Adventuring on Orcas Island

One of the best perks about launching a new version of shayboarder.com is being able to share travel experiences that go beyond snowboarding. It’s been years since I’ve been to the San Juan Islands and even longer since I was on Orcas Island so when I got the text that I was invited for a mini-vacation, I immediately changed my plans to make it happen.

Accessible by ferry, Orcas Island is a true waterfront island full of fun adventures. I had spent 4th of July’s here, camping journeys and always loved the relaxing views the island had to offer. This week Capitadog and I loaded up the truck for the ferry ride to the island and met up with friends at their family home.

Since I tried stand up paddleboarding last summer, I loved that it was something I could bring my dog with me along for the ride. We ended up mcgyvering a windsurf board to be a paddle board and played around most of the days padding on our knees, standing up and sitting down while cruising around on the water. It was fun to bring my dog back on the board with me, of course she prefers to swim than sit still for so long.

One of the days we took a walk along the road with the dogs. It was good to reflect on the past couple months, plans for the future and a reminder to remain optimistic. Good walks are the best ways to clear the head.

On the last day, everyone got together to kayak on the East Sound. We rented kayaks with the dogs and headed out into the water to cruise around.