Every year my cousin Sarah and I go on what we call our "annual sojourn." Last year we went to Osoyoos to visit the Nk'Mip Winery and Spirit Ridge Spa and Resort. This weekend, we went to Doe Bay, on Orcas Island, to participate in a yoga retreat led by
. It was a restful weekend of yoga practice, meditation, soaks in the outdoor tubs overlooking Doe Bay, and naps. I even turned off all of my various technological devices for the entire weekend!
We left Vancouver early Friday morning to make our way to the Anacortes Ferry. At the border, the guard asked us where we were going shopping. When we explained that we weren't going shopping, we were going to do yoga and meditate, he was incredulous.
"And...you're
paying
to do this?" We nodded. "Man, I'm in the wrong business!"
Along the way we played my favourite car game, "Fat America," where each participant picks a fast food chain, and the winner is the one who spots the most outlets en route. I lost horribly by choosing Burger King - there wasn't one the entire way to Anacortes - while Sal trounced me with the safe (but smart) choice of McDonalds. We made it to the ferry terminal in enough time to line up and grab our first cup of tea of the day before the boat arrived. We were amazed that the ferry cost a total of $48 round trip, for both us and the car (my mom was generous enough to give me her car while she is unable to drive due to her broken hip).
Loading onto the boat. We are so excited at the cheap fares on Washington State Ferries.
The MV Yakima. Built in 1968, "restored" in 2001. Still afloat.
The decor of the MV Yakima left a little to be desired - but sported some interesting entertainment sadly lacking on BC Ferries. This was the first of many puzzles set up on board.
Another one! All I could think was, "It would take just one asshole stealing a piece to ruin this for everyone." All Sal could think was, "I bet this puzzle is covered in germs."
The Salish Sea.
It's a little windy, eh Sal?
Why yes, we DO like to make stupid faces in photos. We figure it will make our nieces and nephew happy when they are grown up and we are old
, to remember their silly Aunties.
Again - not a sign you'd see on a BC Ferry.
That's where we're going! Orcas Island!
That's three, if you're keeping count.
Eddie Crane, our trip mascot, enjoys the view as we approach Lopez Island.
Our first stop when we landed on Orcas was Deer Harbour. Sal has very fond memories of sailing there with my her parents (my aunt and uncle) and her sister. Not having been there for years, she was amazed at how small it was. While I liked Deer Harbour, I was more a fan of West Sound, which was a charming seaside village of clapboard houses. I decided immediately that we would buy a closed-up shop we passed by, and turn it into a local law office slash county newspaper slash general store.
In Deer Harbour, we visited the historic post office, which had been bought some years ago by the "Deer Harbour Community Club," which we noticed, as we made our way around the area, had bought up several historic properties, including a church and a community dance hall.
Beautiful post office boxes in the Deer Harbour Post Office.
Eddie enjoyed the post office.
The Marina at Deer Harbour. Sal was sad to see if no longer sported the "76" Ball she remember from when she was a kid.
After we visited Deer Harbour, we stopped in East Sound. Probably the most "urban" part of the island, we had lunch at a pub overlooking the water, and visited a great bookstore, Darvill's - I always like to check out books on local history when I travel.
The view from the Madrona Bar and Grill in East Sound.
Hour 2 of Technology-Free Dani. I could get used to this.
After lunch, we made our way to Doe Bay. The resort is a number of cottages, huts and yurts scattered throughout a large, coastal property. The hub of the resort is the general store, which also features a vegetarian cafe, and a guest lounge that reminded Sal and I of a grandparents' den - old dusty volumes of Readers' Digest, ancient boardgames, and slightly musty armchairs.
We had rented a little cottage at Doe Bay called "The Little House." It was a tiny, rustic place, just big enough for a bedroom, a futon, a tiny kitchenette and a half bath - but it had heat, and a spectacular view:
Doe Bay also featured soaking tubs that looked out on the water. We weren't allowed to take pictures because the tubs are "clothing optional" - which meant a lot of what our niece Leah would call "bare nudies." A lot of them.
This wasn't Instagramed or P
hotos
hopped
at all - it really was this beautiful. The
soaking tubs are just to th
e left of this pho
to.
Sitting in the soaking tubs, you could listen to this waterfall rushing past you into the bay.
.
On Saturday afternoon, in the pouring rain, Sal and I decided to swim in this bay before rushing to the soaking tubs. There was a seal and a heron who watched us rather dubiously as we ran screaming into the water. It was icy cold, but refreshing - so refreshing that no sooner had we rushed back onto the beach than we decided to turn around and go back in.
Surprisingly, Sally had a harder time turning off the technology than I did.
Our retreat started on the Friday night, with a yoga session that only some of the group of 14 women attended - as not everyone had arrived yet. Afterwards, Sal and I had time to hit the soaking tubs before making dinner in our little cottage. Then we went back to the studio for yoga nidra - a kind of guided meditation that we did while lying on our backs, cuddled up with blankets. Megan played the crystal singing bowls which produced the most remarkable tones. After half an hour of that, I was ready for bed and climbed right in as soon as we got back to the cottage, and slept deeply. I had the weirdest dream though, that I was onstage in a production that featured both Benedict Cumberbatch (surprise surprise) and Dame Judi Dench. There was an unfortunate mishaps with the costumes, however, and we were all scrambling backstage to find things to wear. Dame Judi said to me in most disgusted tones that she couldn't find "a damn bra" to wear.
Our Little House, before we bedded down for the night.
On Saturday, time seemed to stand still - the day seemed to go on forever, but in a good way. We woke early for energy practice. Well - Sal woke early. I woke early, then decided my bed and a sleep-in was calling me more than energy practice. But I was up for our 8:30 session, which was followed by meditation and discussion. At lunch Sal and I headed back to the soaking tubs, and then we had some free time to read (and nap) before returning for an afternoon yoga session. We made ourselves cups of tea and headed back into the rain to visit the soaking tubs again, before that night's yoga nidra. I came prepared for the meditation this time - I was already in my jammies so that I could fall into bed right after.
This chair quickly became my favourite spot - I took my tea and my book out here to watch the view.
..
...because who wouldn't?!
I love being near the water. I always have. It makes me feel restful, and creative. Some might say this is because I'm a Cancer, which is a water sign. All I know was that two-and-a-bit days was not enough time for me to sit and watch the water, and the twinkling lights of other islands. This morning, I took my tea out and sat in the drizzle to watch the view before our final morning yoga session.
I learned a lot about yoga practices this weekend that I didn't know. Megan talked a lot about chakras - which has never really been something instructors at my various yoga drop-ins have really talked about in depth. We did a number of meditations focused on various chakras, and I found myself last night urging Sally to Google various things about chakras online - I wanted to know why the chakras were colored the way they were, what tradition they came from, what they're supposed to "do." We also did meditations to connect with the earth and the sky.
Megan also uses a number of harmonic practices, such as her singing bowls, and pitch forks (which sounded like chimes to me), to create healing sounds. Last night I asked her to explain what some of them meant. She explained that the pitch forks were connected to various planets, and some were connected to deities. I'm not sure how much I believe in those kind of cosmic connections, but I certainly felt the effects of some of the sounds. Last night I had gone into our yoga nidra session with a raging headache - and after listening to the bowls, that filled the studio with sound and vibration, my head felt better. So - call me the optimistic skeptic.
Being us, Sally and I of course giggled and joked through much of the weekend. Thankfully, none of the other ladies in our group seemed to mind. They laughed when Sal explained, during introductions, that we were there because we had drank too much on last year's annual sojourn. Some even joined in when I started hula hooping joyously before our evening session. We were the class clowns, that's for sure, but hopefully it wasn't
too
disrespectful.
When we left this morning, I was sad that we didn't have a few more days to relax. I needed to sleep more, read more books, and spend more time being quiet and disconnected from work. I loved Orcas, and will definitely want to go back to explore more.
In the meantime, Sal and I are planning our next sojourn. We've decided on a "man's weekend," where we learn to fly-fish, and drink beer, and wear plaid. Namaste.