Perfect Holiday in San Juan Islands

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright. ~Henry David Thoreau

Nature is ever changing, so every trip out is an opportunity to see something new and explore something different! Say "San Juan Islands" and images of ferry boats slipping between emerald isles beneath a deep blue sky, one of the best places in the world to see orca (killer) whales will likely form in one's mind. Once here you feel there’s no place more beautiful for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation. I feel so lucky and amazed to be living in such a wonderful corner of the world!

We started off on a Saturday morning on over an hour drive to Anacortes for the Washington State Ferries.The San Juan Islands exist not only as gems in Washington’s state "Top 5 islands in the continental U.S. and Canada", but also as a state of mind. An island culture borne of geographic seclusion and resilient spirit. The San Juan Islands are emerald gems that contain magical forests, breathtaking and exciting wildlife, long swept rugged beaches, mountain peaks with incredible vistas, towering cedar trees, and quiet bays. The sea within the Islands is known as the Salish Sea which is named after the original first peoples of the region, the coast Salish. They were seafaring people who fished, carved totem poles which told of family histories, whose history is steeped in legends. There was a thick fog as we reached the Friday Harbor in the San Juan Island which eventually disappeared into a beautiful deep blue sky as we reached Orcas Island on an interisland ferry.

That was the first time in my life I was ever Island Hopping and I absolutely loved the experience. The first destination island was the Orcas Island.  Lovely Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juans. The horseshoe-shaped island is a magical mix of lush forest, farm valleys, tranquil lakes and stunning mountains, all wrapped around a beautiful fjord. Orcas Island is made up of several hamlets and villages. Eastsound offers casual to fine dining, boutiques, galleries, a performing arts center, a first-run movie theater, and a history museum. We rambled around that area a bit and then bumped into the Community Labyrinth at Emmanuel Episcopal Church which I walked in and out of it. Generally synonymous with maze, the labyrinth is an archetypal design - a universal divine imprint - an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness, combining the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path.The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

The biological clock struck and we knew we were hungry. We browsed around a couple of places and then settled with a restaurant called 'Allium' which treated us on the bounty of simple, fresh Pacific Northwest flavors and for a sumptuous lunch. The restaurant itself was adorably cozy, set on the second floor of a waterfront former home with great views of waters.  I can say the food was very refreshing, fresh and very gourmet.  Off then we drove to the Moran State Park looking for camping sites. The ranger at the Park offered us a very private and secluded patch atop a real woodsy area uphill reachable by a short trek. 

The panoramic view of islands, water and mountains from atop 2,409-foot Mount Constitution is a must-see...

Beautiful reflections of this verdant area on our drive to Eastsound Village on Orcas Island

We took around twenty minutes to set up the tent on that hot afternoon and then after a pleasant siesta drove to see Cascade Falls, a small but impressive 75-foot-high waterfall in Moran State Park. We then drove to the top of Moran State Park to see panoramic views of the islands and surrounding mountains. Atop the 2,409-foot-high Mt. Constitution, the highest point on the San Juan Islands, there stands a stone observation tower. The tower offers panoramic views of the surrounding islands, the Cascade Mountains and a variety of Canadian and American cities. We then drove all the way out of the Park towards the Eastsound for an early dinner as we wanted to spend some time by the Cascade Lake at night inside the Moran State Park where we had camped. We captured some lovely reflections of a beautiful verdant area on our drive to Eastsound Village on Orcas Island. We then headed towards a fine dining restaurant called 'New Leaf Cafe' which served simple, fresh cuisine highlighting the finest ingredients the island had to offer in an intimate water view dining room. I had Mediterranean mussels with cream, pesto, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes and quite honestly it was one of the finest mussel preparations I have eaten. I was told that the mussels were straight from the Buck Bay on the Orcas Island and they were as fresh as they could be! Local fresh seafood served with whole grains and seasonal veggies. It was a beautiful and relaxing experience on the Island. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, Orcas Island restaurants offer an amazing range of delicious eating experience. Like I said we returned back early to our hide out after spending a little while by the Lake and then called it a night.

Baby whale named "Se Yi Chn"

Next morning we drove to the ferry dock for our interisland ferry to Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor is a town located on San Juan Island and it is the major commercial center of the San Juan Islands archipelago. The Doctor's Office Café 'A Treatment Cafe' is one of the first places that you see when you get off the Ferry. Great veggie sandwiches, coffee, pastries and service! Done with breakfast we looked around to see lots of interesting boats out in the Strait- sailboats, ferries, tugs and power boats in every direction on Friday Harbor. We  drove into the American Camp of San Juan Island National Historical Park for a quick glimpse of the San Juan Island before getting onto "Odyssey" for our Orca Whale watching trip at 2:00pm. The experience on San Juan Excursions' "Odyssey" was more than overwhelming on 12th of July 2010. What a perfect day to be out on a boat, exploring the protected inland Salish Sea. The two naturalists on the vessel were erudite and provided a sea of information on marine life. They spoke at length on the Orca (Killer) Whales - history, types, description, life cycle, range and habitat, food habits, behavior, giving us a very holistic whale watching experience. The crew was tracking three pods of whales that afternoon. First sightings of the orca (killer) whales, If you look you can see the dorsal fins of the whales and also "blowing" caused by a cloud vapor produced by whale's exhalation and mixing with sea water. Among the many Orca Whales we saw the "Granny "and also a year old baby whale named "Se Yi Chn" on our trip. And what more the baby whale was breaching on his mother and the sight was pristine, full of emotion and wonderful to watch! We also saw harbor seals and bald eagles.

Getting out of the boat we trotted towards a gourmet handmade icecream and coffee parlor. Licking the creamummy icecreams after that long boat ride left us with a wow feeling. We then drove directly towards the southern tip of San Juan Island known as Cattle Point. It was like driving into the picture and we loved this marvelous drive to the lighthouse. The larger American Camp’s 1,200 acres of prairie and forest also boasts five miles of beach and views of whales, porpoises, seals and sea lions. American Camp’s prairie was an unexpected delight, what with the cloud-sunshine color play on the blue waters and wild summer flowers. Into and beyond - the scenery was awesome. We drove the entire place drinking in this scenery and beauty. We then drove to Pelindaba Lavender Farm and saw diverse range of lavender plants spread in lovely lavender. Delicate, exquisite, therapeutic and just beautiful!!

Then we headed towards Lime Kiln Point State Park - the place on San Juan Island to watch sunsets and hopefully spot some of the 80-plus Orcas who make the waters of Haro Strait their summer home. We spent good amount of time there and got some beautiful shots of the lighthouse against the breathtaking skies at sunset.

And then the worst part at the end of the trip was to bid adieu to all the beauty and serenity. The scenery around was breathtaking and the holiday very rejuvenating - simple pleasures... holding hands, stealing a kiss, beach combing, watching birds, skipping rocks and sharing the joy! All this was coming to an end! It was a fun trip and we had a wonderful time. I must say this was by far one of the most memorable trips in our life time and very dear! Beautiful moments to cherish for a long long time to come.

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver