The Orcas Island Adventure

[John&Vicki]

I really love the San Juans. Cruised around there several times with our 21' power boat, including trips to Victoria. This thread is really whetting my appetite for our upcoming extended visit. As I mentioned previously my wife and I will be at San Juan Historical NP from March 1 to May 15 as volunteer interpretive rangers. Then on to the top of Orcas for a month serving as volunteers at the Mt. Constitution lookout. I already know it's going to be tough to leave.

John

[kingfisher24]

we arose this morning with ferry schedule in hand and prepared to travel to the ferry landing at orcas and catch "the red eye"…to anacortes…the mainland…or just off-island as the terminology goes…

ferry sails at 6:45 am…30 minute drive from rosario to the terminal…just as we arrive …the dude on the radio says he hopes we all "fell back" due to daylight savings time

&*%$##@…..we are not 45 minutes early, as is necessary…BUT AN HOUR AND 45 …EARLY...

because with our head in the clouds of mount constitution , i guess we were oblivious to the outside world…

so it is 5 am local..at the ferry terminal…not open until 5:45 an hour b4 sailing…

but one other car is there…and i ask the dude..does washington observe DLST…he said …no we outlawed it….i thought…hum…he drove and got in line to board the ferry….

then..i saw a WSF employe and he confirmed that it was indeed way too early

so the adventure began real early…but it was a great trip…"went shopping "off island"…long day….and caught the 1:55 pm ferry back to orcas…

.AND IT WAS RAINING…after a cloudy but rain free day in the anacortes area

there is amazon.com that will deliver anything…..

[kingfisher24]

the other day the pups and I were walking around the rosario marina when we notice a large beautiful ..i guess a yacht….named "LAVITUDE" from Bellingham, wa…backing into a slip….

it is a busy, but closed for the season marina, and we have seen other fine rigs back in and overnight….

but this one, the more that we noticed…a couple and a dog…employed a motorized dingy…..and proceeded to board same and haul ass across cascade bay to a really fine house….. right on the rugged shore…with no apparent access but from the water…. and they motored up to the dock…tied up and walked up to the house


that is my inspiration….

[ghatfield]

After we bought our place in the old part of Anacortes (no view....oh, I can see Mt. Baker from the middle of the street), we moved our residency to WA. As part of the that effort we had to change our driver's license. I expected the worst after experiences in many other states. But the guy at the DMV could not have been nicer....and there were a fair number of people waiting in his line. When we left I thanked him for the best DMV experience of my life!

[Lily&Me]

Going to be quite the life for you two.

"Off island" shopping excursions sound like great day-trips.


Maggie

[kingfisher24]

real estate; type ,availability affordability, accessibility on Orcas is a unfolding mystery…we are now a whopping 2 weeks into our stay and experiment/adventure of living on an island, orcas in particular

and the choice is to find a property already existing that you like or think you can live with or remodel…or find suitable land and build something…

most of the time it is cheaper to buy something already built…but…

that is our unfolding project…educating ourselves and looking…..

and getting acclimated to a entirely different climate…..and so

we are contemplating a winter trip DOWN THE WASHINGTON/OREGON COAST…IN DECEMBER….

WHAT IS THE WEATHER REALLY LIKE???????
we are trying to study an understand that the entire coast of oregon, at least will be MOSTLY TO COMPLETELY WET….

IS IS ORCAS WET…OR 5 TIMES THAT????

anyone been there…done that….

[Tomy]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

WHAT IS THE WEATHER REALLY LIKE???????
we are trying to study an understand that the entire coast of oregon, at least will be MOSTLY TO COMPLETELY WET….

IS IS ORCAS WET…OR 5 TIMES THAT????

anyone been there…done that….

My wife grew up on the coast of Oregon, so I asked her since I've never been there in December. She said it can get pretty bad with heavy rain and high winds. Rarely any snow. But she said the storms can be beautiful, crashing in on the shores. The Olympic mountains shield the Orcas from a lot of that.

The Oregon coast is incredible. Astoria is where the movies 'Goonies' and 'Kindergarden Cop' were filmed. My wife grew up south of there in Gearhart. South of there is Seaside, which is the touristy place where all the Portlandians go to.

Most beautiful to me is Cannon Beach with its huge sea stacks. Jamie Lee Curtis has a house there.

Past that is Tillamook, where the best NW cheese is made. There are tours and free cheese samples. Make sure you try the vintage white sharp cheddar.

That's as far south as I have gone.

Washington beaches north of the Quinault Reservation are true wilderness beaches and part of the Olympic National Park.

Shi Shi Beach is simply amazing.

Nearby is the Hobuck Beach Resort, where you can park right on the beach. They're open year round, so the weathers not enough to scare all the travelers off. I've never been to Hobuck, but it and Neah Bay is on my todo list.

I don't think I'd worry about the weather. Just carry appropriate clothing. I go to The Fisheries Supply showroom here in Seattle and buy what the commercial fishermen wear.

Most of the beaches are so hauntingly beautiful that you will want to go back again and again.

[Alphonse]

Fun thread - thanks - subscribed!

BTW, headed to Texas on business this week. Need anything?

[Pams72]

My brother in-law lives in Lincoln City Oregon. Sometimes the middle of winter, the weather can be better than the summer days.
I remember several Christmas days there sunny and warm. Pam and I use to go to Seaside Oregon during the cold snaps we get here in the winter. The coast will be in the 50's while it might be in the 20's inland.
One thing for sure It does rain a lot every month of the year.
For us its like natures air conditioning in the dog days of summer and natures heater during the arctic blasts.

[webspinner]

My inlaws have lived on Lopez for over 30 years now and my brother in law has been on Orcas for about 10.

The weather in the winter is often cloudy. People who get seasonal affective disorder either have special lights or head south for the winter.

Rain tends to come in individual storms that last a few days. Winds can get very high, to the point that trees blow over and the power gets taken out. Good to have a no-electricity backup plan. Most of the rainfall happens in the winter, but it's variable. I've had three weeks straight of rain in August, and also 6 weeks straight of sunshine in July/August.

It can snow a couple to a few times in a winter, or not at all. When it snows, traffic basically stops. If I recall, it snowed twice last winter.

[Rocinante]

One quick thought. If you haven't already discovered this weather blog, it's worth reading: http://cliffmass.blogspot.com

[Tomy]

Originally Posted by Silvery Moon

One quick thought. If you haven't already discovered this weather blog, it's worth reading: Cliff Mass Weather Blog

Right on. My wife and I love Cliff Mass. The dude abides.

[kingfisher24]

what to do with the airstream…

just as the path of least resistance…it is at west beach until 30 november…

and so i have been thinking…and have come up with this short term plan…so my leaking skylight needs attention and some other items…so i call up the airstream dealer in Covington, wa, which is fairly close to carnation, wa and the tolt- mcdonald park…

so i am planning to leave here nov 29 and stay at tolt- mcdonald and take the trailer in first thing monday morning and then beat it back to catch the 3:40 ferry back to orcas

they, like all airstream dealers are booked up and they can keep my trailer "almost" rent free until after the first of the year…..

then we can pick it up and try a tour of the coast in january and see what wet is really about

anyway…an adventure inside an adventure inside an adventure…..ain't life great

[Rocinante]

Hey, that sounds like a pretty cool plan. The Covington team is a solid bunch. The thing that works best for me is to send them an email before I arrive with a complete list of all the work I want done. Just ask for Larry's email (the service manager) and they'll give it to you.

While you're there, be sure to tour all their new 2015 models just for fun.

Oh, and Costco is right next door, with cheap gas and plenty of everything. A perfect opportunity to join up now that you're a native of the PNW!

[Tomy]

My only problem is getting there. It once took me three hours. I left at three and got there at six when they we're closing. But they still let me look. Good guys.

I-5 can be horrible at times.

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

then we can pick it up and try a tour of the coast in january and see what wet is really about

anyway…an adventure inside an adventure inside an adventure…..ain't life great

Maggie

[kingfisher24]

the sun arose to a picture perfect, gloriously brilliant at dawn, a few fluffy clouds a slight breeze..the bay almost mirror perfect…

but yesterday…it was different…the day started with gale warnings…and the island is windy always…but yesterday was up a few notches….and …about 4PM the wind was howling…followed by a power outage that lasted until about 9PM

in wondering…are we the only one, and strangers in a strange land that we are…we called the landlord, who is on the other side of the island…and he had power…but said never fear…welcome to the island…..so we call the local power company…and they have a recording that a tree near olga is down and power is off and crews are on the way…hold for a human….

call back and after a few get A HUMAN a nice reassuring human that said all was under control…welcome to the island…


and then was a note to self…buy plenty of batteries and flashlights and add generator to house plans

[Goal15]

To be all hunkered down on an island with gale force wind warnings.... doesn't get much better than that.... sorry about the power outage... that's why they used to call them hurricane lamps

Dana

[Lily&Me]

Yep.

I think island winds, by definition, are like no other....but that's all part of the charm.

Heard this from one of Doug's college buddies, who was the postmaster on Nantucket Island for many years, and we also experienced gale force winds....horizontal, in a snowstorm....one January in Ireland.

Enjoy.


Maggie

[Rocinante]

Yep, if you're gonna live in the PNW and you don't want to lose power from time to time, get a generator, have some gasoline handy, and something you can put in the gas to preserve it so it will be usable when you need it. We have a big water-cooled Honda on wheels and a GenTran switch wired into the house. It's a shame that generator is too darn big to take camping, but we bought it long before we considered owning an RV.