One of the Most Beautiful Places I’ve Visited: Orcas Island
Orcas Island Is the Most Peaceful Place I've Been
I’m taking the opportunity in this post to share the vacation that still tops my list of favorites. A few years ago, I was trying to decide where to go for vacation. One of my favorite magazines, Victoria, had just arrived in my mailbox.
The travel feature that month happened to be the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state. Orcas Island is part of the San Juan Islands. The pictures were beautiful, so on a whim I booked a flight to Seattle.
After arriving in Seattle, I rented a car and drove up to the town of Anacortes. The ferries out to the San Juan Islands depart from here on a regular basis. Traveling by ferry is a completely different lifestyle from what I am used to, and it is a fun way to travel. The forty five minute ride out to the islands was gorgeous with views of other islands along the way rising from the dark blue Pacific Ocean.
There are several main islands in the San Juan Islands, and Orcas Island is the one I chose to stay on. It is the largest of the islands that are in the archipelago consisting of four hundred islands and rocks.
Why I Love Orcas Island
Feeling completely stress free for the first time in years is the main reason why Orcas Island tops my list of favorite vacations. The remoteness of Orcas Island really felt like I had gotten away from it all. And it felt adventurous to travel that far on my own.
See below for some of my favorite pictures from my trip. And stay tuned for the sequel to this post where I will share more amazing pictures from my day spent in the city of Seattle and my day trip to Victoria, British Columbia during this same vacation. If you are a garden lover, you will not want to miss the pictures in that post coming soon!
Highlights of My Trip
Staying right on the water offered the daily opportunity see the seaplane come in and sailboats skim by. Visiting the town of Eastsound on the island brought me to the most charming small church I’ve ever seen. And the restaurant Christina’s is where I discovered my favorite cocktail: the French 75.
Taking a sailing lesson gave me the chance to glide along peacefully like the sailboats I’d watched from the deck of my hotel room. And visiting the top of Mt. Constitution afforded beautiful views of Mt. Baker and other islands dotting the Pacific. I also spent an afternoon going on a whale watch and was fortunate enough to see several orcas swimming and playing in the ocean.
No matter where I went on the island, I was surrounded by natural beauty and calmness. If you are looking for an out of the way place to visit but yet relatively easy to get to, plan a trip to any of the San Juan Islands. For more information, check out this link to the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau and this one for more information on Moran State Park and Mt. Constitution.
You also don’t want to miss some of our other travel related posts. Be sure and check them out!
Five Simple Tips for Amazing Summer Road Trips!
Even Your Kids Can Be Great Travelers!
Experience the Great Outdoors Through These Awesome Books
Have a good day –
Kristin
Note: Content of this post belongs to Kristin @whatagoodday.com. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. I’m happy for you to share this post but be sure to link to this post. Thank you.
This looks like a most relaxing vacation. It was relaxing just looking at your photos!
I was hoping my pictures could provide a moment of relaxation for our readers! ~ Kristin
Looks like a beautiful place to visit!! So peaceful!!