San Juan Island

On Saturday, I got up at 4AM. I left my parent’s house at 4:30, got some coffee from Starbucks, and headed up to Seattle. I rallied the troops (Hayley and Claire) and we left our house around 6AM. Another Starbucks stop for coffee, and we were on the road. We jammed to a playlist I made for the trip. It took less than two hours to arrive at the ferry terminal. We were aiming to get on the 8:30AM ferry to Friday Harbor, but instead were put in line for the ferry leaving at 9:30. We parked in the long line of cars and found a picnic table outside to sit at. It wasn’t too cold out, and we were in a beautiful area. There were so many dogs around us. We saw two puppies playing with each other,  so cute!

When we finally got on the ferry, I wasn’t feeling too hot. At my parent's house the night before, I ate a bit too much. My jeans were digging into my stomach, and I was sore from crossfit – I think these two things really messed with my tummy. The ferry over was beautiful. I can’t believe that such a place (San Juan Islands) exists in Washington. After we docked, we had to wait about 20 minutes to finally get off the ferry.

Once off, we (luckily) found a place to park and ended up eating at the Rocky Bay Café. Hayley and I split a salad, and I got a cup of clam chowder. Food really helped with my stomach.

The Friday Harbor farmer’s market just happened to be going on right next to the little café, so we checked it out. It was quaint. Hayley bought her mom some flowers and a cute painting of Mt. Rainier. Afterward, we went to the grocery store to pick up (mostly) produce. Then we drove out to Lee’s house.

Good god, the drive was spectacular. We found her house and she gave us a tour. The house was absolutely gorgeous. Wooden interior, less than a five-minute walk to the beach – perfection. We unpacked and relaxed, then got back in the car with Lee. She directed us to the national park that she works at. We parked and walked into the visitor information center. Hayley and Lee talked to two of the coworkers while Claire and I checked out the little center. After exchanging goodbyes, we headed out to the American Camp trail.

The trail was gorgeous. I kept feeling like I was in a Lord of the Rings film, somewhere tucked away in New Zealand – fields, with bodies of water on each side of the island, mountain passes out in the distance. We saw a few foxes and an eagle.  The hike was short and quite relaxing.

We drove back to Lee’s house afterward, and took naps. After the nap, we got dressed for dinner and drove back into Friday Harbor.

We ate at a classy restaurant called “Cask and Schooner.” We dined with two of Hayley’s old family friends. The food was delicious (my second bowl of clam chowder, and another salad) and the company was great. After parting ways with the adults; Claire, Hayley and I walked around Friday Harbor some more. We wandered around on some of the docks, home to many expensive yachts.

On the drive back to Lee’s house, the three of us pulled over to a lookout on the top of the hill to snap some photos of the sunset.

The next morning, I got up early to go for a run around Lee’s neighborhood. The run itself wasn’t exactly peachy, but I got to finish the run on the beach and proceeded to spend a good half hour there.

I felt like a child again, cartwheeling on the beach and writing in the sand. It was lovely.

After I got home and showered, I relaxed as I waited for Hayley and Claire to get back from their run and get ready. I got to hang out with Lee and her dog, Robert.

Soon enough, we were on the road to Friday Harbor. We went to “The Coffee Bar: World’s Skinniest Latte Shop” for some coffee.

We chatted with the barista and she told us that her son was a 7^th generation islander on San Juan – crazy!

After sufficiently caffeinated, we contacted our friend Ellie who had been studying at the Friday Harbor laboratories with the University of Washington. Ellie gave us a tour of the labs, the docks, and took us on an awesome shore trail.

 

After we bid Ellie farewell, we drove back into the Harbor to eat lunch. We picked up some food from the local grocery store, and ate on a picnic table in the sunshine. After, we got some delicious homemade ice cream.

Soon after, Lee and Robert met up with us and we drove around the island to the north side. We toured the British camp, and went on a leisurely two-mile hike.

We then drove to Roche Harbor. On the way there, we saw (at least) seven eagles hanging out around the trees on the road - just as many cars were parked on the side to watch them. We didn't get out of the car at Roche Harbor, only checked it out quickly before driving back to Lee's house.

That evening, Lee cooked us a delicious dinner. Salmon, corn on the cob, and couscous - tasty! After we were full, we went for a walk on the beach near her house.

We spent the rest of the evening studying, chatting, and enjoying the calmness of Lee's home. I seriously wish that it were possible to feel that relaxed in Seattle, it was truly amazing. We went to bed early in order to attempt to get adequate sleep before an early morning ferry. 

Visiting Friday Harbor and San Juan island was exactly what I needed just before finals. Great company, beautiful island - the perfect weekend.