Orcas Island Vacation

Last week we took a trip to Washington!

We spent just about a week on Orcas Island (off the coast of Washington).  

In true Hauck fashion, it was nothing short of a traveling circus.  

There were moments I thought we might

not make it (there's nothing easy about the time change and lack of our

regular routine with our tiny pal) but there were just as many moments

when I couldn't even handle the perfection. 

Here is a tiny peek into our week....

At this point...Max is a seasoned pro at the airport...

and Rob and I are total pros at letting him

have a lot (read: pretty much unlimited time)

on the iPad.  Mostly, I just want him to 

enjoy the travel time...and not have to deal

with total chaos on the airplane. 

And, selfishly I want to read my own

books too :)

 

 He was LOVING the moving walk-ways

in the Chicago/Midway airport.....like 

I think him and Rob rode them for like

half and hour straight. haha!

Once we arrived in Seattle...Grandpa Jim and 

Grandma Sugar picked us up for the drive

to La Connor, Washington.  It was an adorable 

little town (and our hotel, right on the water!)

to spend the night in...and we

especially enjoyed the local brewery. 

 There was a weird little store (I believe, 

called Nasty Jacks Antiques) with the most

adorable ride on animals (and one chariot)

that we spent a good $1.50 on!  

Anything to keep this kid occupied

while Mama shops :)  At one point

Max asked me, "why do you like

to go in all the shops, Mommy?"

The next morning, we set off again - to catch

the ferry which would transport us to the island. 

This was a large boat -- (it even had a tractor

on it...which blew Max's tiny mind)...

 We passed the time on the ferry boat by running

back and forth between our seats (complete with 

a table!) and the front/back of the boat. 

Max also started collecting brochures on the

ferry boat--so he consulted his whale

watching brochures to learn about all the 

animals we might see later in the week...

 The view from the ferry was just breath taking...

Once the ferry docked, we drove right off and

over to East Sound Suites.  Our house for the

week was in the most perfect spot - right above

the lavendar shop in town and next door

to the local bakery (the smells were amazing each

morning!!).

  

Our week was the perfect mix of beach, culture, and just

relaxation...

 At first Max was a little confused by the lack 

of sand and shells...but he took to tossing rocks, 

helping me find beach glass, investigating

tide pools, and collecting drift wood pretty easily!

 Our house was right across the street from

one of the public beaches...so we made a trip over

nearly every morning and afternoon to 

look for treasures (and stop for coffee)!

We also managed to visit another awesome spot - 

Crescent Beach....just about half a mile down the road!

Here, Max was able to build a sand castle, complete

with driftwood framing...and add a few shell bits. 

Max also stumbled upon this driftwood "house"

and wanted to play the rest of the day in there :)

I would say, "Max, add 5 more pieces"...which would

then turn into 10 more...and so on!

One of the true highlights of our trip -- arranged

by Grandpa Jim (seriously, he's the best!) was 

our whale watching trip.  He booked it through 

Deer Harbor Charters - it lasted about three hours - 

and I can't recommend it enough. 

 I know it looks like the whale is pretty far away...

but I really felt like they were close (all things

considered).  We were able to follow one male

and then two other separate groups over the course

of the three hours. 

 Max was adorable shouting "did you see

that daddy"?  and then when they would

disappear for five minutes...he would say, 

"they must be on their long dive"

which is what the on board naturalist

had told us. 

 The naturalist was so knowledgeable

about the different pods and members

of each group. It seemed impossible to tell 

them all apart...but I guess they are studied

quite a bit...so everyone in the area knows 

the differences. 

Another highlight was our hike out to Indian Island. 

It's a two acre island surrounded by eel grass and rocks

directly across from East Sound (where we were!)

About 41 days out of the year it's accessible

to people when the tide recedes.  We were lucky 

enough to experience all of the tidepool magic

on our trek out! 

 In the above pic you can see where we started

and the path out to the island. 

 The rocks were covered with ochre sea stars...

in shades of orange and purple. 

 

 Max is pointing out the sea stars under the rocks

in the below picture.

 

 

I loved every minute of that adventure...even 

when a clam squirted a fountain of water from

it's hiding spot under the sand at me!

Our culture day included a trip to the Rosario Resort

(formerly the Moran Mansion)...

Robert Moran was originally from New York

but settled in the Seattle area and became

famous for his ship building. 

 

He built the mansion (with a movie theatre and bowling alley)

when he was given only a few years to live. 

However, freed from the pressures of his 

business, Moran recovered and lived another

40 years! 

 Beautiful views around the resort...

 The grounds were just immaculate and 

after peeking into the spa...it became clear 

I would need to visit again and schedule

some services :)

Our next stop was through Moran Forest to 

Mount Constitution. 

**historical note: Robert Moran offered 

Washinton State thousands of acres to become one 

of Washington's first State Parks. Today, the resort

property borders on one of Washington's premier

state parks, Moran State Park. 

 The road to Mount Constitution was closed on 

our first attempt...but we cruised over to the 

town of Olga...checked out the art gallery...

and ate the most delicious brunch.

Our second attempt proved successful

and the road had been cleared!

 

Mount Constitution rises nearly half 

a mile above Orcas Island - and is the 

highest point in the San Juan Islands. 

 The panoramic views were astounding!

Also - a very wise person operates an air stream

which sells ice cream on Mount Constitution. 

They are a genius. :) 

 

 I know you've aware that traveling with kids

is hard.  Like no joke.  You're out of your

routine, often hungry, tired etc. I had prepared for the 

week to be exhausting, frustrating, and fun...and it 

was all those things...and more! 

   

We flew, ferried, drove, walked, dug, built, 

complained, walked, laughed, learned, ate, 

schlepped, slept, cooked, sweat, colored, 

cleaned, and shared....

 

 To quote my friend Courtney, "We did a whole bunch

of regular life in a really stunning place, with 

some really fantastic people, and somehow it all added

up to far more than the sum of it's parts". 

Grandpa Jim and Grandma Sugar, 

We can't thank you enough for taking the

time to plan this adventure and for

sharing a place that holds so many 

memories for you with us.  I loved

getting to see Max take it all in...

and still talk about it today. 

I have an i-phone camera full of snaps, and a mind

full of memories.  And my heart, it's really full too. 

xoxo