As we boarded Cole Sisson's shiny new sprinter van the excitement for his new endeavor Salish Sea Tours was palpable. Fresh off the ferry, it only took us a few minutes before we were well on our way to an adventure filled day lead by a local expert. The day consisted of as much diversity as one could possibly pack on a small island. We were riding a private train one minute, shucking oysters in the sunshine the next and in between it all there was a constant barrage of people eager to greet Cole along the way. If we had never considered making the move to the island before- our day with Cole was enough to have us seriously considering it.

We started our day riding a train and seeing first hand what a whole lot of money and imagination can do. We spotted new places to camp on Orcas when Moran State park is full and, made a pit stop at a highly sought after skate park designed by Tony Hawk.

Orcas Island Pottery is a multi generational family run business who has been said to have started the reputation of Orcas Island being nicknamed "pottery island". There were so many different pieces you could spend hours searching through stacks of plates, tables of pottery and walls of mugs for the perfect gift.

Nothing in my opinion brings people together faster than breaking bread with them. We spent a lovely afternoon learning how to shuck oysters, talking all things travel and enjoying the delicious clams and oysters from Buck Bay Shellfish. The sunshine and thoughtful picnic spread were happy additions to our time on the island.

If there is thing I appreciate it is passion for where you live. Cole is a champion of Orcas Island and chose to return there after an exciting stint of being a sommelier in Seattle and Las Vegas and working for a winery in Spain. Many things Cole said have stuck with me since our time together, but the most poignant being "In life there is peace and excitement. We used to seek out peace on the weekends now we have peace all week long and can easily find excitement when we crave it." Oh how I love that perspective and if I am being entirely honest I could not help but feel a little jealous of the leap Cole and his wife, Stephanie have just made.

Although I have visited Orcas Island numerous times I had never visited nor paid notice to many of the places along our route. It was truly a feast for the senses. If you are looking for something a little different to do for the weekend, planning a fun girl's getaway or want to learn more about somewhere you have visited time and time again might I suggest taking a tour with Salish Sea Tours.

This post was sponsored by Salish Sea Tours. All opinions stated here are my own and I was under no obligation to write anything other than my personal experience. I will never write about anything I did not enjoy or find to be a valuable experience.