Our Summer Vacation - The San Juan Islands

{A disclaimer: this post is HUGE and with many, many pictures! Our 'vacations' are jammed packed full of activity and I took over 500 hundred pics this trip. It is really hard to pick only a few favorites! I appreciate your commitment!}

We spent our summer vacation on the coast of Washington State. We spent time in Seattle, Bellingham, Orcas Island, San Juan Island, Leavenworth and Wenatchee.

Day One (Saturday):

We arrived in Missoula on Friday to drop off Mason and Kya with our parents. The next morning we woke with the sun and aligned our truck west. We made a breakfast stop in Spokane where we met our dear friends, Scott, Jackie, Owen, Ethan and Liam. We met them at their neighborhood doughnut shop. It was too quick a visit, but any amount of time I get to hug my friend and kiss on her sweet boys is a special time indeed.

Ethan, Owen, Liam
Addi & Landon

Addi loves farmer's markets. She loves the food, the jewelry and watching all the crazy people that gather. I could not think of a better place to take her in Seattle that was sure not to disappoint.  The Pike's Place Market is always a fun place to stretch your legs and re-engergize after seven hours trapped in the car.

Waiting for a fish to fly.

The color of the market.

After an hour or two in Seattle we loaded back up and redirected north to Bellingham. I have heard such great things about Bellingham. People have described it as, Missoula on the ocean. Dylan interviewed for a job there a year or so ago and wasn't impressed, but I was looking forward to seeing if was what I had dreamed up in my mind. I had always thought it was a place I might want to live. It was very similar to Missoula. A smaller college town with big trees and cozy neighborhoods. Walking along the city park path you see college kids throwing a Frisbee or balancing on a slack-line. Walking around the historic Fairhaven district you will find shops of all kinds, tress wrapped in knitted blankets (not really sure why!), delicious cafes and local breweries.  Every one has a dog, their nose pierced and Chacos on their feet. Sounds like Missoula, right?! It's chilly though, the sun rarely shines and it is apparently always gray and gloomy. We lucked out the first night we were there and were able to watch the sunset over the ocean without the clouds blocking the color. It feels more like a big city, bigger than I prefer, but I did like it there. I liked the overgrown evergreen forests, the sight of Mt. Baker watching over the town and the easy access to the ocean, tide pools, islands and Seattle.

Our beauty. (Unedited pics) 

Two of my favorites. A Bellingham sunset.

"Dddddd, Dddddd, Dddddd." Translation: A Bird

Day Two (Sunday):

We got an early start exploring Bellingham. We found ourselves spending the morning exploring the tide pools of Larabee State Park. We saw many crabs, hermit crabs and small fish, but our goal was to find a starfish or brittle star. I was expecting to find a small one, no bigger than Addi's palm. When I spotted something huge and bright purple squished under a rock I thought it was an octopus. I was exstatic when I realized it was a giant purple star fish. I was able to tedisoulsy remove his strong hold of a hundred tiny feet from the underside of a rock. It was totally cool. Both Landon and Addison were amazed by him. After we were finished examining the star fish we shared him with another family (after I first made the father promise to handle and return with care). They small kids were equally as excited to hold him. Walking further along down the beach we found the mother-lode! Probably over 100 giant purple and pink starfish lined the rocks. Every crook and cranny hide a star fish. Addison was so careful to pull them from their rocks and then she returned them in the exact spot she found them. I was so proud of her. Nature gets her all pumped up and excited. She can barely contain herself, she practically trembles with excitement! I wish all kids had the same experiences. I had a minor disagreement with the lava rock and sliced a big gash in my shin and toes. Luckily I was able to catch myself before Landon smacked his head on the rocks. Explore with caution. Kelp covered tide pool rocks are slippery!

thank goodness for good rain gear!

After the tide pools we headed back to Fairhaven to have lunch in a bus! We enjoyed halibut fish and chips at in the Fairhaven Village.

Lunch in a bus. 

Ice cream under these super tall flowers.

After lunch and shopping we went on a walk through Whatcom Falls Park. We explored the trails, lakes, water falls and salmon hatchery.



We finished off the evening in Bellingham with dinner at the local brewery. Great food and beer and a fun, hip atmosphere.

The Boundary Bay Brewery sampler.

Day Three (Monday):

After replenishing our coolers for our camping trip on the islands we headed back down to Anacortes to catch the ferry boat. {I count this first ferry ride as opportunity number one to spot my orcas.} We miss read the ferry schedule. Although we were lined up with plenty of time to spare we did not understand that the ferry would not be going across to Orcas Island at the time we lined up for. We waited in our truck in the ferry line for another almost three hours. It was a long, tiring, boring, frustrating wait in the ferry line.

Addi thought the ferry ride was so cool. "We can drive our truck on the boat?!", she said.

We finally arrived on Orcas Island after dinnertime. We were tired and hungry. We quickly drove through East Sound, the major community on the island, on our way to Doe Bay Resort where we would be camping. We figured we would come to another community closer where we could grab a quick bite to eat.  After finding our camp spot it was late, too late to cook a camp fire meal and the Doe Bay Cafe appeared closed. We headed back to the only open cafe we saw on the way, Cafe Olga.

It was pretty much the worst dining experience of my life and I have eaten in some holes! Five tables were crammed into a teeny, tiny room. The food was expensive and there were no options for children. Luckily we had some snacks for the kids to munch on. The service was slow and after sitting there doing our best to keep two tired, hungry kids entertained and quiet for over an hour we finally were brought our salads. I ate so fast I barely remember tasting the unfulfilling meal. The kids shared our mashed potatoes and four small slices of bread. The young waiter apologized for the wait, saying the only chef was slammed. I would only recommend this place if you have money to waste, time to kill and no children with you.

Cafe Olga

Trying to entertain Landon with a flower to keep him from screaming!

We returned back to our camp and went straight to bed.

The kids love camping! They both snuggled in,
fell fast asleep and slept through the night.

Day Four (Tuesday):

We shook off a rocky first night on the island. First thing in the morning Dylan went salmon fishing. He  was up at 4 am. The kids and I woke up much later and very happy in our tent. I love waking to their happy chatter. We made a huge breakfast and then explored our surroundings at the Doe Bay Resort.

Dylan was back from his fishing trip by one. No salmon. No fish. No whales. Not one person on the boat caught anything. A huge bummer. Dylan was smiling, almost giddy, so we knew he had a good time despite being skunked.  {Opportunity number two to see orcas. A bad sign: No salmon = no orcas}


When Dylan returned from fishing we all went and soaked in the soaking tubs at Doe Bay. FYI: family soaking hour does not mean you will not encounter a happy, completely naked grandpa man! Yikes! This place was a little too um... organic-granola-hippy --- even for me! The facilities are great. The indoor showers and community kitchen are available to all guests. The drive-to campsites are tiny. I am so glad we brought our backpacking tent. Our large family tent would not have fit in our spot. Even though we had booked a campsite with a ocean view, through the thick, evergreen trees our view was minimal. The walk-in campsites are much bigger, more private with beautiful views of the bay and ocean. They provide large carts to help get your gear to your site. I did not know this, otherwise I would have reserved either a walk-in campsite or a walk-in yurt right on the beach. The cabins, yurts and canvas tents available looked very comfortable and cozy, if that is more your style!



We spent the rest of the day exploring Orcas Island. We hiked several trails in Moran State Park. We hiked to the lookout where we had a 360 degree view of the San Juan Archipelago, Bellingham, Mt. Baker and Vancouver Island.

We took a hike through the huge rain forests to visit several water falls. Addi was looking for a secret fairy land behind the waterfalls! She was sure to get Daddy and Landon safely across a giant log bridge that she was pretending was a balance beam. She showed Daddy how to hold his hands out for balance.

We cooked dinner at camp and spent the evening at Doe Bay Resort. We sat on the bay point and watched the sun set. Landon thought a sail boat was a dog and Addi and Landon admired a broken sea shell.

Day Five (Wednesday):

We packed up camp early and spent the morning shopping around East Sound, Orcas Islands. Addi was given by a nice shop lady a real, saltwater pearl. She learned how oysters turn a grain of sand into a beautiful pearl. It was imperfect and pink. She later dropped her pearl out of the truck and lost it. She is still so upset about it.

Later in the day we went on a whale watching tour. If it hasn't yet been made clear enough, our only wish, my only wish, my only agenda for our whole trip was to see orcas. We went whale watching with the same company that Dylan went fishing with, Outer Island Expedition. Although Dylan did not catch any fish he was very happy with the boat captain and guide. The tour boat held a max of about 12 people and the captain was knowledgeable and seemed to be working to find the whales (although all they do is listen to other boat captains on the radio, they really don't go whatever distance needed to find the whales like their website stated). We did not see any orca whales. Apparently earlier in the week the resident pods left the area to fish over 200 miles away and the transient pods were not in the area. We did however catch many glimpses of a minke whale's dorsal fin, so the tour company met there whale sighting guarantee and we were not given a free pass to come back again. Watching a minke whale surface for air every few minutes is not the giant orca whale pod interaction I was so looking forward to. I tried to appreciate that dorsal fin, I mean it was a whale after all!  {Opportunity number three to see orcas.} 

Top: Addi watching for the whale, Rhinoceros Auklet, Bald Eagle, Addi packing the rain gear!!
Left Side: Harbor Seals, Cormorant
Right Bottom: Minke Whale

After our whale watching tour we caught the ferry to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island. {Opportunity number four to see orcas.} Before the ferry arrived we had dinner overlooking the ferry landing harbor. It truly is such a beautiful place. The air is peaceful and calm. If you can't relax here, you may not be able to relax anywhere.

We arrived on San Juan Island just as dark was settling around us. We set up our camp at Lakedale Resort at Three Lakes. Our campsite was located at the edge of the lake and we had enough room where we could spread out and get comfortable. This campsite was set up on a little hill and we had privacy from other nearby camps. It was quiet and calm. We were allowed to have a campfire unlike at Doe Bay. It felt more like the camping we are used to. The resort's other accommodations -- the cabins, lodge and yurts seemed very nice. On site was a bath house, $2 for every 5 minutes of shower time, and a small store. The resort has fishing, volleyball, ping-pong, boat rentals and swimming.

Ferry ride from Orcas to San Juan.
I spotted whale spray way off in the distance.

First night at Lakedale.

Day Six (Thursday):

We made breakfast in camp and then I got ready for my sea kayaking trip. {Opportunity number five to see orcas.}
Dylan and the munchkins spent they day doing what Addi wanted to do, shop! They hit all the shops and museums in Friday Harbor and had some world famous fish and chips for lunch.

Daddy and the munchkins ready for their special day.

Sea kayaking with orcas. Aaahhh, icing on the San Juan Island adventure cake! To be at their level, in the water with them, so close, watching them interact with each other and with the boats, playing, hunting ... I know I am blabbering, but just daydreaming of this makes me crazy. I wanted it so, so bad.  I would be kayaking in their known playground for over 11 miles. I really, really, really thought this would be the day I've been dreaming about for as long as I can remember. Dylan says I romanticize everything, especially about whales and vacationing. I daydream up how I want it to be and then when it isn't like that I am disappointed. Maybe. But taking a trip to the San Juan Islands, with everything I read and researched I really thought it was a for-sure thing for us to see the orcas. For months I have been reading a research blog about the resident pods. I followed their hunting patterns on a map. I knew J-Pod had a new female calf this year I was really hoping to see her. I did not however anticipate all three resident pods leaving the area the very week I was there! The whales clearly did not get the memo!

I kayaked with Outdoor Odysseys Sea Kayak company. Brendan, my guide and the other people on the tour were really great. Right away I inadvertently made it known that I was there to see orcas. Brendan did all he could, "It is so rare to not have them here", he said. He truly felt bad that they were not there. We paddled from the County Park past Lime Kiln Point. We paddled very close to the coast. Looking across the ocean we could see Vancouver Island. The coast we paddled was a known feeding area of the resident pods. The tidal patterns cause nutrient rich sea water and salmon from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to be caught against the coast wall. Making it a great place for the orcas to swim for a relatively easy hunt. We saw two bald eagles, two harbor seals and many small and one large jelly fish. It wasn't much of a sea life day. The water was rough and we paddled into a head wind. After about 4 miles of paddling we stopped at a private beach for lunch. The company provided a vegetarian lunch with veggies sandwiches, fruit and chocolate! We spent some time getting to known one another and talking about the area. After lunch we got back in the empty water (!) and continued to paddle toward Lime Kiln. We saw many other whale watchers on the point waiting for the whales. After a couple more miles we headed back. It was a really easy paddle back as the wind did most of the work for us. Even though we did not get to kayak with the orcas I was very happy with the tour and our guide. I had a great time. I met some very interesting people and any time spent paddling is worth it. I would definetly book with them again. On a better salmon year!

Close to 6 pm I met Dylan and the kids back in Friday Harbor. We headed back to camp and made dinner. We spent the evening around our campfire making smores.

Day Seven (Friday):

We packed up camp in the morning and headed into Friday Harbor for breakfast and 'good' coffee from a local bakery. We headed to Lime Kiln State Park. {Opportunity number six to see orcas.} I said we were not leaving this point until the whales came by! Well the weather started to change. It was super windy and very cold. We stood on the point for less than an hour with no sight of our whales. We walked back to the Lime Kiln visitor center where Addi was excited to finally hug an orca, a statue orca!

Lower left: Addi & Landon sitting next to a replica orca dorsal fin. 

In the early afternoon we caught the ferry back to Anacortes. {Opportunity number seven to see orcas.} From Anacortes we decided to knock out several hours back to Missoula by driving the scenic way through Leavenworth, Washington. It is a cute, cozy little Bavarian-themed town nestled among high, lush mountains.We lucked out and found a hotel room right in town. All the buildings are decorated with many bright flowers, German paintings on the outside of the buildings and artistically cut awnings and moldings. At night the buildings are illuminated with white Christmas lights. The shops close down pretty early, but there are still many people mingling around and sitting on outside patios drinking giant steins of beer.  I would love to visit again around Christmastime.

We ate dinner at the Munchen Haus, an outdoor Bavarian grill specializing in German sausages and beer! They have a mustard bar offering every flavor of mustard available and their sour kraut was delish! There was a live band playing and many kids and adults dancing. It was a lively, happy place. A great end to our vacation.

Day Eight (Saturday):

We continued on our way back to Missoula. We stopped in Wenatchee for lunch. We shared a yummy goat cheese pizza at McGlinn's Public House, it was so good. Our road trip ended back in Missoula later that evening and then we headed home the following morning. It was a long, exhausting drive. The kids traveled really well and they seemed to always be having a great time.

Even though the orcas were illusive, we had a wonderfully memorable time together. We really enjoyed the islands and I am looking forward to going back, sooner rather than later.