Trip to San Juan Island

We headed out on a Monday morning for San Juan Island north of the Olympic Peninsula.  We had to drive for about an hour to the top of the peninsula.  Then we took a ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island.  

We then had to drive north on Whidbey Island for about 45 minutes.  On the way across Whidbey Island we crossed this gorgeous bridge built by the CCC at Deception Pass. We stopped and watched a bald eagle perched by the water.

When we reached Anacortes we took another ferry for an hour to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  We were treated to beautiful views of Mt. Baker on the way.

On Tuesday, we went to Lime Kiln State Park on San Juan Island to watch for orca whales. 

Lighthouse at Lime Kiln State Park

We selected a good location and waited.  We got to watch some harbor seals and a sea lion while we waited. 

After about 3 hours of watching we were rewarded with a great orca show.  We saw the J pod with 27 members parade by for an hour and a half.  The water was so clear and they were so close we could sometimes see them swimming underwater.  We were able to identify the big male orca whale Ruffles by his big ruffled dorsal fin.  I didn't waste any effort trying to photograph the whales, I just enjoyed the show. 

The next day we decided to spend the day at Deadman's Bay to watch the whales.  We saw a bald eagle fishing, a deer, a harbor seal, lots of kayakers and lots and lots of driftwood.  Finally after nine hours of waiting, the J pod orcas came by and we were treated to another show. 

As we were waiting for the ferry the next day, we walked around Friday Harbor.  On our way back to Elissa's, we stopped in Port Townsend for some pizza at Sirens which overlooks the water.

Port Townsend