The famous, historic resort on Orcas Island - Rosario Resort - is up for auction this month. We were just there last month as part of our San Juan Islands tours.

There’s a beautiful mansion built by retired tycoon Robert Moran back in the early 1900s, that’s the heart of the resort. It’s well worth a stop - a beautiful place, with historical exhibits and an amazing pipe organ, and it gives you a sense of how the very wealthy lived in those days. (Of course, once the property is sold, who knows if the mansion will still be open for visitors?  I sure hope so!)

Moran was a man ahead of his time.  Much of Orcas Island is now protected as a State Park due to the fact that he was tenacious in his desire to donate the land.  The state didn’t want to accept his donation, but he kept trying.  It took 10 years before they accepted his gift! 

Thank goodness he kept trying, because today Moran State Park is a wonderful place to visit, with camping, boating, and miles of hiking trails.  The high point (!) is Mt. Constitution. As the tallest peak in the islands, it offers terrific vistas.
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Nobody knows right now what will happen with the Moran Mansion and Rosario Resort.  But thanks to Robert Moran, we know that we’ll still be able to hike up (or down) Mt. Constitution - a memorable part of all our San Juan Islands trips.

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I’ve been contemplating expansion options, so what do you think — should we buy Rosario? It is a very cool place. And hey, we’d never need to wonder where the Adventurous Wenches would stay when we visit Orcas Island!