SAN JUAN ISLANDS - August 2019

Since we visited Anacortes, Washington when we'd launched our cross-country cycling trip in June 2012, I wanted to return to the San Juan islands and explore by bike and sea kayak. Our friend Paul heard about a Northwoods Wisconsin ride and invited Jeff and I to join him and his girlfriend Rachel along in July 2018. We were really impressed with the family that organized the ride, and learned they also did a tour in the San Juan Islands every August - we immediately put ourselves on the list for 2019!

We thought this would be a perfect opportunity to really see the islands. We booked the bike tour, and then I found an outfitter with a multi-day kayak tour with dates that matched.

Wednesday August 14, 2019

Two flights, overnight hotel near SEA-TAC airport, two buses, a mile walk and we were transported to another world in Anacortes, WA.

It’s wonderful how traveling to an adventure triggers memories of past adventures. Walking though SEA-TAC last night, I thought of our layovers there as we travelled to Alaska on our way to hike the Chilkoot Trail (fun to see a photo at the start of that hike as a memory on my Facebook feed this morning too!). And as we approached Anacortes on our shuttle, we retraced the route of Day One of our 2012 ride from Anacortes back to our home - just the two of us on our tandem pulling our trailer. I recalled the mixture of feelings - excitement, some fear, and some wondering if we could actually make it. It was a beautiful day today, and you could see the flatness we had on “Day One,” but also the mountains with Rainy and Washington passes, which we conquered on Day Two of that ride!

On the shuttle bus we chatted with two other couples also participating in this week’s ride, which made the time pass by really fast. It was awesome to step out of the bus and smell the sea. I took a few deep breaths and immediately went into vacation mode. What a great trigger!

We had plenty of time, so we strolled the 1.1 miles down the main drag, each pulling a little roller bag, and each with a backpack. We have gear for cycling and paddling (minus the bikes and our boats). We arrived at tonight’s host hotels for this week’s ride about 11am, too early for check in. We sat around for a bit, and then went next door to “Bobs” for yummy chowder and fish tacos.

By then, the Seattle company supplying the rental bikes had arrived, so we picked up our rides (Cannondales) and got them fitted to us and got acquainted to their operation. Back to the hotel to await check-in, and by 2p we were in our room, unpacking and changing to get ready for a warm up ride.

There are 107 riders, and suggested routes, but no formal starts and stops. Last year when we rode the Northern Wisconsin ride with this group, we learned they were early starters and found ourselves at the tail end of the group most days.

Jeff had downloaded the routes into his GPS, and I had the cue sheets, so we set out for the Guemes Island loop. As we rode the 2 miles to the ferry, we caught up with several riders, and there were more waiting for the ferry (and more by the time the ferry arrived). It was just across a short channel, and the ferry was much like the free ferry that crosses Lake Wisconsin not far from our house. The main difference was this one doesn’t run on a cable, or with any sense of urgency!

Once the ferry arrived, it was a quick ride across the channel and we were off on the Guemes Island loop. Beautiful vistas in all directions, looking west and north at additional islands, east at the Cascade mountains, and south back at Anacortes. Lots of unique houses / cottages, good roads, and not much traffic made for an awesome ride. There were some steep climbs, but our rental bikes felt as awesome as the Treks we were riding in Spain a few months ago!

Our timing was perfect as the ferry was loading as we got back around to the landing and we cruised right on. Easy ride back to the hotel, about 20 miles in total today.

We cleaned up and went back to Bobs for more chowder and fresh salmon & salads, along with local beer on tap. We finished dinner and walked to a nearby park for opening ice cream social and trip briefing. It was a gorgeous night with amazing views of Mt. Baker as we walked back to the hotel.

San Juan Islands - Day Two

Anacortes to Lopez Island to Friday Harbor

As I was getting dressed, I dressed according to “weather.com” (high in the 70’s, no rain) rather than the reality of the morning (50’s, heavy fog). It’s tough when you have to make a decision and then toss your luggage on the truck!

We tossed our bags on the truck and went down to see what was offered for breakfast (nothing too exciting). We had the time and should have found a cafe and got a good hot breakfast, even Starbucks oatmeal would have been awesome. Instead, we headed straight for the ferry dock. It was about a 5-mile easy ride, and it was good to be moving to warm up. We cut off the route at one point and through a sleepy neighborhood across from a school. Jeff noticed a deer (actually a doe and 2 fawns) grazing in a beautifully landscaped front yard. Must be a frequent occurrence as the side garden had a tall fence!

We cruised through the foggy morning to the bustling ferry dock. Cars were backed up and there was lots of bike-on, walk-on activity. I went inside to purchase our tickets, then back out to the cool morning to wait. At least I had my Surly coffee thermos! We chatted with a couple from Colorado, Jeff and Kim, riding a DeVinci tandem. That passed the time and kept me from thinking about the layers of clothing I should have put on!

The ferries were a bit delayed due to the fog. While we were waiting, a large boat came and left, direct to Victoria Canada (the boat we’ll return on next week). We heard the fog horn blow a few times, and then it just emerged from the fog, rather eerily! It was fun to watch it unload and reload: semi-trucks, construction vehicles, a tractor, cars with bikes and kayaks, campers, etc.

Our ferry came soon after that. Lots of patience is required with ferry travel. We parked our bikes below and headed up to the galley where we bought hot breakfast sandwiches and more coffee for me. That warmed us up sufficiently. The fog cleared just as we arrived at Lopez Island, so fast it was like it’d never been there. Since we were all on the same ferry, we could finally see how large of a group we are!

By 11am we were riding, uphill of course, past a super long line of cars waiting to board the ferry. Just about 5 miles to a small village and then we had our “food stop,” of snacks and PB&J sandwiches. From there, we rode a loop around the island. Past a few harbors and beaches, and in the center, we found farms and ranches that looked as if we could be anywhere. Many of the farms had food stands, offering fresh eggs and vegetables for sale. I thought about how self-reliant you’d have to be to farm in such a remote spot!

A funny thing I noticed today was that most of the roads we saw were private drives, with unique names - often the name of the family on the corresponding mailbox, but other random things like “Namaste, Funny Valentine, or my favorite Less Travelled Rd.” I was taking a photo of the latter and I jumped a little creek in order to get a better background. Bonehead move of the day, as I was jumping back, I didn’t make it and I smashed my fingers into the road (crushed by my cellphone actually). I suffered some bloody knuckles but my gel manicure kept my nails from being completed destroyed I believe.

We really enjoyed the ride - good roads, not much traffic and amazing scenery. We were a little unsure about what time the ferry to Friday Harbor left, so we hustled back to the dock, arriving about 90 minutes early and then the ferry was 30 minutes late on top of that. We sat around, ate our snacks, chatted with new folks, napped in the sun a bit and the time went by quickly. This ferry made quick stops at Shaw and Orcas Islands before depositing our group at Friday Harbor. Many gathered for an impromptu Happy Hour in the ferry galley, which was a lot of fun. The views were out of this world: beautiful blue water, green trees, and islands everywhere. That’s probably the biggest surprise for me is I expected more water between the islands.

Our Friday Harbor hotel was 4 miles up a gradual hill. We rode really fast, which meant little wait to get the keys to our room. We collected our bags from the lobby and got showered and settled, ready to go by 7pm. Tired and hungry, we found many of our group had gone right into the hotel restaurant. We headed back towards town and at the recommendation of some cyclists walking back up, we went to Mikes Cafe and Wine Bar, where we enjoyed music from a live bluegrass trio while we ate yummy vegan concoctions: plantain lasagna for me and a Thai noodle bowl for JT.

San Juan Islands - Day Three - Friday Harbor - San Juan Island Loop

It was nice to wake without the alarm, get dressed and get to breakfast. We had a leisurely morning without the pressure of catching a ferry! It was overcast and slightly cool as we set out through the town of Friday Harbor which wasn’t quite bustling yet. We traveled counterclockwise around the island today. Beautiful glimpses of the sea, and gorgeous forests with majestic pines and ferns; then we’d turn inland and be back among farms and ranches. Good roads, more traffic, but it wasn’t an issue. We’ve learned that the winters are mild enough that they don’t get the hard freeze, and therefore their paved roads don’t get the cracks that we get! The gravel they use to pave their roads is not very refined, so the whole surface feels rough, but what a blessed relief to not have the cracked pavement.

We learn so much history when we travel, and today, we learned about the standoff that happened with the US and England over the San Juan Islands. The 1846 Oregon Treaty defined the border between the US and what is now Canada, however there was a dispute in which “straight” was used: Haro Strait vs Rosario Strait. Because of that, in the late 1800s San Juan Island had an “American Camp” on the SE side, and a British camp on the NW side of the island. In 1859, things came to a head when a pig was shot, thereby kicking off the “Pig War,” which amounted to a 12-year bloodless and mostly amicable standoff, until the border dispute was finally settled in 1874.

We cycled to the spot of the American Camp, which is now a National Park. There we saw a movie depicting the story and describing the times. It was really interesting. The British were much more civilized, they built homes, schools and had parties and tea every day. The Americans lived out of tents! After 12 years, someone ruled in the American’s favor and the Brits went back to Canada (British Canada that is), and the Americans had claim to all of the islands that make up the San Juan Islands.

Besides the cool history, the views were amazing, even with overcast skies. We rode out and back, which means up an extra hill, but it was worth it to look down on the shore and the lighthouse. On a clear day, we’d have been overlooking Olympia Peninsula.

From there we cycled to a Lavender Farm, the site of today’s food stop. It was a beautiful setting, but there were lots of bees there naturally - incompatible with trying to eat our food! There was a great story there of a man who bought the property to build his retirement home, but developed this instead.

Shortly after noon, we set out for the western coast of the island, with amazing views of the sea and across to Vancouver Island. We stopped at Lime Kiln state park, a site where you supposedly can see Orcas from land, but not for us today. From there, we misread the map and did part of tomorrow’s optional route. Through very beautiful forests, with deer just standing there, watching us climb the hills. We kept going, following faded yellow arrows (last years) but it didn’t really dawn on us that we weren’t seeing other cyclists. Soon we came upon an Alpaca Farm that we’d heard about from our neighbor Chuck. We stopped there and marveled at the little cuties - all shades and sizes. We studied the map, and that’s when we realized we’d made a wrong turn. So back we went, cutting across (up and over) the island, eventually re-merging with the route. We arrived back in time to shower, do sink laundry and clean up email before the 4:30p happy hour. Met some new folks, such a fun group. Then we walked into town for dinner with Jeff and Kim. Beautiful night to be out and about in Friday Harbor.

San Juan Islands - Day Four - Saturday, August 17, 2019 Orcas Island

There was an option to ride to the northern side of San Juan Island today, but we came up with our own “off the bike” option today and decided to explore Orcas Island.

We walked down to the ferry dock, picking up sandwiches along the way at Kings, an adorable little grocery store (we’ll be returning here to supply our lunches for our kayak excursion). We arrived at the ferry dock 30 minutes before our ferry, but it was a beautiful morning to be outside and watch the loading of the ferry to Anacortes and just enjoy the harbor area before the tourist swarm arrives.

A couple from Bend OR arrived on their tandem loaded with panniers and we chatted them up. They’re doing a wonderful tour on their own for several weeks, spending a few nights on each island. They arrive and drop their panniers at their hotel and ride around and explore. It’s always such fun to connect with fellow adventurers.

We enjoyed another relaxing ferry ride with amazing scenery. Lots of little islands, lots with cabins and houses. We arrived at Orcas, and the shuttle van was there with no driver, but soon a very large man came out of the store with a bag full of groceries - Joey the driver. Joey didn’t give us great confidence, and the state of the 16-passenger van was abysmal. I figured we’d probably taken riskier drives in the Caribbean and we climbed on board and paid our $20 for two out-and-back fares. Orcas is very hilly - its horseshoe shaped with a large mountain on either side. It was beautiful to see by van, and I was glad we weren’t biking. There was more development than we’d seen on the other islands, which meant more traffic too.

We had Joey drop us at Moran State Park, and headed up the trail towards Constitution Mountain and Lookout. It would have been 9 miles round trip and we didn’t think we’d be able to do that in the 4+ hours we had until Joey came back for us. It was an amazing forest - tall pine trees with a thick canopy, so no undergrowth in most places, just soft carpet of pine needles. It was unbelievably peaceful and quiet. I can’t recall when I’d ever been in a place just that quiet!

We hiked switchbacks for two hours and were glad for the overcast skies. Jeff foraged for makeshift hiking sticks which made the hike easier for us. There was a bit of "trading up" until we got the right combination of sticks. The best part was we saw just 5 people the 4+ hours we were in the woods - that was amazing. As we got closer to the top, we could hear cars zooming up the mountain, the preferred way for most to get to the lookout. We knew we didn’t have the time to go the last mile, and with the overcast skies the view would have been a bit limited anyway, so we stopped at the upper trailhead shelter and ate our lunch. As we were finishing a deer wandered close by, didn’t seem to mind us at all.

It was an easy hike back down the same path and it felt great to be using some different muscles. We hiked just over 6 miles, climbed 1750 ft. We got down with 30 minutes to spare, so we sat on a picnic table at the beach and people-watched and ate more snacks, but the screaming kids really messed with the mojo I’d established in the forest.

We got the last two seats on the Joey shuttle. At the next stop, 8 more people got on and STOOD in the aisle as Joey careened back to the ferry dock. I couldn’t believe it! We were ecstatic to get off at the ferry dock, and had another 30 minutes to spare. We bought a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at the store and celebrated a great adventure. Quick ferry ride back to Friday Harbor, arriving about 5:30pm. We’d missed happy hour with the PAWs gang, so we had a quick beer and dinner (tuna, and crab salad) at harbor side. More great people watching, then strolled back to our hotel.

Victoria British Columbia

The next morning was fairly leisurely with a 9:45am ferry departure to Sidney Harbor, British Columbia. It was a bit overcast, but I had my quilted bike jacket today so I was plenty comfortable. We had our passports checked, bought tickets and strolled around the harbor until our ferry came in (getting better at this waiting game).

The ferry was pretty full and we were lucky to get a bench seat for the 90-minute journey. It became sunny, and was such a beautiful trip. Blue water, amazing scenery. We had full bellies, so no need to visit the galley, but this ship was similar to the others. Some people around us were eating chowder, and it made me fondly remember the chilly Glacier Bay excursion we made a few years ago with our friends Rose and Gary.

We landed in Sidney, BC and cleared immigration just before noon. It felt good to get riding. We did a loop through the bustling town of Sidney, then through a rural area, and then along the coast north of town - an area with mansions, gated driveways and beautifully landscaped yards. Occasionally, you’d get a glance through the trees of the beautiful water and mountains on a distant shore - amazing. The roads were smooth and had few cars, and we were able to follow the route downloaded to Jeff’s Garmin with no problems!

Back to Sidney, then we headed south to Victoria. There was a continuous route, which consisted of nice paved bike paths, city streets, country gravel roads, crushed gravel bike paths, etc. - always changing, but a great way to get into a big metro area. In town, when the path crossed streets, the traffic always stopped, even when we stopped first!

We arrived at the hotels about 3:30p. Perfect timing for unpacking, washing out some clothes and heading to our group dinner for tonight. After dinner we strolled around the Harbor for a bit. Lots to explore in these next several days.

Victoria BC - Day Six - Monday, August 19, 2019

Awoke to another gorgeous day. Just a 30+ mile ride today, so we had a long breakfast, talking to a couple from Chicago about various cycling adventures!

The first half of today’s ride was around the perimeter of Victoria. We went past Fisherman’s Wharf, the cruise ship dock, and the along a beautiful stretch of water with walking paths and open space. After about 5 miles, we headed into neighborhoods, but not far from the sea. Similar to yesterday, you had to catch glimpses of it from beyond the gated homes.

The climate is apparently quite mild here, and the gardens and flowers are out of this world. Crazy that we again saw deer, and many yards with deer fences in what looked to be mainly residential areas in a fairly large city! We continued along the coast for about 18 miles total, then intersected the path we’d rode into town yesterday.

Back to our room about 12:30pm, showered and headed out to explore a Victoria. We headed to Fisherman’s Wharf and the James Bay Area first. James Bay was traditionally a village of house boats, now just about 16 or so attached to Fisherman’s Wharf - at least one that is a B&B, but all were pretty nice (not your normal houseboat village). We had a cup of seafood chowder at the wharf and watched people for a bit. Then we hoped in the cutest water taxi ever and got a ride to the other side of town.

Our next destination was Chinatown, but we detoured to Canoe Brewery along the river first. Great thing to do at 3:45 pm on a Monday as we’re working on relaxing. From there, ventured through Chinatown which merges with “Old Town,” which surprisingly had stores like Starbucks, Lululemon and other brand name places. We also browsed through an REI-like Recreational Coop store but didn’t find anything we needed. We had dinner at an Irish Pub and walked back towards our hotel, stopping to watch a few buskers along the way on the beautiful night.

San Juan Islands / Victoria BC - Day Seven

It was our last full day in Victoria. We had a leisurely breakfast, then a 20-mile ride back up the trail towards Sidney BC to the Butchart Gardens, arriving about 10:30am (time for a scone and latte). It took a while for me to settle into the “shuffle through the crowd” mode and enjoy the garden, but I soon got there. Amazing property and amazing flowers. Vancouver Island has an amazing climate for growing things! Not what I expected to find in Canada!!

We spent two hours there, enjoying the flowers and the beautiful day, as well as visiting with other riders. We rode half way back and stopped at a “farm to table” food truck for yummy sandwiches and kombucha. Then along the trail back to the harbor - third time on the trail we knew the route pretty well!

We cleaned up and headed back out on foot. We’d booked an evening “food tour,” where a woman (Brenda) guided us along a progressive dinner. She was a whirlwind of knowledge about Victoria, history, culture and the restaurant scene. Besides describing the food and drink, mainly in a manner that was over my head, she described each restauranteur and chef, and their impact on the local food scene. We met at The Livet, where we had a glass of Cava (hello Costa Brava) and a charcuterie tray. Next stop, Yalla for local beer and a middle-eastern themed bowl of shawarma, falafel and hummus. Then we walked a few blocks, and arrived at Dobosala Cantina where we were greeted with a yummy pomegranate margarita that was not sweet (I’d normally not have a flavored version but it was awesome). For our entree, I’ll have to give the actual description for their online menu as I don’t have the words to describe what a sensory explosion this was - Adobo Chicken: adobo-gochujang simmered then caramelized chicken thigh, sticky rice ball tempakora, brassica shred, kimchi crema, sprouts. Our last stop was the Hotel Rialto, where we had their signature drink and a yummy French pastry for dessert.

We staggered back to our hotel with full bellies and happy souls. If only we’d done this the first night, as now we’re about to leave and we’ve got so many more places we need to try! We stopped in the Embassy hotel where most of the group had gathered for ice cream (sure, why not!), and to stock up on snacks for tomorrow.

We were blessed with 7 days of amazing weather, but all good things must end. Without rain, we wouldn’t enjoy the sunny days as much, right? Plus, it was great to be around 100+ like-minded souls who don’t mind cycling in the rain. Today was a transition day, ending the PAWs adventure and off on our own again. We had breakfast and set out for the 20-mile ride back to Sidney to catch the noon ferry back to Anacortes. It had rained off and on for a few hours, and we left Victoria in “heavy mist,” not exactly rain. Back out onto the Lochside Trail, which we now knew backwards and forwards quite well. I was worried about some spots being slippery (metal bridge deck and others made of wooden planks), but it was ok. About five miles out, the mist turned to actual rain, but was warm enough to keep the misery factor low.

We got to the ferry dock, showed our passports and bought tickets - plenty of time (an hour before sailing). I’d packed my larger backpack with layers of warm clothes wrapped in plastic bags so I shed a wet layer for a snuggly warm layer and that was great. We huddled inside the gift store and bought more hot drinks, then the clerk kicked all of us “bikers” outside! It had stopped raining so we willingly moved outside and chatted with a neat couple from North Carolina.

We’ve enjoyed being with this group so much. As I’ve said, we’re like-minded, and it’s been so much fun to connect with so many different people. Here are the stats of the attendees:

• 107 riders from 22 states (IL, WI, OH and MN being highest numbers)

• Age range: one person under 40, and one over 80; biggest numbers in the range 60-69 years old … lots of senior discounts on the ferry!

• 59 ladies, 48 men (mainly couples but several groups of lady friends).

The ferry boarded and left just after noon. We were last to board, which means the good bench seats were taken. We found a good spot with enough empty chairs to hang our wet jackets. I changed into dry yoga pants - temporary luxury. We played cribbage, ate soup, napped, and soon we were arriving in Anacortes (about 2:30pm).

We were the last to leave the ferry, which meant long line at US customs. It was raining again, but still about 60 degrees so not too cold. It took us 30 minutes to clear customs, then a 5-mile ride back to the Marina motel. I was a bit anxious about getting to our connection, and the rain was heavier, as was the traffic - misery factor of 8. As Jeff likes to say, you get to a point where you don’t get any wetter. I was there.

We arrived at the Marina motel with many others that were also in a hurry and anxious about connections. Many were scheduled to catch the Airporter Shuttle and fly out yet tonight! Jeff had brought his pedal wrench so he extracted our pedals, lights and mirrors from the loaner bikes while I collected our bags. We summoned an Uber driver to bring us back to the ferry dock, and tried to not leave a puddle in his car! Back to the ferry 10 minutes before they called for pedestrians to board - whew! Time to change into another stash of warm dry clothes - felt like heaven.

We relaxed and snacked on our hour cruise back to Friday Harbor. I’d booked a hotel close to the harbor, the Friday Harbor House so we wouldn’t have to schlep our bags far and we’ll also be close to the meeting point for our upcoming paddle adventure. It felt so different leaving the ferry this time, knowing the layout of the town and exactly where we were going. This was the smallest room so far of this adventure, by the time we washed out our wet and dirty gear and unpacked our 4 bags, we had the place looking like our usual adventure travel hillbilly style!

We got settled, then remembered this is a town that closes down early (and much activity around the ferry schedule as many just are here for the day I think). We walked a few blocks to the San Juan Brewery, where we were delighted to find it was open mike night, so we enjoyed various levels of entertainment while we devoured a pizza and beet salad, washed down with some Black Boar Porters.

San Juan Islands / Victoria BC - Day Nine - Thursday August 22, 2019

Lazy day. We slept in, cleaned out email and read our books, feasted on the instant oatmeal and coffee in our room - didn’t emerge into the world until after 11am.

It was another glorious day, probably even clearer after yesterday’s rain. We walked around the marina a bit. It’s amazingly open, generally the piers are locked except for boat owners. Suddenly a harbor seal appeared and it was fun to watch him spin and surface. It appeared that he was performing for us, but he was actually schooling up little fish and then he’d dive through the school and pick a few off! Amazing that the water was clear enough in the marina to watch that!

It was a great day to just be sitting watching boats and ferries come and go. Eventually we got hungry so we went in search of food - eggs Benedict with crab for me, and chowder and fish tacos for JT. We could tell just by the frenzy of activity that a ferry was due in soon!

We walked along the shops and poked through a few galleries. We went back into Ace Hardware, one of the coolest I’ve seen. We also went back to Kings to load up on lunch stuff for the next several days, and found they had a great selection of outdoor gear too. We bought a few more “dry bags” and some clothing items and a new purse that I just couldn’t resist.

Back to our room to continue sorting stuff for tomorrow and getting everything into dry bags, and stashing our bike gear and extra clothes so we can leave it at the hotel for a few days.

We decided to go to the local Main Street movie theater to see “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” rather than have another big dinner. We had popcorn and I snuck in wine and M&M’s in my new purse. Perfect evening in Friday Harbor!

San Juan Islands / Victoria BC - Days 10-12 - Fri-Sun August 23-25, 2019 Kayak Adventure

We arrived at our Sea Quest meeting place at 7:50am and saw a group already gathered there. A group of 4 ladies from Atlanta greeted us, and from there we learned that we’d actually be two groups out on the same adventure. Soon we were joined by a single guy (Rob) and two other couples, and 4 college friends from Texas (including Joe that actually lives in Colorado). At a little after 8am, two vans from Sea Quest arrived, one pulling a trailer with the kayaks.

The respective drivers jumped out and read off the names of their groups: the ladies, one couple and Rob went with Ben, and the rest of us were paired with Jonathan.

Like any new group, we were sizing each other up. When I’m assessing, I generally look for compatibility in skill level (personality assessment is formed during the trip). The guys seemed extremely experienced, but I had serious reservations with the other couple (lack of water shoes and waterproof clothing for starters).

We climbed into our vans with our guides and began our drive to the other side of the island, stopping by the guide house along the way to pick up extra sleeping bags and pads for the couple (along with two other people to shuttle the vans back).

We drove to a county park launch site just north of Lime Kiln State Park. I recognized landmarks from our cycling trip and it felt neat to be so familiar with San Juan island!

Everyone pitched in to help unload the vans and get everything carried to the beach. After waiting so long for this adventure, I think we all were very excited to get going. Most were familiar with the drill, stash your gear in the boat dry wells and start splitting up the common gear and stash that too.

The couple however were clearly new to this, and when it came time for Jonathan to have us put on PFDs and spray skirts, then practice getting snapped into our cockpits, the woman of the couple had a panic attack. They had a huddle with Jonathan and decided to back out of the trip. I felt bad for them, but secretly glad as it wouldn’t have been the same trip with completely inexperienced trip mates. They should have somehow been screened out, as this is serious stuff - not uncommon for kayakers to have to be rescued by the Coast Guard out here.

I hadn’t mentioned that as we were gathered in Friday Harbor it started to drizzle. Rain wasn’t really forecast, but we quickly got into our “it is what it is” mode. It wasn’t too cold and we had the gear, so misery factor was very low. The subdued light made it better for searching for marine life anyway.

We set out and our group was well matched for paddling. Not that it mattered, but as a group we were stronger than Ben’s group. We headed north along Haro straight with awesome views of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula beyond that. I had a big grin on my face; it was so exhilarating to finally be doing this (one of the first things I had on my bucket list when I first started actually keeping a written list).

Soon we started seeing salmon (pinks) jumping out of the water all around us. It was fun - better than fireworks! Impossible to not exclaim out loud each time!! I kept hoping we’d see a pod of Orcas come to eat them, but that didn’t happen for us (at least on day one).

We also started seeing Harbor Seals hauled out on rocks along the shore. Sometimes solo, but more often in groups. They had young with them, and Jonathan instilled in us how important it is not to disturb them. Should be common sense, but it is so tempting to get closer and get good photos.

We also saw several sets of Harbor Porpoises, they’d do 4 or 5 shallow dives, then disappear in a deep feeding dive.

After a bit, we stopped along a rocky protected beach to stretch our legs and have a snack. Then back in the boats, still traveling north along the shore. It’s amazing how big the island is when you’re trying to get around it by kayak.

We alternated between cruising along, with quiet moments of drifting and watching salmon jump, porpoises dive and seals flop around. Then we had a lot more boat activity as well as developments along shore, and Jonathan told us we’re now just outside Roche Harbor on San Juan Island. We stopped as a small “park” island where there we two campsites (already occupied) and a toilet. From here, we’d cross the Speiden channel and head to our campsite. The sky was clearer, just light clouds and I was warm enough to shed my rain jacket layer by then.

Jonathan explained that part of the reason we were lollygagging earlier was that the timing of our crossing needs to be just right due to tides and currents, and also it seems calm, but wind can whip up fast and take us off course. Exactly the reason we’re out here with a guide!! We crossed directly over to Spieden island, pointing in a direction opposite of where we wanted to end up, and with the current then, we ended up perfectly. As we were just entering the channel, the ferry to Sidney BC cruised through the channel, looking exceptionally large from our perspective!

Then we cruised the shore of Spieden Island, heading west now. Along the shore we saw many Harbor Seal colonies. We also saw a majestic looking pair of bald eagles high on a tree above a colony (Jonathan said he’d once seen an eagle eating a baby seal, the kind of nature I know has to happen but I’d rather not see!). The island has a large expanse of what looks like dead grass, and all along there we saw Moufflon sheep, apparently having been introduced to the island when someone was trying to establish a hunting camp. Even Jonathan was excited about how many we could see.

From there, we could see the slot of Reed Harbor on Stuart Island, we’d camp at the end of the harbor tonight! I’m not going to lie, when we turned into the harbor and saw how far it was until the end, I felt pretty discouraged! I’d pushed hard to cross the channel and I was exhausted!

The tour to the back of the bay was beautiful. There were a variety of boats moored there, mostly sailboats. Jonathan chatted with the folks on deck as we passed. He and his girlfriend live on a sailboat in Friday Harbor and are readying it to sail to Baja Mexico some winter (he actually grew up living on a sailboat in Friday Harbor!).

As we got close to the landing, we passed a swim platform that had a baby seal hauled out in it with two adults swimming around it. We would have loved to see them jump up on it, but we were probably a perceived threat. Jonathan said they come at it super-fast and fly out of the water. When they land, they bounce around a bit!

We landed at 6pm. Gorgeous wooded camp site in a state forest. Pit toilet, plenty of firewood, compost bin - good living! We hauled everything out of the boats and set up tents and got our stuff settled while Jonathan set up to make dinner (with Jeff as sous chef). Dinner was vegetarian burritos and our trip mates from Texas brought along boxes of red wine - heaven! As if it couldn’t be any better, Jonathan lit a fire and we had brownies for dessert!

Blissful night of sleep with the quiet and campfire smoke. Paradise camping!!! Jonathan said he’d monitor the weather overnight and wake us up “at the crack of dawn” if we needed to move early due to weather.

About 4:45am, we heard music! It was Jonathan playing a guitar and singing “Summertime.” It was wonderful! He promised coffee would be ready by the time we packed up our tent. The guys were experienced packers and soon we were slugging coffee and hauling the gear back to the beach. The light was amazing, and the view would change with every trip down to the beach. By 7am we were loaded and taking our pre-launch selfie.

Jonathan said there was weather coming about noon, just for an hour, but he suggested we paddle back to Posey Island and set up camp there and then make a proper breakfast! It was a gorgeous morning as we paddled back across the channel, but the clouds were moving in from the West and I agreed this was a good plan.

There were still campers there when we arrived about 9a, but we moved into the site overlooking the channel anyway. We unloaded the boats and Jonathan set about erecting the rain tarp over the tables. It was just a drizzle, yet we were glad when we got the tents set up and our gear stowed. Not quite sure how we lost a few hours there, but we had a fabulous brunch at 11:30 (egg sandwiches with similar ingredients from our burritos last night: fresh tomatoes and avocado, salsa, cheese).

After that, the group decided a nap was in order! We retreated to our tents. I read and napped and heard occasional rain on the tent, happy to be snuggly inside. When we emerged, it was a different day. Blue skies, abundant sunshine and a nice breeze. We snacked for a bit and watched the seals in the water around the island. One was breaching and slamming down into the water - not sure why but it was like he was performing for us (like the salmon were yesterday!).

Then we headed out for a three-hour paddle to the East. We were heading down the channel, views of islands and water to our left - houses and docks on the right. Jonathan heard some chatter about whale sightings over the marine radio, but too far from where we were at! We stopped at a kelp bed and he told us a bit about how various marine life needs it to thrive - and then we ATE some, we really did! It wasn’t bad, and with peanut butter, it was really good!

We paddled back to camp - about 3 hours in the boat and I was cramping up! We sat around chatting, drinking wine and having more snacks … waiting for dinner. Fresh air and exercise make me hungry!!! As we were sitting around chatting, Jonathan came back around the island and pointed out a seal that was sleeping on the rocks just about 10 feet from us. We got up and took photos, and it continued to sleep, occasionally sneezing and loudly yawning. After about 30 minutes, he started moving around a bit more. Rubbing his eyes, scratching himself! The tide was just about reaching him and it was so cool to see him roll around a bit, and then bounce a few times and dive back into the water.

We continued to watch the sunset and wait for dinner (several hour process). At one point I was out on the rocks looking at the last remnant of the sunset and a kayak going by yelled “Orcas!” I thought it was worth checking out. I was halfway down the beach when I heard the characteristic “pfffff!” I yelled for the others and continued down the beach. They were traveling fast, but I saw 4 of them as they traveled down the channel - too dark for photos, but a magical end to a great day!

Sunday morning, we got a later start. I was up at 6, but it was closer to 7am before Jonathan serenaded us and told us to start “rustling.” We packed up while he made us French toast with blueberries and bananas. Both mornings he also made amazing coffee using a locally roasted blend and a French press.

We set out about 9:15am, cutting through the inside of Henry Island. That route took us across the mouth of Roche Harbor and the power boats and seaplanes were driving me a little bonkers and messing with my mojo! Soon we were back in a channel, and a little out of the chaos. We passed a small rock island that had about a dozen seals hauled out on it, including a mom and a baby. Another baby climbed out of the water and bounced its way up to the mom - so adorable!

At the south end of Henry Island, Jonathan heard via the main radio that there were Orcas just ahead of where we were! We paddled fast, and to the south in the Haro Straight we could just make out the “blows” and a little bit of dorsal fin. We couldn’t tell if they were heading south, or north towards us - but soon they were getting closer! Another guide, Casey was out further with his two guests (ladies also from Texas) and it appeared they were right in the whale’s path - super exciting!

We headed south, anticipating the whales would turn in to the head of Henry’s Island and they did! We met up with Casey’s group and rafted our 6 boats together. Jonathan had told us Orcas sometimes think that’s interesting, and it proved to be true. They were all around us, putting on a show! Spy hops (where they just get their head up and look around), full breaches, dorsal slaps, tail flips, they showed us all of their moves. Words can’t describe the joy and delight this brought to us! I tried to take some video and photos, but it was so much better to just enjoy the moment.

I’m not sure how the guides know this, but the Orcas last night supposedly belonged to a “transient” pod, and what we saw today was the “J pod of the Southern Residents.” We spent an hour with the Orcas, then they moved on to the south. By that time, I was ready to get out of the boat anyway! We paddled north and landed on a beautiful beach where we had lunch and a stretch break.

Since we’d messed around a bit, Jonathan thought we’d be fighting a bit of current and wind as we paddled back to the launch and that was the case! We powered through it, which is better than slogging along. Just before our turn there was a commercial boat harvesting salmon - I say harvesting not fishing because they were hauling in huge nets full. Jonathan was not happy about that. They have a moratorium on salmon fishing for the general public due to the decline in the salmon population (which directly affects the Orca population) but operations like this somehow get permits. Anyway - it’s fun to see a 23-year-old so passionate about the cause!

Back to the park where we’d launched about 1:45pm. It was warm and sunny; therefore, it looked a little different than when we left in the rain on Friday. We unloaded our boats and stuffed everything in the trailer. Someone back at the crew office had a lot of clean up to do (Jonathan has a lot of strengths, but cleaning and organizing aren’t among them). We drove back to Friday Harbor with Jonathan talking more about the salmon and the Orca. Two of the Texas guys were science teachers so they always added interesting questions / viewpoints to the conversation!

We said our goodbyes and climbed the hill back to the hotel where we’d left 4 bags Friday morning. Our same clerk was delightful and gave us access to a conference room where we could open and organize all of our bags, clean up a bit and at least change into clean clothes. After that we had 45 minutes until our ferry came, so we hauled our bags to the dock and got a sandwich / latte / smoothie while we waited for our ninth and final ferry of the trip.

This ferry was operated by a private company - the San Juan Clipper, and it runs between Victoria BC, Friday Harbor and downtown Seattle. The boat wasn’t as nice as some of the state-run ferries we’d ridden on, and they were out of chowder and chili, but said they had a few hotdogs left?! It was sold out, so fairly crowded, and a jovial crowd on Sunday evening. We read, napped, snacked on the snacks we’d brought along. I was glad I had my iPod along as the crowd was just a little too much right then and I needed to chill.

We arrived in Seattle and took an Uber to the Westin, where we checked in, showered, ordered room service and drank a bottle of wine from the mini-bar. I marveled in the contrast to camping on an island with a pit toilet. I love them both!