Nomad Life - Day 122

Christmas Day!  This morning, I was awake by 0630 (no alarm) and had lots of Christmas messages to send and/or reply to.  On the health front, I still felt tired but no longer congested - maybe I'm almost better?  I made breakfast in my room and took several peaks outside the window of my room at the Navy Inn on NAS Whidbey Island.  The weather was still dry so I decided to take a trip to the San Juan Islands.  Fortunately, I was mostly prepared to make an immediate departure and started up my Subaru just after Morning Colors (0800).  Only one gate open again so had to drive to WA-20 via Ault Field Road.  On the way to Anacortes, I passed through Deception Pass State Park and then used back roads around the west side of town.  Ultimately, I arrived at Ferry Terminal by 0835.  Not having a firm idea of what I wanted to do, I sked where the next ferry went.  There was actually one just about to depart for Friday Harbor but I had already been there twice.  Instead, I chose the following Ferry, which was heading to Orcas Island.  The ticket agent seemed to think that it was funny that I didn't know where I wanted to go but then he said he wished he wasn't working so he'd have that kind of opportunity...  The Orcas Ferry didn't depart until after 1000 so I had time for walking, birding and research on how to use the ferry (driving and walking on) for other other islands.  From a friendly gate agent inside the Washington State Ferries office at the Terminal, I learned that three ferries do all the work for the San Juans.  It sounded like very complicated schedule of direct and interisland but they keep things going day in and day out...  I also discovered that that the ferry to Sydney, BC (which appears on several transit maps) hasn't been in operation since COVID began.  I found some good brochures for my day on Orcas while I was in the building too.  At 0940, the ferry "Kaleetan" arrived and started loading cars.  For some reason, there was a delay after I was given the green light to start driving.  No explanation was given but I noticed that there was an angry older lady complaining to police officers (about someone who boarded the ferry?) nearby.  In any case, the first cars allowed onboard were bound for  Lopez Island stop and then I got on afterwards.  The boat wasn't very full when we departed (1005).  Christmas Bonus: we had great visibility and the temps in the 40s!  I could see Mount Baker and lots of snowy peaks to the north - we also had full views of the San Juans themselves.  Regarding Orcas Island, I got to see Mount Constitution for the first time in several trips I've done in the islands.  While we were transiting, I got some lunch (cheeseburger) from the ship's galley (1035).  We arrived at Lopez Island (first time docking there) by 1045 and I watched while lots of cars disembarked.  There were a few people who also got on our ship, including some nuns.  I talked to them and learned that they had spent the previous day spreading out from their Convent on Shaw Island to support Masses on two different islands.  When "Kaleetan" departed from Lopez, we passed (but didn't stop at) Shaw's Island - the nuns had to do some creative scheduling to get home.  The ferry was at Orcas Island Ferry Landing by 1120 and I was one of the first cars off the boat.  I started driving north on the island (Orcas Road) but soon realized that my CarPlay apps were having problems - worse, though, my gas gauge was showing empty when it wasn't close to that before.  As a result, I stopped several times to try to resolve the issues.  Eventually, I fixed the gas tank problem and gave up on using my phone for navigation.  Instead, I tried to follow the paper map I had.  During this window, the weather had remained good but the forecast predicted rain by 1300.  I wanted to get the best views so immediately headed towards Moran State Park.  On the way, I passed through East Sound Village (a small town on the northern end of East Sound, a fjord like body of water in the middle of the island) and then continued south on Olga Road.  I entered the State Park at 1150 and soon located the road up that would take me to the top of Mount Constitution.  During the climb, I passed a few places where I was able to get photos - there were very nice views of islands to the south.  Along the way, I passed over Little Summit (2200 feet) and started to see some big snow flakes.  It was also a lot colder (low 30s) and I was driving in and out of clouds.  It didn't look like I'd get the great views from the higher summit and, sure enough, when I arrived at parking lot for the Main Peak (1205), the whole area was obscured by fast moving clouds. Though I did get occasional glimpses of white peaks in the distance, I never get the nice vistas I'd desired.  A lady nearby (who said she was from Wisconsin) told me "you just missed the perfectly clear views - I got a video in the last few minutes!"  Oh well...  I found some places with a lot of snow on the ground and spent a bit of time walking around near a big tower on the summit but stayed only a short time.  Hoping to get more sightseeing in before the rain arrived, I began my drive back down Mount Constitution.  Along the way, it started to sprinkle and, soon, there was steady mist/rain.  Undeterred, I decided to visit nearby Obstruction Pass State Park.  To reach it, I had to use Obstruction Pass Road and then Trailhead Road (a dirt track near the end) - I successfully located the park by 1235.  I was disappointed, however, because the parking lot was very crowded and there was no immediate view of the sea.  Instead of hiking to find better vistas, I returned to Obstruction Pass Road and drove to the Lieber Haven Marina Resort.  Fortunately, I was able to see a lot more when I got there (1245) and spent a short time walking near the docks.  It continued raining so I backtracked to Olga Bay and got on Point Lawrence Road.  I'd seen an interesting place to the east to Doe Bay on my map and was pleasantly surprised by the Resort & Retreat that I found there (1300).  The little hamlet was very sleepy but the misty views to the east were perfect.  Even though the Retreat seemed to mostly be closed, I ended up talking with some folks there (about life on the island) before backtracking to the west.  During my second transit of East Sound Village (1330), I detoured towards the airport and made a short stop at North Beach.  Unlike the other places I'd visited, it was very windy there.  View-wise, though, I could definitely see all the way across to Canada and I noticed some interesting islands to the north (I learned later that they were called Patos, Sucia and Matia).  Next, I continued west (using back roads) towards Deer Harbor.  Along the way, I stopped at the Turtleback Mountain South Trailhead.  This was a place where I really hoped to hike but, by then, it was raining steadily so I never left the trailhead.  Instead, I drove into the town of Deer Harbor and explored the Marina (1405).  Just as I finished that walk, Brenna called.  I'd already started driving east again and had to stop to keep cell signal while talking to her.  After we hung up the phone, I realized I still had a lot of time still left before the ferry back to Anacortes departed.  For the rest of my time on the island, I decided to try to find a view of the East Sound (from the west side of it). First, I drove to Orcas, which I passed , and then continued east.  Eventually, I was denied by "Private Road" signs.  Backtracking to the Ferry Landing yet again, I drove north on Orcas Road and figured out that a few of the back roads took me to an area near the town of Dolphin. I saw plenty of farmland along the way. During this phase, I got several glimpses of the East Sound but never could access the waterfront at any point along my drive of Dolphin Bay Road.  I was also unsuccessful when I tried to access White Beach - I kept encountering private neighborhoods.  After driving around on dirt and gravel roads in the rain for over an hour, I ended up back where I'd started: Orcas.  By that point, I was tired to exploring so I entered the Ferry Landing queue (on hill above the town) at 1540.  Just after I parked, the rain stopped - I ended up spending the rest of the time walking and birding.  Along the way, I also talked to the staff of the Washington State Ferries and learned more about ferry operations.  Before my ferry arrived, I enjoyed watching "Tillikum" in action - it was serving as the Interisland Ferry for the day.  I also saw a sea lion or seal poking his head out of the water close to the dock.  At 1620, it was finally time to board my return ferry, "Issaquah".  Fortunately, my early arrival made it easy to get a parking spot.  We departed Orcas at 1635 and made a quick trip over to Shaw Island, where no one got off the ferry but one car got onboard.  This vehicle was full of the same nuns I'd met in the morning!  This time, I learned more about their Order (Sisters of Mercy) and convent on the island.  We talked for a while and I enjoyed the encounter.  A bit later (1625), I got some dinner (hot dog) from the Galley.  Because it wasn't too cold outside, I walked around on the ship and concluded my 10K step goal by the time we arrived in Anacortes (1745).  Once "Issaquah" was docked, I got off the ship quickly and started driving south (skirting west of town).  As I've seen several times already, Google/Apple Maps was not very helpful on getting on base.  I managed to locate the correct (and only open) gate for NAS Whidbey Island and arrived at the Navy Inn by 1815.  Not wanting to stop a pleasant habit, I got more cookies and cocoa in the lobby before returning to my room.  Feeling very tired, I basically just rested and watched movies for the rest of the evening.  Bonus: Katie called.  At the end of my busy Christmas Adventure day, I went to bed at 2200.  What a great day of exploring and learning about life in the San Juans!