Ferry Hopping – Friday Harbor, San Juan Island 9/11/10

We woke to a beautiful sunshine day and one we did not take for granted! Denise surprised us all by whipping up a hot breakfast before heading out. We took advantage of the clear day and left for the top of Mt. Constitution. We were rewarded with a spectacular view of the surrounding islands. Apparently there are over 750 islands that make up the San Juans – I had no idea. The view of Mt. Baker, with its snow-crusted top was impressive. (See today’s pic). Hard to believe that in less than 48 hours Josh will begin his ascent up that mountain. We took our time making it to the ferry driving to Deer Harbor and then hanging out in the little seaport of Orcas Village. The ferry ride to San Juan Island was gorgeous with watching the sailboats and ferries cruising by and seeing the crystal clear views of homes hugging the shoreline. Once we reached Friday Harbor we found our way to Lakedale Resort. It’s a pretty swanky camping spot, but also known for its gorgeous lodge and canvas cabins. Apparently it is featured in the latest Sunset. Not a bad spontaneous pick! We have a very scenic and remote campsite overlooking a small lake, allowing Bella to run without a leash. We decided to explore the island. Our first stop was the lavender farm. At first the boys weren’t convinced, but were soon won over by the chocolate lavender ice cream and the cool distillation process with the accompanying audio-visual explanation. Next stop was the one and only vineyard on the island. Meh. We tasted 6 different wines and California definitely doesn’t have to worry about San Juan wines beating us out. We picked up a couple of baguettes and headed back to the campsite. While Josh and I did a little pre-dinner bike ride checking out the upscale grounds, Denise & Ned put together a yummy spaghetti dinner. (Don’t worry, I was on dish clean-up duty). Afterwards, Denise and the boys played skip-bo while I worked on my blog and played with my photographs. Tonight’s our last night hanging out with Josh. Tomorrow we part ways with Josh heading back to the mainland and we head west to Victoria. Definitely bittersweet.

Kicking Back on Orcas Island - Moran State Park, San Juan Islands – 9/10/10

We woke to a misty, cool morning surrounded by typical coastal fog. We all gathered for a quick breakfast then concentrated on breaking camp and heading towards the Anacortes ferry to the San Juan Islands. Waiting in line for the ferry was a treat with Bella, who certainly gets her fair share of attention! Once on Orcas Island we drove to the far end and set up camp at Moran State Park. After lunch we decided that a hike around Cascade Lake seemed like the best plan. It was hilly, with lots of ups and downs, but you couldn’t beat the views! We were mainly in a heavily wooded forest along a trail that skirted the lake. The lake gave us a colorful display of teal, jade and steel blue. The flora varied from wild foxglove, ferns and woodeared mushrooms. (Today’s pic is Cascade Lake). Of course, the big entertainment was watching Josh play fetch with Bella and training her to heel and obey. Once we reached the far end of the lake we decided to keep on trekkin’ and go view the falls. They were okay, but not spectacular or anything out of the ordinary. The entire hike took about 3 hours. We decided that checking out the little downtown of Eastsound was next in order. We found a quaint bar, just in time for happy hour, and settled down to some brewskies, a good zin, and some bruchetta. I’m a little worried that we are going to corrupt Josh, the mountaineer purist. I’m sure he doesn’t camp like this when traveling the backroads of China or hiking the high sierras! When we got back to camp, Josh made us all a scrumptious jumbalaya dinner. Yum. Afterwards, we all sat around Denise’s Eurovan (Wallymobile) and played some “chickenfoot” dominoes. Fun Times.

Working Day – Bay View State Park, Washington 9/9/10

We woke up this morning and didn’t spend too much time diddle-daddlying around. Josh had an 11:00 interview and we knew that we had at least an hour’s drive. (Have you ever prepared for a job interview at a campground? Boys have it so easy). While he was in his interview, I hung out at the library posting yesterday’s blog and researching things for Josh, and Ned was busy grocery shopping for our 3 day trip to the San Juan Islands. We all met up afterwards for lunch in the Winniemobile in the library parking lot. Afterwards we caravanned to a nearby self-storage unit where Josh stored most of his worldly possessions which consisted primarily of sports gear, i.e. bike, skis, boots, poles, and kitchen and bedding stuff. From there, we did another trip to REI in preparation for his two week mountaineering course that he will be taking. Finally, we were off to northern Washington to meet up with Denise at Bay View State Park. The day had become progressively sunnier and by the time we arrived at the campsite it was a beautiful clear day. Josh immediately started playing with Bella, her puppy Lab, while Denise and I decided to go berry picking. It was so much fun catching up with her (never mind we had just seen each other a few days ago!) while we scoured the campground for the juiciest berries we could find. Soon the whole gang, Bella included, headed for the beach. It was a blast playing fetch with Bella and watching her run unabashedly into the water and then rolling ecstatically in the sand. (Today’s pic is Denise playing with Bella at the beach). Back at the campsite the dinner was fish tacos and a yummy bakery dessert that Denise had picked up - topped off with our fresh berries. (We do eat well camping, don’t we?) We are all looking forward to taking the ferry tomorrow and hoping the weather holds.