A week at Eagle Lake

Eagle Lake: A slice of paradise

I can't let the month end without a look back to eight glorious days on Orcas Island. Nothing compares to being at a place where fresh air, nature's beauty and the coziness of our cabin make you feel refreshed and simply thankful to be alive.

Do I exaggerate? Perhaps.

But consider that this is a place where life is meant to be lived in the slow lane. The hilly topography and two-lane roads translate to a maximum speed limit of 40 mph on the island. Hitchhiking is common and no matter where you go, people are never in a rush. My kind of pace.

What was so good about our last visit? Well, a little of everything. In no particular order:

Looking south from Mt. Constitution

Socializing at not one but two Saturday night potlucks. Kayaking for three hours one afternoon, cruising past five islands and spotting a group of harbor seals. Hosting our Portland friends Erin and Beth for two nights and showing them a couple of favorite places on the rock: Obstruction Pass State Park, the view from the summit of Mount Constitution (elevation 2,400 feet).

Attending open mic and pizza night at the counterculture Doe Bay Cafe. Hiking the barkdust trail around Eagle Lake. Returning a couple days later to play Scrabble at the dock. Running one morning on the road between Doe Bay and Sea Acres. Enjoying the songbirds and hummingbirds that came to our porch every morning. (One of them, a pine siskin, let me approach so close that I was able to reach up s-l-o-w-l-y and touch her tailfeathers before she flew away.)  

Lori on the Eagle Lake trail

Curling up with a good book in our hammock. Consuming delicious food -- home-cooked meals at our cabin as well as lunch at the Olga Cafe and the Farmers Market, and a fabulous Friday night dinner at the Inn at Ship Bay, the equal of any high-end restaurant in Portland or Seattle. Waking up each morning to the sound of ... silence.

Two quick stories illustrate how easy it is to make connections on the island.

A year ago, we picked up a hitchhiker named Megan who was on her way in to Eastsound to meet with her yoga instructor. When we attended open mic night last week, the banjo-playing hostess was none other than Megan, wearing a spaghetti-strap flowered dress, leggings and hiking boots. Turns out she'd recognized me when we were seated across from each other at the express computer terminals at the public library a few days earlier but didn't say anything at the time. I knew she looked familiar but I couldn't place her until she said hi to Lori and me on Thursday night. Hugs all around.

When we went kayaking on Tuesday, our guide was a young woman named Julia, who in the course of conversation mentioned that she had a brother working on Maple Rock Farm, one of the island's many farms. Sure enough, when we went to the Farmers Market, we spotted the MRF booth, which was staffed that morning by a young man named Eric, who turned out to be Julia's brother. I wouldn't be surprised if we met their parents or their significant others on a return visit.

Open mic at Doe Bay Cafe

I don't know if it's possible to have anything other than a pleasant experience here. We're blessed to be able to create so many good memories and pleased to be able to share our place with visitors.

If all goes as planned, we'll be back up in September.

Unwinding from the urban life

Feeder No. 1 as viewed
from our living room

If Disneyland is The Happiest Place on Earth, Orcas Island just might be The Mellowest Place on Earth.

The magical vibe of the island has already sunk into our pores and we've  barely been here less than 48 hours.

We departed Anacortes on Saturday afternoon for a week of vacation and as soon as the ferry pulled away from the dock, we could feel ourselves instantly relax, all our worries dissipating like the mist into a breeze.

We arrived in time to unpack, throw together a pasta salad and head down to the Eagle Lake shelter for the Saturday night potluck, made up of a changing cast of characters, depending on who's on the island at any given time.

Met three new couples -- including the newest residents, Phil and Gale, from Danville, Calif. -- and shared a nice meal.

Had a relaxing Father's Day morning (Lori let me sleep in and cooked me breakfast), then went outside and did yard work most of the day, which wasn't even a bother, given the mild weather. Dinner for two and Scrabble made for a nice evening.

Got up early, had a bowl of cereal on the porch, then came back in and watched the birds flock to our three feeders -- everything from hummingbirds to pine siskins and a black-headed grosbeak to a greedy Steller's Jay.

Went for a run on the trails up above our house and saw a deer and one banana slug. Felt good because it was the first time I'd run in a week, due to a lingering cough. Now, I'm stopping in at the public library for 15 minutes to knock this out before I drive back to the cabin again and meet up with Lori for lunch.

Ah, no place like Eagle Lake and Orcas Island.

A week of paradise

Is there a more majestic sight than that of a pair of bald eagles, gliding silently directly overhead in a crisp, clear baby-blue sky?

I'm halfway through a Friday morning run, at the Land's End turnaround at the end of Outward Bound Road -- as far as you go on the trail before it yields to untamed grass and rock outcroppings looking out to Georgia Strait. I remove my earbuds and first soak up the sounds of expertly camouflaged songbirds in the trees and bushes around me.

Then I peer up above the treeline and spend the next few minutes watching these magnificent birds, with their unmistakable snow-white heads and thick bodies, dipping above and below each other as they do a series of tight circles.

It's a signature moment, just me and these birds, about a mile from the shore of Eagle Lake on Orcas Island.

Two days earlier, Lori and I had another signature moment, when we set out to hike part of the Turtleback Mountain trail. We entered from the north trailhead, just off Crow Valley Road, with Otto on a leash and a picnic lunch in my backpack. We were on the trail for four hours -- a 5-mile roundtrip that took us mostly up on a gently curving trail and gave us the opportunity to take three short detours to points offering breathtaking vistas, including Crow Valley and Waldron Island (both pictured here).

All of this is due to a partnership of conservation organizations, including the San Juan Preservation Trust, The Trust for Public Land and the San Juan County Land Bank, that raised $18.5 million to buy nearly 1,600 acres of undeveloped land.

Astoundingly, we were the only ones on the trail. We could fantasize for a moment and pretend this was our private slice of heaven. But, the truth be told, it's an experience we've had more than once, whether it's hiking at Obstruction Pass State Park near Olga or (while it was still open to the public) hiking at Madrona Point near Eastsound.

We hadn't been on the island since last August. As always, we left feeling emotionally cleansed and physically refreshed. What more could we ask for from a vacation getaway? We are so blessed...

Photo of Turtleback Mountain: San Juan Preservation Trust

Good wine, great friends

I'm still recovering...

Our friends from Eagle Lake on Orcas Island came down to visit this past weekend. Carl and Juliana were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and, to our great honor, decided to include us in the festivities. In short, the four of us spent the weekend eating and drinking.

Consider:

Tasty tapas at Toro Bravo, capped by their heavenly paella.
Coffee, mochas and breakfast sandwiches at Jim & Patty's.
A tour of five wineries, starting with Ponzi and concluding with Willakenzie Estates , below. (Check out the guide to Willamette Valley wineries here.)
Lunch at The Dundee Bistro.
A fabulous Italian dinner at Iorio.
A box full o' treats from Voodoo Doughnut, including the signature bacon maple bar. Yum!



We had a great time -- lots of calories, lots of laughs, lots of passing plates around the table. It felt good to show off our neighborhood and the surrounding area, and better still to enjoy each other's company with no pressure, no pretenses.

We've known Carl and Juliana for only four years, but it feels like a lot more. We're fortunate to have them as our friends...