Trip to Seattle: Part 3: Orcas Island

Monday morning we left Tim & Jan's house and drove a couple of hours north to board the ferry headed for the San Juan Islands. This set of islands is part of the state of Washington, in the Puget Sound, but is very close to the Canadian border. (Maybe this explains why it was so cold! Throughout our entire trip I got very good use out of my one sweatshirt and my one pair of jeans that I had brought along... while most of my new cute summer things rested comfortably in our suitcase. Oh well.)

The island of Orcas was our destination. The main town on the island was very small and quaint, with lots of little shops, charming cafes, and gardens. You definitely sense a major trend toward environmentally-friendliness and local, organic consumption. The pace was slow, like the whole island was on vacation. There were so many times that Matt and I commented how much it felt like our little town in Australia.

The inn where we stayed.

Our inn overlooked this bay with this little island in the middle of it. At low tide, you could walk out to that little island, finding clams, crabs, and starfish along the way.

Another view of the bay.

The sidewalks were lined with perennial gardens.

One of my favorite things on the island was this lavender farm we visited. It's an inn you can stay at, or you can just visit and pick a basketful of fresh lavender for $5.

There is also a state park on the island. We just drove through this time after getting our fill of hiking at Mount Rainier, stopping along the way to take a few pictures.

And here are some more views from the other side of the island.

We were advised to stop here for lunch -- fish tacos may not sound good, but I would order them again in a heartbeat!

Boarding the ferry to head home Wednesday morning.