www.suncruiser.ca I 2012 SunCruiser WEST COAST
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artists. The atmosphere is both cozy and elegant. For nearly 40 years the Duck Soup Inn has had a reputation for offering some of the most delicious food and wine in the region. All meals come with a wonderful hand-craſted soup and organic garden-fresh salad, but the appetizers were still impossible to ignore. We chose the ravioli: sautéed with green apples, dry sherry & tarragon and crowned with Asiago cheese, and the “that-day-fresh” grilled black figs and roasted onion, drizzled with blue cheese and topped with toasted walnuts and pecans for our appetizers. Selecting a main course was a challenge - having to choose from such a wonderful menu - but we settled on the seared Alaskan
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paradise. Even when the rest of the San Juan Archipelago is becalmed, East Sound is likely to benefit from the dependable breezes created by the local geography. The Resort, known for great dining, overlooks Cascade Bay, a small but popular harbor that is a regular destination for pleasure craſts cruising the San Juan Islands. Currently, the Marina has 34 slips and 8 offshore moorage buoys, with additional room for anchoring in Cascade Bay. Built between 1906-1909, the Moran Mansion is the centrepiece of the Rosario Resort and was originally developed as a private estate by renowned ship-builder and two-term Seattle mayor Robert Moran. On a recent stay at Rosario we had the privilege of being escorted around by the resort’s General Manager Christopher Peacock, an accomplished musician, author and Rosario historian. Richard walked us through the history of the Moran family and the Rosario estate. Highlights of the presentation included the historic Moran Photograph Collection, stories of the
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Weathervane sea scallops, served on a bed of sweet potato hash, bacon & local organic greens, topped with roasted cherry tomato relish & crème fraîche. Our other meal? Steak Diane tenderly sautéed in a delicious brandy cream sauce. Our server was attentive and very knowledgeable about the wines and food. Chef Gretchen is definitely the “rock star” of the kitchen! Hiking, boating, birding, beach- combing and scuba diving are very popular activities on San Juan Island. Special events and festivals are plentiful. Sea kayaking is a favourite pastime in the San Juan Islands where the adjacent bays, secluded inlets and isolated beaches offer many locations to observe the scenery and the wildlife. From a kayak, silently gliding along the smooth waters, you can watch
eagles, seals, Orcas and other wildlife in quiet intimacy. Fishing is fabulous in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands. Salmon, Bass, Halibut and Lingcod abound in the local seas. Be sure to spend some time at the Whale Museum where they have spectacular displays and a wealth of insight into the local Orca residents. Check out Schooners North and be sure to get out on one of their two sailing boats. Your experience will be filled with the history, adventure and romance of a day gone by. You can close your eyes and listen to the wind in the rigging and the water against a wooden hull, smell and taste the fresh salt air, and feel the gentle motion of the boat as she glides through the sea. An incredible experience!
Mansion’s most colorful residents, and Christopher’s superb playing of Phantom of the Opera music using the Mansion’s 1,972 pipe Aeolian organ - an experience not soon to be forgotten. The Spa at Rosario features a mirrored exercise and weight room, a whirlpool, sauna, treatment rooms and a unique indoor pool original to the home. Today, the resort property borders one of Washington’s premier state parks. Moran State Park features two large lakes and 30 miles of hiking trails. Several of these trails - and a road popular with cyclists and motorists alike - lead to the top of 2,027-foot Mount Constitution, which affords dramatic 360 degree views of surrounding islands, straits, and mountains. Lopez Island is a favourite of boaters, largely due to its sheltered bays and marina. On shore, whether walking, riding a bike or driving a car, nearly every passer-by will wave a greeting to you. Once you get over the feeling that people are mistaking you for someone else, you’ll find yourself waving back and thoroughly enjoying this Lopez tradition.
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is a genuine spirit of community and a special feeling for life that pervades the population of 2200 living on this 15-mile long and 8-mile wide paradise. Lopez is the most popular of the islands for bicycling - having relatively flat terrain, fewer cars and interesting roads to meander on. Tucked into the serene west side
of Lopez Island, behind a long sand spit, lies Fisherman Bay; one of the best protected, friendliest, and most attractive hideaways in the San Juan Island group. Fisherman Bay’s Lopez Islander Marina Resort offers transient moorage, a dock store and a fuel dock, with gasoline and diesel. The resort has a lounge and a dining room that features great seafood dishes which can be enjoyed on the wide patio. From the private, west-facing deck, all of the resort’s rooms provide a front-row seat for a beautiful San Juan Islands’ sunset.
An added advantage for boaters is that Islands Marine Center is located right there as well. These folks are all boat owners themselves, who cruise and fish in local waters, thus able to provide a tremendous resource for boat purchasers and marine servicing.
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