A Washington first!

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've never been to the San Juan Islands - until this weekend! I had a lovely overnight visit to Orcas Island involving fresh oysters (grilled and raw) and steamed clams, caught right down the road at Birch Bay. Eating fresh shellfish was another first. (Hey, don't blame me, I'm from the Inland Empire!) The weather offered some sunshine and some morning mist - and I even saw seals swimming just off the coast (although, no Orcas).

We went on two hikes at Moran State Park:

1. Mt. Constitution - We hiked to the top of the mountain; it was a great workout and a beautiful view from the top. The trick is to have a friend drive up to the top to meet you, so people with bad knees and IT Bands (me!) don't have to walk back down.


2. Cascade Falls & Lake - An easy, mostly flat hike that allowed us to play in the falls and on fallen logs, but still work up a bit of sweat.

Moran State Park was easy to get to, and I saw quite a few nice camping areas.

We visited the Orcas Island Farmers' Market in Eastsound (runs until 3:00), where I stopped by the Local Goods stand, and bought a bag of Organic Honduran Coffee and a bottle of Smoked Jalapeno Barbeque Salsa.

We ate the most delicious bread and pie I've had in a long time from Rose's, a bakery in Eastsound. I'm not sure what kind of bread it was, but I ate about ten pieces in a 24-hour period. I do know that the pie was cherry, and it was excellent.

And, after a few too many glasses of wine, I decided to go for a late-night dip in the Puget Sound. I was told that there was phosphorescence in the Sound, but I had no idea it was so beautiful! When we made our way down to the water we saw what looked like lightning bugs turning on and off under the water. And as soon as we stepped in the entire floor lit up! Tiny bugs skirted across the water, leaving what looked like a tail from a shooting star behind them. We played with our hands in the water, watching our movement leave a shadow of glowing embers. It really felt magical.

Getting there was a cinch. We just caught the ferry at Anacortes and it took us right to the island.

I can't wait to go back!

I'll try to post a few pictures soon!