Next Stop: The San Juan Islands

Friday Harbor

As much as I enjoyed my time in Bellingham itself, the thing that made my stay there truly memorable was the opportunity it gave me to see the San Juan Islands. The first of my two excursions  to the islands was on a whale watching boat, that took us first to the charming town of Friday Harbor and then further into the Strait of Georgia to look for whales. We saw three humpback whales, but at a distance. I was unable to get any good pictures because they surfaced and dove again so quickly, still it thrilled my Melville-loving heart to catch a quick glimpse of their flukes as they headed back into the depths. I've posted a couple of not-so-great pictures here, one showing the plume of water coming from a whale's blowhole, the other a distant sighting of a humpback's flukes. I offer no apologies for the lack of more or better pictures: it was an experience I wanted to savor in real life rather than miss because I was trying to get the perfect picture. Here then, without a lot of excessive verbiage, are some pictures of the islands:

The Victoria Star, operated by San Juan Cruises

No matter how far we sailed, Mount Baker was always there
watching over us.

Friday Harbor

I love lavender and usually keep a pot or two growing on my back porch. So when I saw that there was a store in Friday Harbor where everything they sold contained lavender from their local farm, I knew that would have to be my first stop when the boat docked. Pelindaba Lavender is lavender heaven! I opened the front door, inhaled that beautiful fragrance, and achieved instant inner peace! They offer free shipping anywhere in the US, so it was a great place to get little gifts for the folks back home (and when I say "folks back home," I am including myself since I am one of the folks and would soon be back home). I bought lavender tea, lavender honey, lavender-peach chutney, and lavender shortbread cookies, and they are all delicious. I regret not buying any lavender soap, but I'm sure I'll be visiting their website in the near future. And the next time I'm in Friday Harbor, I'm going to make sure I have time to visit their lavender farm. 

I also recommend a visit to the Arctic Raven Gallery, which features a wonderful collection of artworks by Indigenous artists of the Northwest and Arctic regions.

The Pelindaba Lavender shop in Friday Harbor. 

After leaving Friday Harbor, we had lunch on board ship and then headed out through more breathtaking scenery to look for whales.

That's a whale's flukes

Thar she blows!

For my second island adventure, my friend Angela and I drove through the Lummi Nation's reservation, then took a quick trip on the ferry to Lummi Island, where we ate a picnic lunch on a beautiful beach, strewn with driftwood and wind eroded rocks. What a gorgeous place!

My pictures of the Lummi Rez are not great, since they were taken through the car windshield as      

we drove, but I wanted to at least get a few images to remember it by. I especially liked the small 

signs by the side of the road offering encouraging and thoughtful messages. 

Lummi Totem

Crab shack on Lummi Island 

Mt. Baker and the Three Sisters Mountains

Well friends, we've reached the end of the road. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and follow my adventures in the Pacific Northwest. In the next day or two, I will be adding one final post on this trip, featuring the many adventures of Mini Liz, my Elizabeth Warren action figure, as we traveled together from Chicago to the San Juan Islands and back. She was an excellent traveling companion!