ORCAS
AND THE JELLYFISH PETTING ZOO
The
ferry ride from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island was scenic, and
our timing was perfect. First we were
treated to views across the water to Mount Baker in the North Cascades. Then we sailed into a lovely sunset. We arrived in Friday Harbor after most of the
restaurants had closed, but we found a decent seafood place that was still
open. Afterwards we drove across the island
to San Juan County Park. We had
reservations at the campground there. It
was expensive, but worth it. The park is
on the west coast of San Juan Island, with views across the Haro
Strait to Vancouver Island in Canada.
The campground is nice, even if it is overpriced. The next campsite over featured a beautiful
Madrone Tree. We arrived late, so we
pitched the tent quickly and went straight to sleep.
I
was making breakfast the next morning when I heard a commotion down by the
shore. Orcas! I woke Christy up, grabbed my camera, and
jogged down to a small meadow bordering the beach. Sure enough, there was a pod of Orcas passing
by. This was funny, because the main
focus of our kayaking trip was to see Orcas.
We
ate breakfast and packed up. We had a
little bit of free time, so we took a scenic drive along the coast. Then we drove up to Roche Harbor to check in
with San Juan Island Outfitters. Roche
Harbor is a pleasant little community featuring a large marina. We met our guide, Rider, but a few minutes
later things got shuffled around and we were reassigned to Clay’s group. The two groups were doing the same trip – a
loop around Henry Island. However, we
would go in opposite directions to spread out a bit. Aside from Clay, our group included two
couples from Boston. They were nice, and
enthusiastic about our trip. Our rental
kayaks were really sweet – they were way nicer than the tanks we rented in
Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska the previous summer.
It
was a warm, sunny day – perfect for kayaking.
We circled Henry Island in a counter-clockwise direction. The scenery was lovely, although there were
quite a few houses close to Roche Harbor.
The wildlife was fantastic, too.
We passed some harbor seals with pups.
A bit later we paddled by a small cave.
Inside was a pup that had been abandoned. Its persistent cries were heartbreaking. It sounded like a woman screaming. A bit later our guide pulled a jellyfish out
of the water and passed it around. It
had lost its tentacles, so it was unable to sting. A bit later he spotted a Lionsmane
Jellyfish. He didn’t touch that one –
that is one species of Jellyfish you don’t want to fondle!
The
highlight of the trip came a little later.
We spotted our first pod of Orcas a short distance away! We pulled up at a beach and had lunch, and a
second pod passed by. I made an attempt
at photos, but even with a long lens it was tough because they were quite a
distance away.
We
didn’t realize how lucky we’d been until later.
We passed Rider’s group shortly after lunch. They hadn’t seen any Orcas. Our run of good luck was continuing, and
there was no end in sight!
We
returned to Roche Harbor late that afternoon.
I’d booked us on the last ferry back to the main land, which meant that
we still had 5 hours to kill. Roche
Harbor is a lovely place, and it was hard to leave. Although we’d eaten lunch on the beach a few
hours earlier, there’s something about kayaking in the sunshine that makes me
hungry, and thirsty. We hit a restaurant
on the waterfront for an early dinner and adult beverages. Afterwards, we stopped at San Juan Island
National Historic Park, and I did the quick hike up Young Hill. Our guide, Clay, had recommended it to
us. It wasn’t much of a mountain at 650’,
but it provided a great view of the northwest end of San Juan Island and the Haro Strait.
From
there we drove to the southeast side of the island. Clay had recommended South Beach in a
separate section of San Juan Island National Historic Park, and it was
fantastic. The beach is covered in
driftwood, and it features a great view across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Mountains. There was a big thunderstorm engulfing those
mountains, and I managed to capture a couple of photos of lightning bolts. Later we passed a giant field that was
overrun with jackrabbits. After that, Christy
spotted a deer, and then two foxes. We
pulled over, and the foxes were so tame they walked right up to us. We hadn’t seen much wildlife through the
first two and a half weeks of our trip, but San Juan Island sure made up for
it!
We
returned to Friday Harbor a bit early for the ferry. Obviously the only way we could make our day
better was with ice cream, and there just happened to be an ice cream shop
right next to the ferry terminal. We
enjoyed our ice cream along with a vibrant rainbow at sunset.
The
ferry ride back was smooth. From
Anacortes we drove to Oak Harbor, where we had a hotel reserved. We arrived at the same time as a massive
thunderstorm, and I got drenched trying to unload the car. Well, I guess our day wasn’t quite
perfect. Then again, this was the first
night of the trip when we weren’t camping!
Continue reading about our trip as we travel to North Cascades National Park for car camping and dayhiking, starting with a solo dayhike to Hidden Lake.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!