Category: San Juan Islands (WA)

The last day of our one week reunion on San Juan Island has come to a close.  Tomorrow (Tuesday 6/14) we take the 11am ferry back to the mainland and make the two hour drive to Seattle. Nancy and Claudia have flights booked home for tomorrow evening. Margaret and I fly home on Wednesday. Today was…

Four orcas, two humpback whales, many harbor seals, bald eagles, pigeon guillemots, and a few European farrow deer. All delightfully observed from aboard our whale expedition yacht, aptly named the Odyssey. Orcas are highly intelligent, use language (clicks, whistles and squeals) to communicate, feel emotions, travel in small pods that are family units (a mother…

Everyday on my morning walk, I’ve passed a sign pointing to the “Mausoleum”. I figured this mausoleum, that was apparently one of the island’s unique monuments, needed to be explored. A narrow path leads into the forest. I expected a big white marble building. Nothing like that in view. Not far up the path are…

With a little trepidation, some wringing of hands over appropriate attire and much enthusiasm, we four young-at-heart, adventurous ladies set out for our kayak expedition. We were to meet our guide at the San Juan Kayak Expeditions kiosk in Friday Harbor. “Look for the white picket fence and blue umbrellas” were the directions given. Our…

We awoke yesterday morning to a rainy day. And rain it did, all day. All the more reason to linger over hot coffee. But eventually, we did leave our nest to drive into Friday Harbor for a visit to a small art museum with an exhibition by photojournalist James Longley. Mr. Longley chose to document…

Off to a slow start yesterday (Wednesday), which feels luxurious. Coffee, bananas, yogurt with muesli and gabbing occupied the morning. Getting towards noon, the natives got restless. Time to DO something, like a hike. San Juan Island National Historic Park is nearby. Historic because of English Camp.  On the map, you can see that San…

Talk about a flawless travel day…Margaret, Claudia and I check out of our hotel and get to the airport just in time to greet Nancy whose flight arrived exactly on time. An easy shuttle to the Enterprise office, our rental SUV is ready for us to pile in, and miraculously, we are able to cram…

An on time flight from Albuquerque to Seattle yesterday afternoon with Alaska Airlines and the seat next to me was the only empty seat on the plane. Luck or magic? Claudia, Margaret and I converged last night at a Hilton right across from the SeaTac airport. In fact, just a 10 minute walk along a…