We spent a couple days this weekend in the San Juan Islands – Friday Harbor, WA, to be specific, which is on San Juan Island. We took an hour ferry ride there (which took a 90 minute drive from Snoqualmie to get to the dock), and were lucky to get on the boat even though we arrived at the dock two hours ahead of departure!
The San Juan Islands are nestled on the western coast of the United States; five miles due west of San Juan Island lies Victoria, BC. The ferry ride itself is worth the trip, as it meanders between dozens of small islands through Puget Sound. There are so many great views at so many angles that you miss great picture shots.
We arrived late Saturday afternoon, checked in to a hotel, and headed to the west side of the island to Lime Kiln Point State Park. We were hoping to catch some whales, as its also known as “Whale Watch Park,” but no such luck. Instead, we were treated to my first bald eagle sighting! Way friggin cool. I tried taking some pictures, but my little ol’ Canon is just not very good at zoom shots. I need to invest in a better digital camera and telephoto lens if I am going to post about my travels in the Pacific Northwest. I did snap a couple good silouette pics of Spencer and Garrett.
The following morning we checked out the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, then boarded a boat for a 3-4 hour whale watching tour. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, and I would have bet money that we didn’t get to see any whales, that I had just purchased snake oil. Wow, was I wrong. Within an hour, we were watching Orcas travel through the San Juans, jumping out of the water regularly. Easily 100+ whale sightings in two separate locations. I am working on uploading some videos, and have included some of our better pictures below.
We left early Monday, making the 8am ferry by a nose. After grabbing a quick bite on the ferry, we enjoyed the views of the islands with the Olympic Mountains in the background on a sunny morning. I can definitely see us getting a cottage up here someday and spending weekends and summers there.
Home, home on Sno Ridge 