Here's a place I nearly forgot about last year, so I made sure to give it high priority to get there this summer. So there are something like 22 islands off the coast of Seattle. A handful are accessed by ferry others only by kayak or small boats. We chose the farthest west island San Juan Island. This has one touristy area, Friday Harbor, which is loaded with cafes, kayak rentals and boats of course. We stayed in this real crappy little double wide turned motel close to town. But it had what we needed; an air conditioned bedroom with a tv, bathroom and mini fridge in a 70's wood paneled room.
The day before I worked until 2:30pm and we took off hoping to catch the sunset on Whidbey Island. However, once we stopped for groceries and gas it was apparent there was not enough time in the day -Stupid Tacoma traffic!
However, we did arrive with 2 hours to play in the heated pool and hot tub area.
We went to bed early so we could get an early start to explore Whidbey Island a bit and then catch a 2pm ferry.
We had breakfast at the hotel and took off for the ocean. It was still very hazy on the west side and we didn't have much visibility. The east side was getting sunny and hot, but the views weren't as nice. Afterall, I hoped to see the Olympic Peninsula in the distance!
We ended up going to Deception Pass State Park. This is the main bridge that takes you into Whidbey Island. In the park the water is so close to the road it doesn't seem like its actually lakes all around you. Now factor in that haze still lifting, it was almost straight out of a horror movie.
We explored the areas around the bridge which features include whirlpools that form constantly with the changing currents. The first lookout almost looked like the Cliffs of Moher featuring steep ledges that seemed to go on infinitely.
We ended up doing a short hike to Lottie Point which brings us close to the bridge from a different angle.
Then we went to the ferry...
Our first stop to South Beach
We were told there were some whale sighting, but we couldn't be sure.
Our first fox encounter
We named him Island Tommy
This was where we saw a pod of at least 4 whales swimming in the distance. The kayakers were stopped and pointing in that direction.
We drove to the southwest side of the island to check out the kayaking scene
Looked like calm waters at Lime Kiln State Park
There's one of the original lime kilns
We went back into town and I got seafood chowder and a salad at Mr. Unbelievable's BBQ joint. It had some bad open mic happening, but showed us what Monday night looked like in Friday Harbor.
Tuesday we had the best food!!! I saw the menu online of San Juan Cheese Shop and it looked simple but the best ingredients. We shared a cheese plate that I put together and then a roasted vegetable panini with Home made chèvre and greyere, along with an open face smoke tuna melt with sliced apples and harp cheddar. Kellen said it was the best tuna salad sandwich he ever tasted.
We went into Friday Harbor to buy some sunglasses and ask the visitor center about finding a good beach on the northwest corner of the island. She said; it wasn't really a 'beach' but she pointed out an area with some steep cliffs where seals join you sometimes.
We drove to it and only one other person was there. It was like we had the entire beach to ourselves!
We explored the farthest west on the island which featured a sculpture garden and some more coast side views. We went back to town so we could have a good dinner since most places close at 9pm. We chose to check out San Juan Brewing Co. and both opted for the pizza. They were individual pies super crisp crust, loaded with toppings. One had roasted garlic and lots of veggies, Kellen had a pulled pork with a BBQ sauce base. Some of the best pizza I've had in a long time!
Wednesday we woke up at 6am so we could get all of our stuff in order to check out Orcas Island. Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, which features Moran State Park which has 5,000 acres of forestry land and some of the best views of the island at 2,400ft.
This first viewpoint was at 1,400ft
Sure we COULD HAVE hiked, but we only had one day, so driving to the top would do! There were many bicyclers. Talk about a tough ride they must've had.
This one is from the top
Then this one is from the top of Fort Constitution
We took a short hike to check out some waterfalls. You know I had to get under that bad boy!
We checked out the little hippie town on Main street
Did I mention I was going to see Pearl Jam in Seattle Wednesday Night????!
Because they played an INCREDIBLE show, almost 3 hours long.
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