Orcas Island @ MindSay 
Orcas Island.
A close friend of mine goes to Orcas Island every summer...Orcas Island is the largest island in the San Juan Islands which are situated just off the northern tip of Washington State..To get there you take the ferry from Annacortes, Washington..
Every single year she and her husband spent two weeks on the ocean in a small cabin with their dog and many of her most cherished intimate memories are from her time on Orcas with her husband and dog..
Unfortunately after 14 years of marriage her husband left her..She was determined to not give up Orcas even though many friends suggested that the memories may be too painful...She heard statements like "Why would you want to go to a place that will bring you so many painful memories"? Her retort was "Yes but also my happiest memories...This is a spiritual place and I don't want to give it up".
She didn't give it up....Last year was difficult for her ...but this year was better...Her first week was spent with one girlfriend and the second week, I joined her...
Orcas is a beautiful spot and it does feel spiritual...I am not sure if it is Orcas in particular or the ocean but I felt a sense of peacefulness and connectedness that I haven't felt in a long time.. Most mornings I would be up for sunrise...sitting in my chair at the ocean's edge around 5:30 A.M. and every evening sitting in the same chair around 8:42PM the sun would set...We read our books, watched the waves lap against the shore as if hypnotized and every evening we had dinner 4 feet from the edge of the water....
We had nice dinners...Crab cakes with purple potatoes and grilled squash and zuccini, eggplant....prawns. freshly made sauces..We had lovely dinners and sampled wines from every country ...We had 2 bottles open a night....California, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, France...great wines, great food...and a great table...We stopped along the road and picked wild flowers...wild sweet peas....and put them in empty pickle jars and tied the jar with tulle..
We had the sun, moon and ocean and Buddy, her Golden Retriever at our doorstep and it was idealic...
I felt happy, peaceful, contented..
This was a good year for her...Orcas became her spot not just their spot...She made new memories and felt as though she could give up the old ones in order to make room for newness...
She left feeling stronger about her future...
I left feeling peace and tranquility and happy to have the opportunity to spend time on Orcas Island.
After leaving San Juan Island, we spent two nights on Orcas Island at the Rosario Resort. Again, we had a room overlooking the water, but the view wasn't quite as extensive or beautiful as it was at the Friday Harbor House. Still beautiful, though...
One of the main attractions on Orcas Island is Moran State Park, which contains Mount Constitution. The mountain rises to over 2,000 feet and provides an extraordinary view. From the top, you are able to see Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Mountains, Canada and, of course, the surrounding islands. However, when we went up, it was a rainy morning, and the higher we went, the foggier it got...
On our way up the mountain, we stopped along the way to hike to a couple waterfalls. I think that the pictures I took of the waterfalls may be the best I got on the whole trip, so if you want to see them, you're going to have to wait because I'm going to give them an entry of their own. The whole area around the waterfalls was beautiful, though. Bright greens, rich red-browns...
Luckily for us, it began to clear up later the same day. So, we quick got in the car and drove up the mountain. We could immediately see that the view wouldn't be all white anymore...
We got to the top just in time for sunset. It wasn't the most spectacular sunset ever, but it wasn't bad.
The next day, we got in the car, drove back to the ferry dock, and sat in line to get on the ferry and go back to Seattle. While sitting there waiting, we spotted a tree that seemed to have half green leaves and half colored. It was the last picture I took before we left.
That's about it. I'm sure I left something out since I didn't put up all the pictures, but I covered the major things. I'll try to get the waterfall pictures up tomorrow :D
Here are the waterfall pics I said I would post from Orcas Island. Enjoy :D
Rustic Falls
Cascade Falls
