Orcas Island...

I have said it so many times over the last few years and I will probably say it a million more times in my life... I LOVE having a membership in WorldMark Windham! We would never go on vacations, or even go to cool places without it.

This last weekend was no exception.

Thursday morning, my husband and I loaded up our bags and headed to Orcas Island to celebrate our 18th anniversary. As the ferry pulled away from Anacortez, we watched the water roll out from under us as it carried us away from the hussle and bustle of every day life.

We were amazed at the simple beauty as we drove to our resort getaway. The resort itself was quaint and perfect for us. The individual cottages were set on a hillside so we could each get an eye opening view of the marina. To make it even more amazing, each private deck was all set up with a hot tub! Here is the view I got to see every day and night as I let jet bubbles work out tired muscles.

As we explored the island locale, we ended up at a little wine tasting shop. I never thought to ask this gentleman his name, but he sure made it a fun and enlightening experience for us. Neither my husband nor myself are very versed in the delicate art of wine making and tasting. This man was a wealth of knowledge and easy going comedy as we sampled whites and reds, spiced and sweets, sparkling wines and thick ports.

No mater where we turned, there was an amazing view to take in. Here on the left is a view from Vern's Bayside in Eastsound where we ate a couple of times. (Look carefully & you can see the reflection of the ketchup bottle in the lower left corner.) Of course, with my meal including a hand-dipped, old-fashioned, super-thick chocolate milk shake, which view is better?

Though Orcas Island is small in size, there is plenty to do for the nature lover in everyone. We hiked around a handful of waterfalls that simply took my breath away. I love waterfalls and make it a point to visit the ones in our local area. However, I can't ever get as close to them as I did here. This specific one is called Rustic Falls and is located just south of Mt. Constitution.

One of the highlights in our sightseeing adventure was hiking to the top of Mt. Constitution. At just a little over 2,000 feet, it is not the giant type of mountains that we are used to, but the rewards were well worth it. This tower is the old lookout point that was built during the depresssion era.

From our vantage point, we could see the Canadian Cascade Range...

and view the other islands in the Sound. I just couldn't get enough of it.

It was so hard to load up in the car to leave this beautiful place. As our ferry pulled away to bring us back to reality, we vowed that this little out of the way place has to be a "must return" for us.