BlaringSmelly

Going to Orcas Island was one of the things I kept talking about since the summer began. I was really happy when the trip finally happened at the last weekend of August.

For once, I was not stressed over scheduling. The loose plan was to get to the island and to ride our bicycles. We did the typical Orcas Island tourist activities a little over 2 years ago. This time I didn’t have anything particular in mind, other than to enjoy the sunny relaxing island lifestyle I so vividly remembered from our last visit on the island.

We took Friday off, started the morning slow and easy. After lunch, we loaded up the car and headed north to Anacortes. We anticipated long wait at the ferry terminal. But once we passed the pay booth, we were quickly docked into the ferry.

I booked a little cottage with North Shore Cottages. Situated at the northern tip of the island, the cottage was right off the Puget Sound water. It is a little over a mile from Eastsound where most restaurants and shops are located. It’s an ideal location to get the best of both natural and the convenience of civilization.

We found North Shore Cottages hidden in the forest. Upon arrival, friendly innkeeper Elizabeth greeted us with warm welcome. She apologized for messing up the reservation. Instead of the ocean view studio Eagles Nest as we originally requested, we were placed in the nautical-theme one bedroom Orcas Watch.

We didn’t mind the switch. A bigger cottage is usually a good thing. We also found a bottle of red wine, complementary of the innkeeper and her husband, for the mess up.

After situated in the cottage, we took Mango for a walk around. His excitement was impossible to go unnoticed. Grassy trails, brand new land to explore, and constantly running into deer and other wild animals, this place is like a Disneyland for Mango. All the time he wanted to go out and play. He drank very little water, ate almost nothing, and didn’t go potty as he supposedly should.

I heard some good things about Christina’s Food & Wine. Regardless of its pricey menu, I suggested giving it a try. Our order was forgotten and we didn’t get served until it’s almost the restaurant’s closing time. The quality of cooking was inconsistent. We had clams and mussels for appetizer. We were surprised by how salty some of the mussels were. My main course was seafood stew. It was decent but portion was small. $30 for a junior size stew, which did not worth writing home about, was in my opinion highway robbery.

The next day was the big day; we planned on cycling with Mango. We purchased a dog bicycle trailer on cragslist so Mango can tag alone our bicycle adventures. While assembling the carrier the night before, ktula discovered a crucial secure pin for the carrier roof was missing. The next day morning, we headed back to Eastsound for breakfast, then stopped by a bicycle shop. The friendly shop owner found a perfect piece from a box full of bicycle parts and solved our problem.

Initially we wanted to go cycling at Lopez Island. But it would require serious coordination and efforts to transport bikes and carrier to the terminal, catch the ferry, and make sure we return to the terminal on time to catch the ferry back. So we decided to just ride around Orcas Island. Our first stop was the island’s off-leash park. Mango was happy and tired after some chasing and ball fetching.

We rode to Eastsound, attempted to ride along the main street toward east. Then decided to head back when the traffic started to get heavy. We made a stop at the north shore beach.

We returned to the cottage and loaded up the bikes and carrier, with the intention of driving around to find a bike-friendly road. Since we had not been to Deer Harbor before, we decided to check it out. Somehow we talked ourselves into thinking there’s a fish market of some sort at Deer Harbor, where we could buy fresh seafood such as spot shrimps and Dungeness crabs. Walking around the marina, we saw lots of boats and piles of empty crab pots. But no sign of any fish market or fresh catch for sale.

Then ktula had another idea: he wanted to take Mango to a farm. Once in A Blue Moon Farm on Eastman Rd sounded like a fun place to be. The farmland was beautifully landscaped. We were welcomed by flower garden and fruit trees. Curious hens and roosters were checking us out from a safe distance. The farm lady was very friendly. She welcomed us to walk around the farm and told us to look for one of his horses also named Mango. We bought some organic eggs and peaches from her before bidding goodbye.

It certainly was a long and productive day. We went back and crashed for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner, we decided to revisit New Leaf Café. Last time when we stayed at Outlook Inn, we stumbled into this place and were blown away by the food and services. This time we had the same superb dinning experience. Shellfish pot was tender and flavorful; crab cakes were densely packed in Dungeness crabs meat; fried calamari was juicy and the portion was generous…. At the end we finished up with a delicious chocolate mousse with raspberry and Grand Marnier crème brulee. It just wouldn’t seem right had we skipped the dessert.

Last morning on the island, I ran 5 miles from North Shore to Eastsound via North Beach Rd, continued on the hilly Crescent Beach Dr then looped back from Terrells Beach Rd. Running alongside of swamp, forests, and large hay fields were definitely different from my typical pedestrians-dodging routine.

Cottage in the woods, wildness within reach, sun-kissed sky, charming towns and friendly folks, it was another wonderful time spent on Orcas Island. We’ll miss those time-is-no-importance, laid-back 3 days.