Whale Watching near San Juan Island
Today we traveled through the southern end of the Northwest Coast. This area is truly the sunny south; after days in the rainforest, we were amazed to see bare grassy hills. Gone were the fog-loving Sitka spruce; instead we saw rusty barked madronas, sprawling Garry oaks, and tall Douglas-firs. This region lies downwind of the Olympic Mountains. They catch all the rain, and leave the San Juan and Gulf Islands in a rain shadow where drought tolerant plants – even cacti! – prosper.
We also made a gentle transition into civilized parts. We have spent days in some of the wilder areas of North America, so city lights, ferry docks, even towns seemed at once strange and familiar.
We awoke traveling the broad Straits of Georgia, then turned into the intricate archipelago of the Gulf Islands. Threading our way past these long narrow islands, we paused to look at nesting seabirds on rocky Mandarte Island and then headed into the U.S. The San Juans are widely varied in size, shape, and biological features. One of the most distinctive is narrow Spieden Island. This island is perhaps the best example of a pattern of plant growth found throughout the San Juans – the northeast slopes are heavily forested, and the drier southwest slopes are grass clad. Spieden is also curious because of the introduced creatures that roam its flanks. We saw large herds of Fallow deer and Moulflon sheep. At last we turned into Friday Harbor. Soon the Sea Lion joined a gay jumble of masts and motors, all glowing in the bright sun. Past customs, we headed into town to see the many intriguing shops of “the Capital of the San Juans.”
In the early evening we took a sunset cruise. Mount Rainier showed as a distant snowy cone. Rounding Salmon Banks at San Juan Island’s southern shore, we found killer whales once again. From the lounge, wine glasses and hors d’oeuvre plates in hand, we watched fellow salmon eaters. As the sun dropped and the light finally fell, we were surrounded by whales. We watched many breaches, spy hops, and frolicsome rolls. One young whale was particularly active in front of the ship. Enjoying this wildlife spectacle was a fitting finale to a spectacular trip!
Today we traveled through the southern end of the Northwest Coast. This area is truly the sunny south; after days in the rainforest, we were amazed to see bare grassy hills. Gone were the fog-loving Sitka spruce; instead we saw rusty barked madronas, sprawling Garry oaks, and tall Douglas-firs. This region lies downwind of the Olympic Mountains. They catch all the rain, and leave the San Juan and Gulf Islands in a rain shadow where drought tolerant plants – even cacti! – prosper.
We also made a gentle transition into civilized parts. We have spent days in some of the wilder areas of North America, so city lights, ferry docks, even towns seemed at once strange and familiar.
We awoke traveling the broad Straits of Georgia, then turned into the intricate archipelago of the Gulf Islands. Threading our way past these long narrow islands, we paused to look at nesting seabirds on rocky Mandarte Island and then headed into the U.S. The San Juans are widely varied in size, shape, and biological features. One of the most distinctive is narrow Spieden Island. This island is perhaps the best example of a pattern of plant growth found throughout the San Juans – the northeast slopes are heavily forested, and the drier southwest slopes are grass clad. Spieden is also curious because of the introduced creatures that roam its flanks. We saw large herds of Fallow deer and Moulflon sheep. At last we turned into Friday Harbor. Soon the Sea Lion joined a gay jumble of masts and motors, all glowing in the bright sun. Past customs, we headed into town to see the many intriguing shops of “the Capital of the San Juans.”
In the early evening we took a sunset cruise. Mount Rainier showed as a distant snowy cone. Rounding Salmon Banks at San Juan Island’s southern shore, we found killer whales once again. From the lounge, wine glasses and hors d’oeuvre plates in hand, we watched fellow salmon eaters. As the sun dropped and the light finally fell, we were surrounded by whales. We watched many breaches, spy hops, and frolicsome rolls. One young whale was particularly active in front of the ship. Enjoying this wildlife spectacle was a fitting finale to a spectacular trip!
