|
This archipelago of 237
islands is one of the most peaceful places on
earth, a marine sanctuary for birds and animals,
and also humans wanting to get away from
stressful mainland life. The water between the
islands is a playpen for young Orcas. Rocky tide
pools reveal a myriad of invertebrates. Little
wooded islands, left to themselves, provide high
nesting places for bald and golden eagles. Loons
bob on the placid waters. Dall porpoises arc
gracefully as they take a look above the surface
of this northern extension of Puget
Sound.
|
These are just about the best canoeing and
kayaking waters along the Pacific Coast, sheltered from
ocean winds by the larger islands in the archipelago.
If we were to take an earlier view of the
origins of human life, the San Juans would be the ideal
place to begin history. The Lummi, who first inhabited
the islands, believed that human life began in the
wilderness of San Juan Island. They considered the
islands to be sacred places. They still are, for reasons
which can only be understood while visiting the quiet
bays and secluded islands of this tranquil,
life-restoring, corner of the nation.
How to Get There
Washington state car ferries bring visitors
to the four largest islands from Anacortes, and from the
Victoria, B.C. area. Sixty miles north of Seattle, via
Interstate 5, State Route 20 leads west to Anacortes. The
ferry terminal is on a point of land beyond the town. Car
ferries leave here on a regular daily schedule, with
ferries added during summer months. In addition to the
state ferry system, private operators have operate
ferries between the mainland and the islands.
Washington State Ferries
At the north end of Puget Sound (the Gulf
of Georgia) there is ferry service from Anacortes, which
stops at four of the San Juan Islands (Lopez, Shaw, Orcas
and San Juan). All ferries do not stop at all of the
islands. Once a day, more often during summer months, the
ferry continues to Sidney on Vancouver Island, permitting
travelers to drive to Victoria and points north on
Vancouver Island. The first ferry leaves Anacortes at 6
a.m. with at least nine sailings during the day. The
ferries cruise to the four developed islands, with some
exceptions when the ferries don't land at them all. In
order of ferry landing they are: Lopez, Shaw, Orcas and
San Juan. Some of the ferry runs end in Sidney, on
Vancouver Island. It takes some planning to get to
Anacortes (or Sidney) at the right time to catch a ferry.
There may be lineups at the Anacortes terminal, during
the busy summer months.
For information on all state ferries, call
the following numbers. Schedules: (206) 464-6400 or
800-84-FERRY (statewide), or (604) 381-1551 (Vancouver
Island/Vancouver, B.C.). Vehicle reservations are
recommended during summer months from ferries leaving
Orcas and San Juan islands. Call (360)
376-2134&endash;Orcas, or (360) 378-4888&endash;Friday
Harbor.
Bellingham to the San Juans
The Island Shuttle Express is a passenger
and bike ferry which cruises from the Cruise Terminal
building, on Harris Avenue in the northwestern Washington
city of Bellingham, to Orcas and Friday Harbor. The
service operates from late May to the end of September,
with one round-trip daily. For information, call (360)
671-1137.
Flying to and from the Islands
Four air services fly to and from the main
islands (San Juan and Orcas). On the mainland, at
Anacortes, West Isle Air will fly you to either island
from 4000 Airport Rd. For reservations, call
800-874-4434. If you wish to fly from Seattle, Tacoma or
Oak Harbor (Whidby Island), call Harbor Air Lines at
800-359-3220. From Bellingham and Anacortes, with
connections to Seattle/Tacoma, call West Isle Air at
800-874-4434.
San Juan Island
San Juan has the most varied terrain of the
San Juans -- with small mountains, agricultural valleys
and a stunning coastline that is accessible by car or
bicycle. The rocky shores of this island have tide pools
which reveal an incredible array of crustaceans and other
marine creatures.
The earliest settlement was San Juan Town,
located at the southwest edge of the island, where the
American Camp portion of the San Juan Islands National
Park commemorates the early history of the island.
You won't find much of this settlement remaining, and
most of the island activity takes place in the town of
Friday Harbor, a small community with a population of
about 1,000. Visitors often outnumber residents, The
University of Washington operates two scientific
facilities that are open to the public. North of Friday
Harbor is the marine laboratory where tours are
available. A 200-acre biological preserve on False Bay
offers a fine opportunity to observe inter tidal life at
low tide.
The San Juan Historical Museum, at
405 Price Street, is a homestead from the 1890s,
containing displays of local pioneer artifacts. It's open
from Wednesday through Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
from early June through Labor Day. One of the best
whale-watching locations on the Pacific Coast, San Juan
Island celebrates its fortunate location at the Whale
Museum, located in the second-oldest building in
Friday Harbor, at 62 First St. North. The museum is
devoted solely to whale life and features a two-thirds
scale skeleton of an orca and a life-size model of a baby
humpback whale. Exhibits include data on the orca pods
that feed in the waters off the San Juans. The museum is
open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., during summer (an admission
fee is charged).
Art galleries, bookstores, cafes and
grocery stores are found on Spring Street and connecting
streets. The National Parks Service operates a
visitor center on Spring Street, where you can obtain a
map for the historic walking tour of the town. Cycling is
a favorite way of getting around the island, and bicycles
may be rented from Island Bicycles at 380 Argyle, call
(360) 378-4941). Many visitors leave their cars on the
mainland and use bicycles to tour the island. Mopeds
provide another way to get around, and are available from
Suzie's Moped at Churchill Square, just above the ferry
departure lanes (call 360-378-5244).
American Camp is located near the
southeast end of the island, accessed by driving down
Cattle Point Road. This national park site has a great
walking beach, a one-mile historic trail to the American
redoubt and the site of the Hudson's Bay farm -- the home
of the fateful wandering pig, which nearly brought the
British and American sides to combat. Cattle Point, at
the tip of the island, has its own picnic park and
beach.
Roche Harbor
Fifteen minutes' drive from Friday Harbor,
the resort at Roche Harbor is one of the region's most
unusual and fascinating vacation haunts. In its first
incarnation, it was a Hudson's Bay trading post,
servicing the nearby British encampment, until limestone
was discovered in the surrounding hills and thirteen
quarries were developed. Then a lime and cement shipping
operation was started in the mid-1800s. The property and
business changed hands several times until the early
1880s, when Roche Harbor was purchased by magnate John S.
McMillin, who turned the operation into a multimillion
dollar mining and shipping industry.
By 1886, he had built a complete village
with a hotel (Hotel de Haro), houses for his workers, and
a church. His lime works were the largest lime operation
west of the Mississippi, and ships carried the lime to
ports down the Pacific Coast, until the operation closed
in 1956. With a penchant for building monuments to
himself, McMillin constructed a dramatic and eerie
mausoleum -- in the woods, near the village -- for the
burial of himself and his family.
In 1956, the Tarte family purchased the
whole village and have turned it into a resort that
includes a large marina, an excellent restaurant, the
Victorian Hotel de Haro -- looking exactly as it did in
the early days of the century -- and condominium units
that provide modern accommodations for visitors. In front
of the hotel is a formal garden in the English style. To
the west of the resort, across the Puget Sound waters,
are several state park islands. A hike to the south takes
you to British Camp and the Mount Young Trail. The resort
has its own paved airstrip.
Roche Harbor celebrates its past with
special observances, including a daily lowering of the
colors -- at sunset. Flags are lowered while the national
anthems of Britain and Canada are played. The American
flag is lowered to the strains of Sousa's "Stars and
Stripes Forever." This marks the end of the day and the
start of party-time on the many visiting boats and in the
resort's bar. This festival atmosphere provides quite a
contrast for the visitor who has spent the day in quiet
reflection, while canoeing through the islands' quiet
inland waters.
Shoreline Parks
False Bay is indeed false, half of
the time. At low tide the water disappears to leave a mud
flat with tide pools. This is one of the University of
Washington's biological research sites; it's open to the
public. Lime Kiln State Park offers picnicking and
a view of the Lime Kiln Lighthouse. This is the nation's
only whale-watching park, and one often sees pods of
killer whales feeding on the salmon which feed here while
on their way to the mouth of the Fraser River. San
Juan County Park, to the north, is on Smallpox Bay.
Scuba diving, beach combing, and picnicking are popular
activities in this park. On the northeast side of the
island is the Reuben Tarte Picnic Area, on a
tombolo -- a small rocky peninsula that connects two
coves.
