Rosario Resort....The final final

We woke up with the plan to make sandwiches from our left overs, and take a good long walk on Sucia. We checked our empty crabpot and pulled it out permanently. Somehow as John was speaking about his fish and chips at Roche Harbor and how it was the BEST he has eaten in America, the idea of leftovers for dinner was less than appealing. Patti, John and I started thinking of going back to Roche Harbor and figuring out how long it would take us the next day to make the drive back to Anacortes to return the boat. Then as I looked at the chart I asked..."What about Rosario Resort?" Well, that was that, the plan was changed and we let Curtiss and Barbara know that was where we were headed. Let's see..... another hike on a beautiful island in the San Juans.... or a pool and showers and.... dinner on shore.....

They agreed Rosario was a good idea so off we went leaving the solitude and beauty of Sucia behind.

We headed across the blue waters with La Vida flying along on with all horses roaring...

As we circled Orcas Island you notice it is mostly uninhabited. It is hillier than other islands and the thick green forests cling to every inch of the land that you see from the water. When we turned around the corner there it was on shore... the tell tale signs of life, a breakwater and some buildings on the hillside.




We called ahead to let them know we were on our way. For $65 they told us we could tie up at the dock, use showers at our will (no quarters or special keys), have the use of all their spa including hot tub, three pools and sauna. Sounded like a deal to me.

But when we pulled in I realized just how great it was as dock boys met us and tied us safely to the slip and asked with eager smiling faces "Do you have any garbage we can take for you?"

We looked at each other in surprised delight and brought out two cases of empty bottles and three huge bags of trash. Yes...this is the life I was born for! One of the boys siad "My name is Eric please let me know if I can help you with anything." Patti said, "Do you bring coffee to the boat in the morning " in jest, and Eric replied "That's a great idea."

Throughout the time we were at the Resort I was completely impressed with the sincere enthusiasm the staff seemed to have to meet our every need. I am guessing their business mission is to do just that and each employee seemed to believe it completely.

Rosario Resort originally was a mansion built and lived in by George Moran (a ship builder and contractor). The Moran Mansion still stands and is truly wonderful for anyone who appreciates buildings to explore. Around the Mansion, there are motel type buildings. The property has been operated as a Resort for many years and I am sure there are families to whom this place is a part of their histories. The whole place was recently closed as a group of investors turned their back on the venture. It is now owned by a local family. The viability of this Resort surely makes a difference to the island's economy supplying many jobs and a lot of pride. So onto this fine island we set foot to go and explore.

Boat tied up safely, no muss or fuss and without garbage!

Barbara and Curtiss arrived shortly after a little sail enroute.

We weren't the only ones enjoying the hospitality at Rosario.

Even this deer wasn't shy to except the hospitality

Before doing anything else we surveyed the grounds.

As we walked around the mansion to the waterside, we saw...

The outdoor pool - with a view! So off we went to get ready to jump in and begin the luxury of Rosario. (Hey the Resort is older and I have seen some more plush, but in comparison to the boat...well.... and I never have been a place where we were treated better.)

Lounge chair with a view...

We went back to the boat after hot tubs, showers and swimming for our cocktail hour. Our dinner reservations at the Quilted Pig were for 7pm.

Everyone cleaned up pretty good!

When we got to the Mansion we walked around and explored while our table was getting ready.

Some view!

Upstairs in the mansion the rooms were open to view. The first you come to is the music room with full organ. They play the organ at 4pm and we were able to hear it as we explored the grounds. There was certainly a sense of history and music in the air.

Every room a view

Custom cabinets

Impressive hardware

Indoor plumbing of silver

California Closets be jealous!

Turn of the century stained glass...

Then dinner. The menu looked promising and the food was ok... prepared well enough, but I do think they need a little more umph in the seasoning. But we had a great time...

And left happy and satified on our last night in the San Juans.

The next morning the skies were grey, right on cue. We said goodbye to Rosario to head to Anacortes to return the boat.

Even Anacortes looked a little sad to see us ending the trip.

We all had been guessing how much gas we used on this BIG boat and were surprised it was only 49 gallons. My guess would have been we would spend $400 on gas, but we only spent $152!

What a great trip. We had a little of everything going on. Our prefect get away always does.
We definately will return. The chart below shows where we went click on it and blow it up to see and you will notice there is a lot more to explore. WE WILL BE BACK!

While we were away the proceeds of Wine Wars hit the 3 day books and we know now the team with the most money per invidual thanks to many of you. Please if you have not donated do so today. You see...this is the killer week, a kind of payback for me having so much fun on this trip. This weekend we are supposed to walk 18 and 15 miles back to back! A donation will make this all a lot easier! And hey as the #2 fundraisier (as of today) I only need about $5000 to be #1. Imagine... me.... in a double sized pink tent at the 3 day and it will only take $5000 more $$$$

Hey a girl can dream can't she, especially after such a dreamy vacation!

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