A day in the San Juans
Briefly after I moved back to Washington State in 2016, I made it a priority to visit the San Juan Islands as soon as the weather was tolerable.
If you have never been, the San Juan Islands are an archipelago, or an island chain between Washington State and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
To get to the San Juan Islands, one must book a ferry ride, since four of the islands are accessible to us common folk via a state ferry.
My first trip was to San Juan Island landing in Friday Harbor. The ferry ride isn’t too bad, and the water is tolerable (even for my motion sickness). As part of the charm, most ferry’s have that classic “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” vibe.
Most people who live out-of-state trip out on a ferry as a mode of transportation. Not only do you get to transport your car from one body of land to another, but you also get to ride on this magical boat with a café, board games to pass the time, and killer views. Think of it as a large city bus on water.
Visiting the islands can take a little but of planning since ferry rides can sell out pretty quickly. With a bit of planning and braving the outdated reservation website, getting to the island of your destination should not be an issue.
So… what do you do when you get there? Well… drive around and explore! Take some pictures, visit the lighthouse, eat some food. Relax. That’s it, really — you visit the San Juan’s to get away from the crowded coast and have some space to yourself.
The islands are beautiful and full of a variety of terrain and points of interest. Since this was my first time here, I wasn’t quite sure which direction to point my compass. After leaving Friday Harbor, you are left with two important choices:
Turn left, or turn right.
Since I am an ambi-turner, I went left (Derek Zoolander would be proud).
My first stop was at a lavender field somewhere in the middle of the island. On site was a nice shop that sold all sorts of lavender themed goods. For a few bucks, you can grab some scissors and go cut yourself a batch of lavender to take home. Or, you can bring your own scissors and just have at it, since there appeared to be no supervision on site.
I must admit — I appreciate lavender themed products, but I was really hoping to score some cool pictures of lavender fields. Not too impressed with my attempts — the lighting wasn’t great, and the plants were a bit dull. Guess I am going to have to come back when the lavender is ready for the picking.
Adjacent to the lavender field is a nice small lake with some dumpy boats. I am not confident if they are even safe to use, but the overall fact that this place exists and people probably use them is outstanding.
There is a certain charm to this place, and it reminds me a bit of the town where I grew up. Low traffic, everybody recognizes you, immersed in nature… and the best part — you spend your life outdoors. I am sure island life in the San Juans helps encourage that type of lifestyle, since you are removed from city life just enough to get a taste of how things could have been in the past.
One more note about visiting places like this little pocket in the middle of the island — my photography approach is to capture enough shots that help bring me right back to this place. Pictures of an old sign, dirty boats, an empty road… all combine to bring back what I was thinking and feeling while standing at this spot. These images were essentially all captured within 100 yards (0.09 km) of each other, yet help establish a time and place on this journey.
This activity is something I try to do every place I visit. Sure, go for those iconic shots that you will always love, but try to capture the small details as well. They may not always translate on social media, but they will serve their purpose as a supporting actor to your primary photos.
My next stop was off to the coast to check out the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, which was built in 1914 and helps guide ships through the Haro Straits. There are a few keepers houses on the property to compliment the 38-foot tall octagonal tower.
Visiting lighthouses in general has its perks, and they always create cool photo opportunities. But let’s face it, beyond looking rad, they don’t really do much unless you are the captain of a ship. Instead, I preferred to imagine what life must have been like as a lighthouse keeper in 1914. Hopefully, it is nothing like the events that transpired in the move “The Lighthouse” (you have been warned).
I didn’t spend too much time here, but I did want to catch a few images; even if it was midday. For my approach, I just took advantage of the blue ocean and clear skies. I love to bring out the blue in all things and emphasize the feeling of being surrounded by so much water and sky. There is something to be said for lighthouse photography that captures the isolation and peacefulness. I always get the feeling that this is the last building in this direction for quite some time.
After leaving the coast and heading up the road a bit, I spotted a nonchalant sign directing me towards a llama farm (or was it alpacas?). Ever since I was a kid, I had a thing for llamas, so I had to pay a visit.
Onsite, this place looks like a resort for upper-class llamas. Fields to sprawl around and do llama things. Their main contribution is their fur, which apparently makes for very soft and expensive wares. I captured a few obligatory pictures of llamas and went on my way.
English Camp.
San Juan National Park @ Garrison Bay.
Ok, … one more stop before I head back to Friday Harbor for some dinner and catch a ferry ride back to Seattle. And that location is the English Camp at the San Juan Island National Park at Garrison bay on the northern shore.
Upon arriving, I was not expecting a full cast of people dressed up in historical outfits, all in character. While I was catching some serious renaissance fair vibes, the atmosphere was more focused on education and less about King Arthur.
One cool fact I learned while visiting the English Camp, is that it is “one of the very few places without diplomatic status where US government employees regularly hoist the flag of another country.” You can see the Union Jack flag on display in all its glory right in front of Garrison Bay.
If you plan to visit, bring a lunch and take your time. With great weather and a late ferry ride, one can spend the whole day on San Juan Island and continue to explore more than I could on this weekend.
Meanwhile, I get to check off one of four islands that I visited. Perhaps Orcas Island is next! Maybe even some camping. Either way, it is astonishing that I live so close to a place that feels so far away from the rest of the world.