Day 11: Speedy Sunset Paddle in East Sound, Orcas Island

I slept in a couple hours longer than Sara to try and rid myself of a standard migraine (which usually lasts through 2 or 3pm the next day). Around 10:30 we headed into town (Eastsound) for some coffee ands discovered pistachio fig chocolates and mint ice cream. Mmmm breakfast! At a little park on the north end of East Sound, Sara made some phone calls to work and Southwest baggage. Southwest informed her that her second bag, which contained all of her camping/hiking/running gear, was considered permanently lost. Southwest agreed to reimburse her for the cost of the items, with depreciation, but it’s not clear exactly what that means. It’s a sad day :(

We made a stop to the grocery co-op where I purchased bulk spices in tiny bags, perfect for camping (each bag was ~25 cents!). Our Mexican-style veggies/beans/couscous will be twice as delicious tonight. Now I’m sitting by Cascade Lake in Moran State Park, only a mile or so from our campsite, while Sara hikes to some waterfalls nearby and I try to rid myself of this lovely headache. 

My blogging view

Next morning update: After Sara returned from her hike we made an excellent lunch-dinner of toasted pine nut couscous with sautéed onions, peppers, squash, and kale with black beans and spices. 

We relaxed on our respective picnic table benches for a while to digest before getting our butts in gear to go kayaking. We selected Cascade Bay, at Rosario Point as our put-in location. Naturally, we made a quick ice cream stop at Lopez Island Creamery and had some amazing Toffee Coffee and Rocky Road deliciousness. Cascade Bay is half way down East Sound and only a 5 minute drive from our campsite. We launched around 6:20pm and paddled south along the east shore. 

Cascade Bay launch beach

An hour later we were very energized (thanks, ice cream!) and decided to aim for the point at the mouth of the Sound. As with many points, we discovered another one… and another one… after it until we finally reached the bottom of the island. We turned the corner and got another view of Mt. Baker. There was a breeze, but there was little to no current. A time check showed that we had been paddling for 1.5 hrs, and would only get back to the launch site by ~9:20pm, after dark. We turned around and booked it back up the shore. Shortly after turning around we saw some splashes in the distance that we assumed were seals. Minutes later I saw a seals head pop up in front of Sara’s kayak. The next time it popped up it had a dorsal fin! The porpoise surfaced a few more times as it swam away from us. Another marine mammal spotted!

We chased the sunset along the island’s western hills until we arrived back at the launch site around 8:50pm. As always, the moment we started stripping in the parking lot 4 families came walking towards us from all directions. We drove back to the campground with Sara’s favorite country song on the radio. “Swarms of adolescents,” as Sara would call them, were wandering the campground roads. This week the park is hosting a cross-country running camp that clearly reserved every site on the island except ours. We showered, reorganized the car in anticipation of our early departure the next morning, read, and went to bed by 11.

Date: Tuesday, July 29th 2014

Distance: 9 miles

Duration: 2.5 hrs