Friday morning, we got up bright and early so we could catch a ferry boat. How fun is it that we live in a place that has a ferry system? Well, it is super fun! Plus, that was how we got to our mini-vaca on the San Juan Islands. The San Juan Islands are a cluster of islands between the Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada and lie in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
We got to the ferry terminal in Anacortes early enough so we could play on the beach a bit before boarding. After playing for 20 minutes, the announcement to "start your engines" came. We boarded the ferry, parked/secured the car, and settled in on the passenger deck for the hour long journey.
The journey there was rather uneventful. We watched as the skies cleared up a bit and enjoyed a snack. Finally, we arrived at Friday Harbor. Remember that bit about it being uneventful... yeah that was just the ride, not the arrival. Here, I'll just let you read about it www.komonews.com/news/local/146455105.html
Because an adventure isn't an adventure without a SNAFU. The girls and I disembarked and left Ronnie to ride back to Anacortes, park the car, and ride back with our bags.
But we made the most of it. Walking to our hotel, we smelled the loveliest of smells: hickory, mesquite, and meat. Following our noses we found a great hole in the wall BBQ place. We quickly filled our bellies and pressed to drop our backpacks at the hotel and get to exploring Friday Harbor. We played at the park, walked up and down the waterfront, enjoyed some ice cream, and browsed the local shops. Ronnie finally arrived (about four hours later), we walked around Friday Harbor some more, found some dinner, and then went back to the hotel for a swim.
Saturday morning brought us clear blue skies and something I was looking forward to: our whale watching trip. The San Juans are famous for the pods of orca who call it home. But several transient pods also enjoy visiting the area. When we got to the boat for the trip, the naturalists were very excited as there had been a pod spotted in the area. We set out for our three hour tour and made a beeline for the area where they were spotted.
About an hour later, the skipper slowed the engines. And there they were! A huge pod of orca with several babies swimming with them! It was awesome to watch them swim... alas our hour was gone and we had to head home. On the way back to Friday Harbor, we stopped to see some California sea lions, Stellar sea lions, mountain goats, and bald eagles. It was an amazing tour!
Sunday morning was Easter and we headed back to my grandma's house for Easter lunch - no ferry boat issues this time. On our way to her house, we drove through Skagit valley to get a glimpse of the tulips in bloom. Not many were out, but the daffodils were! Again, what a treat!
