Road Trip – Days 18-19 – Orcas Island, WA

On day 18, after a walk downtown for coffee, we checked out of our house with a great view and headed to the PT-Coupeville ferry (the first of five ferry trips). A short little thirty minute crossing and we offloaded on Whidbey Island. The ferry loaded late so we disembarked late and had fifty minutes to make an hour drive to the north of the island. That meant we couldn’t stop to gaze at the scenic sites such as Deception Pass–but we did snap a few pictures as we drove through.

We made it before the next ferry started loading at Anacortes. By early afternoon, we were on Orcas Island. Somebody must have been in a hurry to start his island vacation since he honked at me as I stopped to turn left into my cottage parking space just a 100 yards off the ferry–I had my turn signal on. When the oncoming traffic cleared I pulled in and he zoomed by. I hope my 15 second delay didn’t completely ruin his trip.

After dumping some luggage, we headed to the top of the island to get a glimpse of Eastsound (the second largest city in the San Juan Island Archipelago). We drove through the four or five blocks and continued on to Moran State Park. There we climbed (with the help of the car) to the top of Mount Constitution. Many pictures and a small hike later we drove down and saw a little more of Eastsound. Extremely tired, we headed back to our cottage on the water (Honey Bea’s Hideaway) and watched the ferries come and go as we ate supper.

The next day was planned to be a sleep-in and relax day. But … Susan had a tooth emergency and we were lucky enough to get an 8:30 appointment with a dentist in Eastsound. By 9:30, emergency was over (at a fraction of the cost we would have paid back in Northern Virginia). We stayed in Eastsound and wandered the few street. We ate at a wonderful coffee shop café as we sat outside in the 70 degree weather.

From here we visited the beach and several parks for more hiking. Then back to our cottage for some rest and an evening meal. Renewed, we crossed the road to the Orcas Hotel and shared a glass of wine while enjoying the porch, overlooking the harbor. Then more driving to the western side of the island to see Deer Harbor and a few other magnificent sites.

Finally, back to the cottage for some sleep–our last night on the island.