Orcas Island

Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands has been on a list of “MUST DO’s” for my Mom for as long as I can remember. When we first talked about a trip to Orcas Island it was all about sitting on the shore and watching the Orcas play in the bay in front of us. Of course, there was a beautiful sunset in the background, a great bottle of wine beside us, and all around peace on earth 🙂 At least that is how we envisioned it.

We set a plan for a girl’s trip to the island in April 2018 to celebrate both Mom (Jana) and my Aunt (Sheri) birthday’s, they were important milestone birthdays but neither of them would want me to publicize their ages so I will not do so. Mom and I would fly into Seattle and Sheri and Shelly (my Aunts) would pick us up. We also wanted to visit the Tulip Festival in Skagit Valley that occurs during the spring. Tulips are my Mom’s favorite flowers.

I made a secret plan to surprise Mom on her actual birthday which was a few days before we were scheduled to be in Seattle. Mom had requested a birthday dinner at home with family instead of going out so it was easy to arrive for dinner as my surprise. She was stunned and excited that I was there and would be flying with her to Seattle for our girl’s trip. It was a bit more expensive for me to book the series of one way flights so I could surprise her, but it was worth every dime to see her face and hear the joy in her voice when she told me that I gave her just what she wanted as a present, more time together.

Mom and I flew out of San Diego International, great airport BTW, on April 17^th. We arrived about 11:30am which was perfect timing for Sheri and Shelly to arrive from their drive out of southern, WA. We drove straight to the Skagit Valley to see the tulips.

Our tulip tour was at RoozenGaarde. This is a 3 acre garden planted in the fall with approximately 300,000 spring-flowering bulbs. The displays were set up beautifully to show off the types of tulips and their vast colors and shapes. The fields and fields of flowers glistened in the sun with the most vibrant colors, judge for yourself in the pictures posted. Sheri and Shelly came prepared with mud boots for all of us and thank goodness. We watched other people trudge through the mud, that part of the country gets good rainfall in the spring, in high heels and dress shoes. We were grateful for our boots and the ability to get to all corners of the 3 acres regardless of deep puddles of water and mud. At one point I decided to walk through a deep puddle and almost walked right out of my boots. We all laughed until we cried at me struggling to get out of the mud without falling face first or losing my boot. After a few minutes I succeeded in getting out unscathed, or un-muddied…..kind of. We wandered the gardens for several hours to ensure that everyone got to see as much as they wanted for as long as they wanted.

Back in the car for a short road trip to Anacortes, WA where we stayed the night. Sheri had been here before so we used her suggestion of the Marina Inn. The choice was fabulous, clean, close to the restaurants downtown, and close to the Ferry that takes you to the Islands. That evening we chatted, drank wine, and laughed until bedtime. Actually, that is how most evenings with these ladies ended up.

The Ferry from Anacortes to Orcas is an hour long trip that has some beautiful scenery, forest meets the ocean, my favorite kind of scenery. Taking your car to the island is a bit more expensive but a necessity in order to get to town, your place to stay, and other points of interest on the island. Plan on bringing your car if you want to venture out of the marina.

We stopped for lunch and a few groceries for our place then made our way to the VRBO we rented. The place was gorgeous and on a cliff overlooking the bay. The town across the bay, far off in the distance, was Bellingham, WA. I highly suggest you find a place with an ocean view, it made the time in our home away from home so enjoyable. We chose a place northeast of the city of Eastsound which was a beautiful private neighborhood of fabulous homes. Each morning and evening the house across the street from us had deer grazing on their lawn.

There are great food options in town and we truly did not have a bad meal at any of the restaurants we chose in town. We did go back to Madrona Bar and Grill a couple of times. The food was great and the view could not be beat, it was right on the water. Our favorite spot was our kitchen at home so we could soak in our personal ocean view and have wine with dinner without anyone having to be the DD.

Things to do

There are a few things to do on the island that I highly recommend. Take a whale watching trip. We did see Humpback whales and followed a pod of Orcas on the hunt for food. We also went to a place known for the seal population and managed to see eagles perched on the rocks just feet from the seals. The tour guides know where to find all of this wildlife. We used Outer Island Excursions

Drive up Mount Constitution and take the short hike to the tower. This is the highest point in the San Juan Islands and has stunning views from all angles.

Visit Orcas Island Pottery. We spent close to 2 hours here looking at all of the beautiful and interesting work. Bring your wallets, you will want to purchase something from these amazing artists.

In summary, I must say that I’m glad we checked this off our list of “MUST DO’s” and I would go back again. Even though I tried to will the Orcas to jump in the bay in front of our home, and they didn’t, we did have great wine, we brought it with us, and there is definitely not peace on earth as we envisioned, this trip is a favorite of mine. Making memories with these amazing women, people I love, and celebrating their milestones with them just can’t be beat.