Finally a warm weekend! And Orcas near Orcas...

We knew we were getting out this weekend and lucked out that the frigid weather finally turned to something at or above normal. For us, this means we had highs this weekend of the 60's and not in the 40's. All the difference in the world.

Spring Passage and Presidents Channel are beautiful and prone to rough seas

To mix it up we went to Sucia Island, which we avoid altogether in anything other than the off season, as it attracts hordes of people from nearby Bellingham and environs. We found Fossil Bay plenty busy, with the dock full and a few balls taken, but still room to anchor. The holding is good in Fossil Bay in mud.

We had a smooth trip from Friday Harbor and it's about 3 hours at about 6 knots. While we cruised along the northern shoreline of Orcas island, I became aware of what looked like wind surfers in the distance. After a moment, I realized they were Orcas! A whole pod of Orcas! There were young and old, and evidently, they were the transient Orcas and not the resident J, K, L pods. The transients feast on pinnipeds, and are doing just fine these days. We snapped a few long distance pictures, which do not convey the joy of it all.

See those dorsal fins near the left side of the photo? 

Get outside! Just go! Go! Go!



Once at Sucica we did two hikes we had not done before. Hard for us in the Salish Sea. We walked out to EV Henry Point on Saturday, and what a delight. The warm sun, the growing grass, the cobble beaches, the fossils in the rocks out at the point!

On Sunday we hiked out to Johnson Point, and it was equally fantastic, with the trail following along the edge of Snoring Bay and alive with new growth.

Elliott, our otter of a son, jumped in and swam back to Aeolus when we returned from the hike on Saturday. It was a good 100 yards, and he was plenty cold after doing it. People nearby looked alarmed that he would even try it!