I had a business meeting in Seattle last week, so Chuck and I decided to make a mini vacation out of it by heading to the San Juan Islands for a few days. Seattle felt like the start of the vacation as the weather was fabulous. After a few weeks of sweltering summer weather in So Cal, it was wonderful to experience the cool (in the lower 70’s) temps and blue skies of Seattle. This was my first trip to Seattle since they completed the light rial from SeaTac to downtown and WOW! The only domestic airports that have that slick a service (that I’ve been to, anyway) are SFO and Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington DC. For $2.75 we went from the airport to a block or two from our hotel. You can’t beat that!
We left Seattle last Wednesday after renting a car and drove up to Anacortes to catch the ferry to Orcas Island. We stayed at the Outlook Inn, in what we heard was the really happening part of Orcas, Eastsound. Outlook Inn was okay – but I think for the price I’d look for a private home on HomeAway or a similar service. We paid $250 a night for one of their nicer rooms (with water views and private baths) and were less than impressed with the soundproofing. This place was favored by families and what sounded like their pet elephants (yes, I am getting crotchety in my old age). At the very least I would never stay on a lower floor – that would make things a bit better. The real attraction on Orcas was the scenery, and we enjoyed a lot of it, going for some hikes, runs and drives. One of the prettiest and most charming places we visited was Rosario Resort. We toured the museum, which is a large part of the main house, built between 1906 and 1909 by Robert Moran, a pretty big poobah in Washington state history. Another can’t miss place (in our opinion) was the Orcas Island Historical Museum, which is made up of several log cabins from the mostly circa 1880s-1890s. They have some fascinating oral histories that talk about life on the island in the early 1900’s that made me feel like my life is WAY too easy!
The hands-down best part of our trip was the afternoon we spent sailing with Captain Ben of Orcas Island Sailing (consider this a shameless plug for him). I have been on a sailboat before but never actually did the sailing. Chuck has owned a sailboat. So when Captain Ben told us we’d ben doing the sailing, Chuck was over the moon and I was mildly terrorized. Ben chose a trimaran from his fleet of four boats and we sailed over toward Eastsound. Captain Ben was super patient with me (but really, he should have known better than to try and explain the physics of sailing to me. Captain Ben: “So, do you know why a plane stays in the sky?” Me: “Why is this suddenly reminding me of going horseback riding with Chuck’s cousin, Art?” Ed note: Art’s first question to me before I got on his horse was, “You know how to fall, right?”). Anyway, we had a great time, but sailing required a lot more attention than sitting on, say, a cruise ship or a yacht. Chuck had the time of his life, though, and I could see by the look on his face that he was in his element.
We’re heading back to the real world now and facing a couple of busy work months so this was a nice chance to take a breath and chill. Pics here.
Vacation is good for the soul – no matter how long or short. Your mileage may vary, mine never does. I feel renewed.