San Juan Islands-Friday Harbor
While I was getting dressed for stretch class, it was hard to believe that just a few days ago rain paints, gloves, fleece, and rubber boots were part of our survival. However, here in British Columbia, on the National Geographic Sea Lion, it was smooth sailing and the best weather of our trip. Today, everyone was fully clad in sunglasses, shorts, and smiles. I know reporting about the weather and wardrobe might seem mundane, considering the depth and wildness we’ve just experienced. We’ve spent days learning about the question of farmed vs. wild caught salmon, protecting cetacean life, and how we can support the first nations people. Also, each day on this trip has been jam packed with magical wildlife sightings. However, today bears were not waltzing by, whales were not diving beneath our bow, and our kayaks rested on the lido deck. Everyone on this boat was so overwhelmed with bliss from the luminous sun and the excitement we’ve had so far that the absence of wildlife was not missed. Today, we relaxed, were reflective, and rejoiced; this has been a perfect voyage, and it ended with a perfect day.
We spent the morning sailing down Georgia Straight. The scenery seemed diverse as every moment brought a new view. As the crew grilled us a deck BBQ, we baked ourselves in the sun. During our deck lunch we all celebrated and reminisced about experiences and memories of the past 11 days. It seemed as if we were like children who just started summer vacation. In addition, we have all grown close and shared many remarkable wildlife events.
Soon we left Canada and crossed the border back to the USA. We arrived in Friday Harbor in the afternoon. Friday Harbor is on the south tip of San Juan Island. It is part of the San Juan Archipelago located between the mainland and Vancouver Island in Washington. The San Juan Islands are composed of 172 islands and must be some of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever seen. Stepping on to the dock we were surrounded by beautiful cruising yachts and a very quaint town rich in history. Birds sang and ice cream shops were packed. Some of us went to the Whale Museum and learned more about the marine mammals we’ve seen. Others lingered in this recreational environment with effortless comfort and ease. Although the foliage gave us various shades of orange, we would never imagine that the autumn equinox is right around the corner.
Gratitude for this relaxing day and our exciting expedition was endless. Bound for Seattle, the sunset seemed to last forever.
While I was getting dressed for stretch class, it was hard to believe that just a few days ago rain paints, gloves, fleece, and rubber boots were part of our survival. However, here in British Columbia, on the National Geographic Sea Lion, it was smooth sailing and the best weather of our trip. Today, everyone was fully clad in sunglasses, shorts, and smiles. I know reporting about the weather and wardrobe might seem mundane, considering the depth and wildness we’ve just experienced. We’ve spent days learning about the question of farmed vs. wild caught salmon, protecting cetacean life, and how we can support the first nations people. Also, each day on this trip has been jam packed with magical wildlife sightings. However, today bears were not waltzing by, whales were not diving beneath our bow, and our kayaks rested on the lido deck. Everyone on this boat was so overwhelmed with bliss from the luminous sun and the excitement we’ve had so far that the absence of wildlife was not missed. Today, we relaxed, were reflective, and rejoiced; this has been a perfect voyage, and it ended with a perfect day.
We spent the morning sailing down Georgia Straight. The scenery seemed diverse as every moment brought a new view. As the crew grilled us a deck BBQ, we baked ourselves in the sun. During our deck lunch we all celebrated and reminisced about experiences and memories of the past 11 days. It seemed as if we were like children who just started summer vacation. In addition, we have all grown close and shared many remarkable wildlife events.
Soon we left Canada and crossed the border back to the USA. We arrived in Friday Harbor in the afternoon. Friday Harbor is on the south tip of San Juan Island. It is part of the San Juan Archipelago located between the mainland and Vancouver Island in Washington. The San Juan Islands are composed of 172 islands and must be some of the most beautiful islands I’ve ever seen. Stepping on to the dock we were surrounded by beautiful cruising yachts and a very quaint town rich in history. Birds sang and ice cream shops were packed. Some of us went to the Whale Museum and learned more about the marine mammals we’ve seen. Others lingered in this recreational environment with effortless comfort and ease. Although the foliage gave us various shades of orange, we would never imagine that the autumn equinox is right around the corner.
Gratitude for this relaxing day and our exciting expedition was endless. Bound for Seattle, the sunset seemed to last forever.
