We continued our stay in Birch Bay, WA and on Tuesday we took the car on the ferry to another one of the San Juan Islands: Orcas Island.  

The ferry made a brief stop on Shaw Island to pick up a few walk on passengers. It was another great ferry ride with beautiful scenery. 

We arrived at the tiny village of Orcas on the southern shore.  Orcas Island, at 57 square miles, is the largest and most rugged of the San Juan Islands.  Horseshoe-shaped, it has the highest peaks of the underwater mountain chain forming the foundation of the San Juan islands.  

Unlike Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, there is no big tourist area here.  Eastbound, a small village along the waters of Fishing Bay, is the major town with a few restaurants, shops and art galleries. Around the island are several bed and breakfast and small resorts for those desiring a remote get away. Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey recently bought a house on Orcas Island. 

The gem of the island is Moran State Park, Washington state’s fourth largest.  The park is 5,252 acres with five lakes, 38 hiking trails and several campsites.  MT Constitution rises 2,409 feet from the Salish Sea and is the highest point in the San Juan Islands.  We drove thirteen miles to the park along forests and hilly farmland with cattle grazing in the fields. 

Once we entered the park, the road was winding, narrow and steep to the top.  Almost at the top was Little Summit with a geocache and great views. 

At the top is a stone tower replica of Russian watchtowers from the 12th century.  

The view of the San Juan Islands, MT Baker, the Cascade Mountains and Rosario Strait was magnificent.  

Can you see my prince in the tower? 

This 53 foot stone tower was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and completed in 1936.  It is one of twenty historical buildings built by the CCC in the park.

While in Moran Park we also hiked to Cascade Falls and another smaller falls. 

We had a wonderful day on this beautiful island, including finding some geocaches. While geocaching we saw a deer munching on some apples from an apple tree in a yard. 

After we left the park we came to a rock wall with some really weird artwork.  Creepy! 

Before we knew it, it was time to catch the ferry home. 

We really enjoyed our stay in Birch Bay and nearby Blaine. Blaine is such a quaint little town with a Main Street decorated with flowering hanging baskets and America flags. 

Across the harbor we could see the Canadian town of White Rock. 

Next up: Another ferry ride, this time with the RV, and a new campground