Orcas Island Day 2

Day 1

Day 2

Day 2 started at 1030 am.  It was so nice to sleep in and not be in a rush to get on the water.  This day was set to be a casual paddle to Doe Bay Resort.  I had called the night before and made a reservation for a campsite.  Unfortunately Doe Bay has a 3 night minimum stay (or 2 night depending on which employee you speak to).  Well we only needed one night.  They open it up to one night only stays 24 hours prior if there are still any campsites available.  We lucked out and had a spot reserved.  As we set off the water was glassy calm.  The conditions were unreal.  We were joined momentarily by a woman in an NDK Explorer.  Obviously a very skilled paddler she was also going around Orcas, but by herself.  She had spent the night before at Jones Island and was paddling on this day to Doe Island.  She was only with us momentarily as she absolutely smoked us with her speed.  She didn’t look like she was paddling hard at all, but all I could do was watch her steadily pull away.  We averaged 4 knots on this leg of our trip so I don’t think we were taking it too easy.  I think I need to work on my forward stroke to become more efficient.  Or maybe my boat is just a bit slower.  The explorer is about the same length as my boat but about an inch narrower.  Perhaps it is a faster boat.  I think I’ll blame it on my boat.  Much better than blaming myself.

Our biggest crossing of the entire trip was on this leg as we crossed the entrance of East Sound.  1.5 nm.  Not much of a crossing, and very little current or shipping traffic to worry about.  We entered Obstruction Pass arriving at Lieberhaven for lunch at 1230.  Slack was supposed to be at 1237 at Obstruction Pass yet we still had some pretty significant current against us as we paddled into Lieberhaven.  Lieberhaven offers small cabins for rent and the best beach I saw on Orcas.  Obstruction Pass and nearby Peavine Pass could easily provide enough paddling entertainment for a trip in and of itself.  A cute little store and a beached sailboat add to the charm.

Lieber Haven Resort

After some ice cream and a little lunch we were off again.  As we paddled by the eastern most point of Obstruction Island it sounded like a river with rapids for the currents.  Pretty cool.  We stayed close to the Orcas shoreline and had no problems and instead got a bit of a free ride at one point going over 7 knots.  We made good time to Doe Island where we stopped for a few minutes to check out the camping.  A nice little island, but not very good beaches for landing.  The campsites looked nice though.  This had been where we were going to camp if we couldn’t get into Doe Bay Resort.  Remember the gal that passed us.  Yeah she had already arrived, unloaded her kayak and set up camp.  Man was she fast.  Just a short jaunt later and we were pulling into Doe Bay.

Arriving at Doe Bay Resort

Doe Bay Resort sits in a gorgeous little bay.  Decent beach for landing with driftlogs elevated making the perfect parking spot for our kayaks.  There is a little store, cafe, hot tubs, and showers with endless hot water.  A shower felt so good after two days of paddling.  Unfortunately Doe Bay also included the longest hike to get to our campsite.  Some of the campsites are amazing sitting right on the edge of the water overlooking Rosario Straight.  Our campsite on the other hand was a spot just barely big enough for our small little tents.  No place to sit and no table.  Now I wouldn’t mind that except we paid over $50 dollars for that little chunk of dirt.  For $12 at a state park I got way more.  That’s okay the showers and espresso made it all worth while.

View from Doe Bay

Hot tubs overlooking Doe Bay

Doe Bay used to be known as “Dope Bay.”  It is a little on the hippie side.  Okay a lot on the hippie side.  I on the other hand am way more on the conservative side.  I even met a woman that lived at Doe Bay way back when it was a hippie commune.  She was there visiting there with her kids showing them where she used to live.  I was really craving a steak or hamburger.  Definitely not to be found here.  There is a community fire pit, which is the only place that allows fires in the resort.  The entertainment for the night was a group of drunk 20 something girls.  They were for the most part more entertaining than obnoxious.  I sure would have hated to have the hang over that I knew they were going to have the next day.  One of their friends walked away for a few minutes then announced that he had just smoked a “fat bowl.”  Yes a bit of a strange place.

One of the better campsites with a Yurt at Doe Bay

A few other visitors to Doe Bay were Shawna and Leon from Body Boat Blade. I never saw them, but saw their kayaks on the beach.  They were only there for a few hours.  I was totally impressed with what I saw with their boats.  Here are some of the most skilled paddlers in the world (BCU 5 star) paddling in an area where they are completely familiar.  Yet they still had charts, drysuits, and tow lines.  Always prepared for the worse.  What a great example.

This side up pointed at the bottom of the boat.  Shawna must like to roll.

I settled in about 1am and had another great nights sleep.  Although I enjoyed Doe Bay Resort I think Doe Island would have been just as good.  I’m into solitude a bit more.  Plus I could have paddled over for a cup of coffee or breakfast.  Besides the alternative hippie thing just isn’t my cup of tea.