy, narrow path.  We went to this beach in hopes to see starfish, but by the time we made it to the beach, the tide had come in.  We still had fun finding rocks to add to our collections.

The next day we walked on board the ferry to go to San Juan Island.  We spent a few hours exploring shops and went to a candy store to buy ourselves some goodies.

 Lily found all these horses in a gift shop. 

On our anniversary we went back to the beach near where we were staying.  We packed a picnic lunch and spent the day there just savoring every moment.

Watching the tide come in with daddy

 Lily found a caterpillar friend

Our final day at Orcas Island we went to Robert Moran's mansion, the Rosario.  Robert Moran was a ship builder and built the USS Nebraska.  When he was diagnosed with cancer, he moved to Orcas Island and built the Rosario.  The roof of the mansion is made out of the same material that the Statue of Liberty is made out of.

A view of the area where the Rosario sits

 

 

And that is about for our highlights from our trip.  Oh, except that when we left the island we had to carry all of our garbage with us since there is no service on the island.  That was interesting.