Saturday on Orcas Island, and Watching Orcas on the Sound

After going into East Sound and figuring out what to do, we finally called a guy named Beau and set up to attend a whale watching tour with him this afternoon. Then we noticed that there was a farmers market going on so we stopped by that and purchased a very nice pottery plate. The creator of such a plate told us about a shop, Orcas Pottery, that has many other pottery crafts. We got directions and decided that we had time to head out that way before our whale outing.

Orcas Pottery was such an eclectic little place. Pottery and designs were all over a piece of land and shops near the shore, but well off the main road through the dense forest. Stepping stones had broken plates pressed into concrete, the shops had walls covered in plates and dishes, and there was a giant treehouse that no adult could even resist! Alas, the time came and we had to return to our campsite to gather up clothing and snacks for the whale watching tour and so we bid our goodbyes to the odd little pottery place.

The whale watching tour was incredible. The wind was brisk, but we just had to stay outside because it was so nice. We saw seals, eagles, and various deer on one island. There was an island that was once owned by John Wayne where big game animals (such as deer, rams, and lions) were brought, released, and then hunted by rich people with big guns. That was closed down eventually.

The most incredible, and reason for going out there, was seeing the orca whales traveling about. We don’t even know how many individual whales we saw, but it was a few dozen, perhaps 40 to 50 individual whales.

We saw them a number of times each, including a mother whale with a new baby whale only a few months old. This little family passed by our boat some 50 to 60 yards away – quite close for such an event. We saw the whales jump out of the water, splash their tails and fins, and blow.

Off in the distance we even saw a number of whales pull right up next to a few kayakers, just yards away. The tour was worth all the money. It was a bright, sunny day, the company was good, the sites were amazing, and the memories will stay.

We drove up to Mount Constitution. There is a watch tower on the top of this mountain that overlooks the Sound towards the south and east. The setting sun created an eerie feeling through the impenetrable forest, but the view was spectacular on top. We could see the islands we had sailed past just hours before, Mt. Baker on the mainland, Canada not far away, and forests and lakes below us.