Vacation Part 1: Orcas Island

We left for our summer vacation on the evening of July 24^th. Despite our best preparations for a 4 hour plane ride with a toddler, the flight out was a little rough. That’s a post for another day, but in a nutshell Nicholas screamed for the last hour and a half of the flight. He was officially that kid and we were those parents. But, once we landed, we put the plane trip behind us and proceeded to have a wonderful vacation.

We spent our first day in Seattle, catching up with Jason’s parents, and getting Nicholas acclimated. Then, on Friday we got up bright and early and left for our first overnight getaway without Nicholas. To say we were excited is an understatement. Our destination was beautiful Orcas Island in the San Juan islands, where Jason’s good friend Marc was getting married the next day. After a two hour drive to Anacortes and an almost two hour wait for the ferry, we boarded for the hour trip to Orcas Island.

It was a little chilly that morning, but we got a spectacular,  cloudless day to enjoy the gorgeous views of the Puget Sound and surrounding islands.

Once we arrived, we made the short drive from the ferry landing to the cute town of Eastsound. We parked, and eagerly hit the streets to explore. We wound up getting one of four outdoor tables on the deck of the Madrona Bar and Grill overlooking the bay. Gorgeous.

After lunch, we checked out some of the local shops and galleries, and then headed over to Rosario Resort to check-in. Our room wasn’t ready, so we met up with some other friends who had arrived and were relaxing down by the pool. When we were finally able to check into our room, we were rewarded with this beautiful view off our balcony looking back down at the main resort area and harbor.

That evening, we went to the rehearsal, and then we boarded shuttles over to The Kitchen for a fun outdoor rehearsal dinner.

The next morning we slept in until after 9am, which was bliss. (Best night of sleep in 18 months!) Jason had to start getting ready with the groomsmen at noon, so we had a few hours get breakfast and squeeze in a little sight-seeing. We headed back into town, where we strolled through the local farmer's market (my pictures below don't do it justice, but the flowers and produce were gorgeous) and then enjoyed omelets and cappuccinos at Mia's.

After breakfast, we made the short drive over to Moran State Park so that we could make the drive up to the top of Mount Constitution. Standing at just over 2,400 feet, Mount Constitution is the highest point in the San Juan Islands and offers stunning panoramic views of the entire Puget Sound-- as far as Mount Rainier to the south and Vancouver, B.C. to the north. We were probably there on the most beautiful day of the year.

Afterwards, I drove Jason back to get ready for the ceremony with the other groomsmen. Then, I headed back to Moran State Park for a four mile hike around Cascade Lake. I wound up getting a little bit lost and found myself back at the resort when I was about 80% done with the hike. This would have been fine-- except that my car was still over in the park. So I jogged back to the car and wound up getting a little more of a workout than I had planned.

Fortunately, I still had plenty of time to get ready for the wedding, so I headed back to the room to read and relax for a little while. At 5pm, I drove down to the ceremony, which was on Rosario's beautiful Point Lawn overlooking the water.

(Handsome groomsman and I post-ceremony. Check out the deer behind us!)

After champagne and light appetizers on the lawn, we moved over to the restaurant for more appetizers, dinner, and dancing. Such a beautiful Pacific Northwest night!

The next morning we were up bright and early to beat the ferry lines and head home. After a short stop for a Thai lunch in Anacortes, we finally made it home around 4pm. It was wonderful to have two days away, but it was also pretty great to see the look on Nicholas' face when we walked through the door. He had a wonderful time with his Dzia Dzia and Grandmama, and we are so grateful that they watched him for two and a half days, but we missed him and were happy to be reunited.

Next up, a recap of Seattle and Portland...