Moss on rocks

The anchor chain is being released as we settle in to our mooring spot tonight just off the shore of Rosario Resort at Orcas Island. Today was truly a full day of fun and activity. Mike and Tami were delighted to find out that our playground for today was Sucia Island. Sucia is part of the Washington State Parks system, but has no ferry service so access is only by private boat. We have never been on the island so the opportunity to both kayak around it and climb all over it was very exciting.

Getting ready

We were in the first group to launch off the fantail in our two-person kayaks. The sun was trying very hard to make an appearance and it made for beautiful skies. We paddled around within the protected inlet and explored the interesting formations in the sandstone cliffs caused by erosion. We saw lots of birds and our guide told us what they all were. Okay, we know what a seagull, raven, and eagle look like. The others were really cool but we just can’t remember any of their names.

On the water!

Honeycomb rock formations along the shore

As we ventured out into less protected waters we started hitting some strong chop and current so we headed back into the inlet again and explored the other shore. Soon enough it was time to head back to the ship since we have to stay fueled, you know! Mike did ensure that we were the first in our group back on the ship, as he was feeling somewhat over hydrated.

On the hike

More hiking

Headless goose!

After lunch the weather continued to improve which made our afternoon hike around the island a pure delight. We made good time, too, and arrived at the pick up point early enough that we got a bonus ride out to the point where a large group of sea lions were noisily lounging. A very special experience. We just wish we had a sound recording of the various grunts, groans, and snorts emanating from those corpulent creatures. The sea lions, not us!

Our guide showing us some bull kelp

Sea lions

While the weather was drier and warmer than the it had been running, it was also quite windy. During our time at Sucia we were protected from the wind, but once we sailed out in the evening we lost that protection. We moved into the inside of the Orcas Island horseshoe for protection for the night, anchoring just off Rosario. For the next day we signed up for a hike on Orcas, and some beer tasting at the Island Hopper brewery in the afternoon.

Finally, there be monsters!:

Alligator?