| San Juan Escape log (2003-09-14 -> 2003-09-19)
Leaders: Megan Moran, Mary Kathryn Williams
Students: Julie Berger, Lucy Heagy, Pendy Lintner, Mindy Oglesby, Sally Shuler, Holly Sturm
As the seaplane landed in Friday Harbor of San Juan Island, we got our first glimpse of the islands in the Pacific Northwest. Blanketed with fog and a light mist, we truly felt like we had been transported out of the hot and humid South and into a land of orcas, seals, hemlock, cedar, ferries, and sleepy towns on the edge of islands. Arriving late afternoon, we had a bit of time to explore the shops of Friday Harbor and enjoy a hot drink while getting to know each other and the island a bit better. We relaxed at our inn with a glass of wine and hors d'oeuvres and enjoyed our surroundings. Soon after, we tasted our first seafood of the island at The Place, and prepared ourselves for the adventure to come!
Monday morning, we headed to South Beach for a coastal hike; though it was quite foggy, we were able to enjoy the serenity of the San Juans and become totally immersed in the lapping of the waves and sea birds conversing above us. Following our hike, we explored town a bit more to pick up last minute necessities and visit the Whale Museum to learn more about the island's more popular residents--the orcas.
Monday afternoon we met our guides from Outdoor Adventures who taught us the key components of paddling a sea kayak and we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch on the bluff. Before we jumped in our kayaks however, we were visited by the Humane Society and nine baby seals who were being re-released into the wild! This was such a treat and unexpected; it delayed our departure a bit, but was well worth it! The seals needed quiet surroundings and plenty of space so we were curiously watching them from the safety of the bluff! After lunch, we climbed in our boats to practice our steering techniques and headed to Jones Island--voted one of the top ten places to camp by National Geographic Explorer. No 'wet exits' were required for practice and none were needed since everyone looked like a natural! After a few hours of paddling, we reached our destination--Jones Island. It was beautiful! Perfect coastal views for our tents and two large picnic tables to enjoy our gourmet feast, as well as "couches" carved out of logs to watch the sunset. Though there wasn't a cloud in sight, we set up our tents just in case. Outdoor Adventures had lovely steaks, homemade mashed potatoes, and salad prepared for us that evening! We toasted our evening together and slept in our tents for the first time.
Megan and I woke the next morning from our tent--we attempted to sleep on the beach because the stars were too beautiful for us to miss, but alas, the drizzle pushed us inside. We found many folks up and enjoying a leisurely morning with coffee and conversation. After enjoying a pancake and sausage breakfast, we began a 2-hour hike around Jones Island where we ran into several other visitors--mostly deer! We returned to our home on the island for a bit of rest, a fantastic lunch, and plenty of sunshine. While Megan was teaching me the basics of knitting, ladies enjoyed their vacation through reading; most had said that they rarely have time to just sit and read! When the 5 o'clock hour approached, some enjoyed their time on the island, Holly created a beautiful centerpiece, and Pendy, Lucy, Mindy, and I embarked a sunset paddle around Jones Island. When we returned from our evening adventures, we toasted to perfection and then enjoyed homemade clam chowder, pasta with clam sauce, and salad for dinner! As we were soaking in our atmosphere, we noticed seals popping up to see the sight we had come for as well--an amazing sunset. We were camped on the western side of Jones Island and therefore had the perfect view! Mindy entertained us with her rendition of Proud Mary and then proceeded to win Big Booty, though Julie and Megan gave her a run for her money!
We awoke the next morning to the same beautiful view and began the celebration of Holly's birthday! Sally bought a tiara for her to wear all day and she proudly did! We enjoyed omlets on Jones before paddling to Orcas Island--another beautiful and arty island of the San Juans. Outdoor Adventures warmed our bodies on our arrival with more chowder and hot drinks, as well as sandwiches. Outdoor Adventures had a bonafide birthday party for Holly, complete with cake, candles, and balloons! We bid farewell to our kayaks and headed to West Beach pottery to see (and buy!) the work of local artists before checking into our inn downtown. We enjoyed our first shower in two days and toured the quaint village just minutes from our waterfront inn. We all turned in after dinner at Christina's and awaited our next adventure--biking!
Thursday morning, we boarded the ferry from Orcas for Lopez Island--a place popular for cyclists as well as rabbits! (Lopez has managed to secure a large wild rabbit population!) The 25 minute ferry ride took us by deserted islands similar to those we saw kayaking and as soon as we arrived in Lopez, we begin to bike its perimeter. It started to rain, but it didn't dampen anyone's spirits--it only gave us more motivation to get to our shelter for a coastal lunch! We biked by beautiful farmlands, stopped to peak inside a country church, and supported each other through the more challenging sections. We biked into town for a browse in local shops and ended on a beautiful beach for a late lunch.
After lunch, we said goodbye to Outdoor Adventures and boarded the ferry for Orcas. We had a bit of time to spare before dinner so we lounged in waterfront cafes and found the perfect keepsakes to remember our time on the islands. We indulged in the cuisine at Sean Pauls--a lovely restaurant on a western beach of Orcas--and feasted on halibut, sea bass, clams, mussels, and crab. It was the perfect ending for a wonderful trip! It was like a slumber party in the rooms that evening with lots of chatter about the week and promises to meet up again in the wild one day!
Back to 2003 Logs
Back to Trip Logs
|
|
