So having a orca breach just a few feet from your dinghy fits the description - right again!
So does a romantic sunset dinner in a deserted anchorage, discovering a tiny octopus in a tidepool, or having a lost seal pup crying at your transom. But if history fascinates you and killer whales terrify you, perhaps a museum should be on your short list.
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| Friday Harbor Marina |
If you are visiting the San Juans by car, by boat, or on foot and only have one place to choose for your stop, make it the city of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. If at all possible you should allow a full day for exploring and then spend the night on board your boat at the marina or at a local tourist lodge, B&B or motel. For campers, head for the county campground at Smallpox Bay on the west side.
Ride your bicycle, drive your car, or purchase an all day transit pass for $15. Friday Harbor and San Juan Island is your number one choice.
While on San Juan Island, stop by the visitors center in Friday Harbor for maps and brochures. ( it's on Spring street across from Kings Market) Check out the Whale Museum,the San Juan Historical Museum, American Camp, English camp, Lime Kiln State Park (aka "Whale Watch Park")and a host of private enterprises and artsy craftsy studios, but don't miss Roche Harbor, and the Sculpture Garden at Westcott Bay Reserve. Local shops and eateries will satisfy your appetite for cuisine and collectables.
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Your number two choice is Orcas Island. If you are coming by car, plan on driving the long horseshoe shaped island all the way to the top of Mt Constitution in Moran State Park for panoramic views from the highest point in the San Juan's. The main town on Orcas Island is Eastsound where you will find a thriving artist craft community and the island's largest grocery store. San Juan County maintains a small dock for easy boater access to Eastsound.
A visit to Orcas Island would not be complete without a stop at Rosario Resort where you can kick back and relax, or just visit the Mansion's upstairs museum dedicated to Robert Moran and the early days when timber was gold and the lumber baron was king. Rosario Marina welcomes all yachts, big or small or hook onto an anchor buoy offshore.
At the other end of Orcas Island is Deer Harbor Marina where you can get fuel, food, lodging, or reserve a slip and use Deer Harbor as your home base for exploring the outer islands.
To round out your travels, and for those boaters more inclined to seek out solitude and commune with nature, you can pick from the thousands of nooks, crannies, coves, uninhabited islands, islets and rocks making up the rest of the San Juan's.
All of the Marine State Parks offer boaters a front door where everyone comes and goes and hangs around. But sometimes it's the backdoors that are more rewarding.
Click here for backdoor hideouts in the San Juan's NINE San Juan hidden coves and backdoors
