I recently had a week of "funemployment" between leaving my job at PepsiCo and starting at Amazon. I wanted to use this week to relax, recharge, and get away for a bit. After determining a tropical vacation wasn't in the cards and planning a quick trip to Portland, Adam and I decided to spend a night on Orcas Island.
Since we were planning our stay at the end of the long Labor Day Weekend, we had trouble finding a place to stay. We narrowed down our options to Once in a Blue Moon Farm or Pebble Cove Inn - the latter of which, was our ultimate choice due to the water views. The owners of the property were very accommodating for our request to spend one night (instead of the usual two-night minimum).
We caught a mid-morning ferry from Anacortes to Orcas. The weather was perfect with blue skies, a light breeze, and the sun out. It was still a few hours from check in so we ventured directly to Eastsound to explore.
After figuring out that a lot of restaurants are closed on Mondays, we grabbed lunch at The Lower Tavern. It was a pretty basic sports bar, but the food was good and reasonably priced. We followed that up with a trip to Clever Cow Creamery for a sweet treat. The ice cream shop was bright and airy with a variety a candy filled ice creams and fruity sorbets. I opted for my usual - cookies and cream in a waffle cone - and I wasn’t disappointed!
Pebble Cove Inn was a short drive away. We got settled into our suite and took some time to explore the property. There was a garden open to guests. We picked some berries, pears, and a pepper that we used for dinner that night. Across the property was a hen house, where we grabbed a couple fresh eggs for the breakfast the next morning. Pigs, ponies, and chickens roamed around the yard and were very excited to eat the food scraps we were encouraged to feed them.
We spent part of the afternoon lounging in a hammock by the water. It was a beautiful, peaceful view of a small island just offshore. We even caught a glimpse of some seals splashing near the island!
Just before sunset, we made the trek to the top of Mount Constitution. I imagine the views of the San Juans, Bellingham, and Canada would have been amazing. Unfortunately, smoke from the nearby wildfires had rolled in, blocking most of the scenery. What we could see was quite beautiful, though.
Upon returning to Pebble Cove Inn, we enjoyed a couple glasses of wine on the deck and made good use of the grill for dinner. The deck also served as a great location for breakfast the next morning. We feasted on the fresh eggs we gathered the day before, leftover sausage from dinner, and granola, milk, and orange juice that were provided by the owners.
We arrived early for the midday ferry back to Anacortes and barely made the cutoff! The wildfire smoke from the previous evening lingered and cast a melancholy hue around the islands. It was hard to believe that just the day before the skies were clear and the sun was out. It was almost a perfect representation of how I felt to be returning to the city after such a relaxing night away.