Day 8 - So Long Seattle, Hello Orcas

Our night in Seattle was rather difficult for Catherine. The bed was already tall, and was on risers. Since Catherine is short, she had to jump and fling herself up to the bed. Despite the challenge presented by the bed, the room was cozy and we both slept well. Our host for the night even had fresh baked goods from a local bakery for us.

When we got up, we headed to Pike's Place Market, which was very busy and interesting. We had both thought that it was going to be mostly fish focused, but in fact they had everything, and it was fascinating to walk around and see all the goods for sale. The one thing couldn't find, at first, was people throwing fish.

Then, we found it! If you look closely at this picture, you can see a fish flying over the man's head.

We seem to find a lot of interestingly named car washes.

The line for the ferry to Orcas Island from Anacortes is rather long and frustrating. We were on "standby one." We weren't sure what that meant, so we were very unsure as to whether we would get on the ferry or have to take the next one, which was hours later.

Apparently, other people have found the line equally frustrating, and the State of Washington has seen fit to protect their employees.

But, we made it on! Off to Orcas!

On the ferry. The views of all the islands are spectacular. This area is incredibly beautiful.

Arrival on Orcas Island. Interestingly, Orcas Island is not named after orca whales (which are common in the area), but rather after Juan Vicente de Güemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo. Orcas is a shortened form of Horcasitas. Nevertheless, if you look at a map of the island it is sort of shaped like an orca, and it seems like too much of a coincidence.

The farmland on Orcas Island is beautiful. Everything is so green and clean-looking.

Some views from the Tiny House on the beach, which was a very cozy and pleasant place to stay, but very rustic. Despite the electricity, Catherine called this the "camping" part of the trip. We had our own private beach, with a nice log to sit on and a great view of Obstruction Pass.

We made our own dinner. We didn't have any beverages with us besides water and Capri Sun, but it all tasted wonderful.

Orcas Island is full of deer. The deer have no predators on the island, and they apparently swam there from the mainland generations ago. They have been getting smaller and smaller each generation, beginning the process of insular dwarfism. They are also very fearless of humans, and are willing to walk right up to houses, cars, etc. They don't run away, even when you make noise or walk towards them. Catherine believed that they would move if she clapped, and she approached one fairly closely, clapping all the way. She retreated and went the other way when the deer only looked angry. She says that it growled at her.

The next day, whale watching!

Note to Readers: we are behind on blogging due to the lack of internet on Orcas Island. We are in Victoria now, and have full internet access, but it is getting late and we don't have time to update for both days. Hopefully we can get caught up tomorrow.