Orcas Island Birthday Weekend ~ Part 1

Yesterday (Sunday) was my birthday, and this year I got an extended celebration with a weekend trip to a nearby Orcas Island. When we got on the ferry on Friday afternoon it was pouring rain, and I figured that at least we had a nice cabin to stay in and watch the showers if that's what the weekend had in store. By the time we pulled in to the Orcas ferry landing, however, it had slowed to a drizzle, and by the time we drove to Cascade Lake the rain had stopped altogether. We decided to hike the 2.7 mile trail around the lake, and the weather mostly held off. There were still lots of low-lying clouds hanging in the trees around the lake, making for some especially scenic (and iconic Pacific Northwest) views.

There were lots of Pacifc wrens, golden-crowned kinglets, dark-eyed junocs, and chestnut-backed chickadees in the woods. We even saw a bald eagle fly out of the forest, but the lake itself was pretty empty until we came to this bridge that separated the main part of the lake from a smaller offshoot. In this more protected cove we saw a flock of about twenty ring-necked ducks, four hooded mergansers, and three pied-billed grebes. Nearby were also some bufflehead and double-crested cormorants.

As we neared the end of the hike, we noticed it was getting lighter. As the sun was getting lower in the sky, it started to shine through a break in the clouds, changing the scene from the foggy one above to the bright one below:

The reflections in the water were really amazing: the near-perfect mirror image of the scenery was only disturbed the water droplets falling from the branches, creating a ripple effect across the surface. Once we got back to the car, the late afternoon light was especially stunning.

We got to our cabin just before sunset proper, and settled in for a nice evening including a spaghetti dinner, a fire in the wood stove, and a dip in the outdoor hot tub where the only sound you could hear was the gentle waves crashing on the nearby shoreline.

Despite a forecast for rain, I was thrilled when we woke up the next morning and the clouds started to clear shortly after sunrise. After going out for a nice breakfast, we made our way up Mt. Constitution, the highest point in the San Juan Islands at about 2,400 feet. There were still some clouds up there, and the summit was actually above the clouds, which again made for some interesting, ever-changing views.

Even up here the sun was starting to work its way through the clouds:

There wasn't a lot of bird activity up here. We heard a common raven, a flock of red crossbills flew by a couple of times, and we heard and saw several Pacific wrens. The wrens sure seem to be around in great numbers right now! They're one tiny forest dweller.

After our excursion to Mt. Constitution we decided to spend the rest of the day at the cabin. There were some hiking trails on the property there and a great view out the front windows into a secluded bay. Next up - some wildlife and scenic highlights from around the cabin!

Moran State Park on Orcas Island

This week I've had some family in town, which always makes for a good excuse to take some time to tour the San Juan Islands and visit some places I don't always get to go to as much as I would like. I've had my camera in hand for all of our adventures and have lots of photos to share (look for some upcoming posts to feature the insects, birds, and deer I've seen), but for now I'll focus on today's trip over to Orcas Island where we went to Moran State Park. You can check out some photos from my last visit there, which was ten months ago. Sometimes I'm amazed at how rarely I get to one of the other islands!

The focus of the day was going up Mt. Constitution, the highest point in the San Juan Islands at just over 2400 feet. While this morning was foggy, the skies had cleared by this afternoon giving us a panoramic view that stretches from up north near the city of Vancouver south along the mainland of Washington past Anacortes, and west from Mt. Baker to east over all the San Juan Islands. Here's a view from the top of the observation tower looking east towards Lummi Island and Rosario Strait:

The interpretive signs and park volunteer shared the well-known history of Moran State Park, the largest recreation area in the San Juan Islands at 5000 acres and one of the most famous Washington State Parks, and the associated story of Robert Moran, who donated the land to the state in 1921 so the public could always enjoy this amazing place. Surprisingly, however, no where could I find why the hill is called Mt. Constitution. Inquiring minds, of course, want to know, so I had to come home and find out.

It turns out the name Mt. Constitution comes from Charles Wilkes who led the United States Exploring Expedition, an exploratory survey of the Pacific Ocean conducted by the US Navy from 1838-1842. The survey came through local waters in 1841. Many of Wilkes' place names didn't stick; for instance, he named Orcas Island "Hull Island" after Isaac Hull, a sailor in the War of 1812. However, the name Mt. Constitution, given by Wilkes in honor of Isaac Hull's ship the USS Constitution, has, for some reason or another, stayed. Now I know!

I had been to the summit of Mt. Constitution before, but today was the first time I stopped to see Little Summit, a slightly shorter peak that has less obscured views to the west. Here's a couple views form Little Summit:

On the way back down we also stopped at Cascade Falls, a beautiful place I would love to spend some more time playing with camera settings while photographing the running water in the dappled sunlight of the forest. Here are a couple shots from today with the "soft water" effect gotten from longer exposures. The goal is to have the water look soft but keep the land crisp and in focus, which can be a trick when taking handheld photos like I was today. I like these results though. You can click on the photos to see larger versions.

Here's another vantage point standing at the bottom of one of the falls looking up:

In my two visits here I've never made it too far along the trails because I get stuck just a short ways in with so many things to try taking photos of! I would love to spend some more time here exploring the other trails and waterfalls, but today the ferry schedule and dinner plans kept the visit short. I guess I'll just have to go back!