The Time We Visited San Juan Island

I do believe the sun is beginning to set on our time in the Pacific Northwest. With that in mind, Husband and I are trying to make sure we check off everything on our "to see" list. Most recently we checked off San Juan Island.

I first learned about the San Juan Islands on our very first visit to Washington. While picking up a rental car on our house hunting trip last year, I perused the brochure stand. I saw the words "Orcas" and "Island" and my attention was grabbed (one of the islands is named Orcas Island –but we didn't make it there on this trip).

We took off on a Friday with the intention of visiting the San Juan Islands but we had no idea which one. At the ferry stop to the islands we decided on heading to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

Watching a ferry head out

We got in late that night. We were already pretty exhausted from the trip up so we decided to check-in to our room and crash. It was a cool, quiet night and we got a great night's sleep.

We were able to wake up decently early (for a Saturday morning) the next day, and we knew what were doing immediately after breakfast: Lime Kiln State Park. It is known as a great spot to whale watch, and since we didn't want to spend money on a whale watching tour we decided it was our next best option.

The drive out to Lime Kiln takes you through a lot of farm land. It is absolutely beautiful, and the air is easily the freshest, best-smelling air I have ever had the good fortune of inhaling. We couldn't stop commenting on it the whole way.

Viewpoint on the drive to Lime Kiln

When we were nearly to the park James thought he saw something in the water. We stopped and saw a deer scamper off before we witnessed two large, dark, presumably whales randomly appear in the water. It was very quick and we can't be sure, but we think we saw whales. I took this as a good sign and we continued on to the park.

We didn't end up seeing any whales at the park, but we certainly weren't let down. After sitting for a bit at the whale view point noticing how vibrant every sound is when in quiet. The splash of the water against the rocks, the clink of your husband messing with his glasses, the movement of birds in the water... I was really enjoying it, but Husband was restless and kept interrupting the quiet with, "Let's move on. Can we go on now? I want to go see Dead Man's Bay." So that moment was short lived.

On the way back from Dead Man's Bay we saw a harbor seal chilling out in the water. It dived out view as soon as I caught a picture.

Harbor seal

His bird friends stuck around for some photos, though.

We headed back through the woods to see what else we could check out. We stopped by the information center and learned a bit about the wildlife we were viewing and talked to the friendly volunteers that manned the cashiers.

San Juan Island has Big Leaf Maples

From the information center we headed off on a different trail to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. By this point in the day the park was starting to get busy and a bit less quiet. We found a bench opposite the lighthouse though that was only near one other person who simply admiring the landscape. The quiet was regularly interrupted by engine noise as boaters came by to take pictures of the lighthouse. It was a beautiful day to be out.

Lime Kiln Lighthouse

As lunch time approached we decided it was time to head back to Friday Harbor. We had a few hours to kill before our ferry would leave, so we decided to park downtown and just wander around. We passed through their little farmer's market before stumbling on a wine tasting room for a local winery, their banner "It's Wine o'clock Somewhere" is what beckoned me at first.

We stepped inside to see what other cute wine things they had to offer. Knowing his wife so well, Husband suggested we do a wine tasting and I excitedly agreed.

San Juan Island Vineyards

We tasted six different wines for $5 each, and the server was generous. We enjoyed talking with her and learned that the island's tourist season doesn't really end. The San Juan Islands are in the Olympic Mountain's rain shadow (I think that's what she called it), so they get about half as much rain as the rest of Northwest Washington. People love to escape to the islands for the weekends all year around. The only thing that changes is that they have less tourists on the weekdays when school is in session.

After the six wines and reaching a very happy place, we asked our wine hostess what place she would recommend for lunch and she directed us to the restaurant just across the street called Cask and Schooner. She said you couldn't beat their food, especially for the price, and that they're eco-friendly and serve locally caught, fresh fish.

Salmon, mussels, clams, and french fries at Cask & Schooner

We agreed that it was the best seafood we had ever had and one of the best meals we had ever enjoyed. It was truly the perfect end to a wonderful, albeit short, vacation to the islands.