Camping at Orcas Island, July 3rd

Taking advantage of the long weekend and an extra day, we went camping to Orcas Island. Orcas is one of the San Juan Islands of the coast of Washington just east Vancouver Island. Since we were a big group, we had multiple starting points depending mostly on who was riding together. After a four hour drive north, we got to the port of Anacortes were we took a ferry to cross to Orcas Island. Once in Orcas, we drove to the Moran State Park and then to our specific campsites. This park is located on the east side of the island and has, within its boundaries, some really nice lakes and Mount Constitution, the highest peak in the island. After setting up camp and resting, we made a nice dinner and enjoyed the rest of the day. That night, at around three in the morning we got a visitor. I got a glimpse of it and was actually able to take a picture. I guess that’s why they recommend putting the food away. On Friday morning, it was my time to make breakfast for the group. I went with Arepas and Perico, a nice way to start the day. During this very relaxing day, we did a hike around the north side of Cascade Lake (The lake right next to our campsite) all the way to some pretty waterfalls. We got back to camp and had an early dinner prepared by Jeff before going to town to check the 4th of July fireworks. It was a very nice time. Saturday morning was time for Holly to prepare breakfast with the help of Tim, Dean and Lisa. She made some really tasty French toast with bacon and sausage. After that big breakfast, it was time for a longer hike. This time, we went in the other direction, passed the cascades trail head and continued our way to Mountain Lake; the idea was to hike around the lake but not before the girls could enjoy the water for a while. After soaking for a couple of minutes they decided to go for a swim (sorry, no pictures!). From there we continued around the lake on a long and beautiful hike that took us the rest of the afternoon until we got back to campsite. That afternoon, the sky was clearer than the previous day so I went to Mount Constitution to take some sunset shots. In the pictures you’ll see why I’m glad I did. Sunday, being our pack and leave day, we started with breakfast and a quick tear down and pack. Knowing that everybody would be looking at the same ferry we wanted to take, it was a matter of getting there in time. Unluckily we didn’t make it on time for the noon ferry and were in line for the early afternoon one. That gave us a chance to walk around Orcas Village, lie down in the sun and just enjoy ourselves under the sun. We were not able to resist the temptation of doing the crazy shots in the ferry before saying goodbye and taking the long drive back home. Definitely a great weekend in the company on good friends in a great place, what more could someone ask for.

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