Happy Birthday ADVENTURE to San Juan Island WA  FEB 2022

I emphasize the word adventure because it became just that!! I have for awhile been wanting to visit The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island WA. Friday Harbor is 6+ hour drive which includes a ferry ride. I did not plan well, and my plans did change throughout the trip.  But I am always up for an adventure!

Day 1:  Seattle

First stop was Seattle, to visit the Aquarium.  Just 3 hours north of here, so halfway point was perfect. Parking was available at the waterfront, barely.  I was surprised how busy it was this time of year, but it was a Sunday. The weather was nice, at least for Seattle in February.  Of all the major aquariums on the west coast, this was the only one I hadn’t yet visited. I was surprised how small it was, being a major aquarium in the Pacific Northwest.  Also, the exhibits were a bit light, not a whole lot to see. However, there were three things that did impress me.

First was the information available on the Orca whale, not surprising but there was a lot to the display. Of course, no live Orcas.

Second was the coral reef exhibit.  The aquarium grows coral to use in their exhibits, rather than taking it from the ocean.  Since coral reefs are in danger in the ocean now, it was impressive to see this conservation effort. I know Coral is very slow growing, but if it can be raised in an aquarium, can we raise it to replenish the diminished reefs in the ocean?  Did you know that coral is a live animal?  I didn’t until recently.  Learning new stuff all the times.

Third was the chinook salmon exhibit.  They had both smolt and yearlings that they are raising there.  When the yearlings are older, they will go into a larger display, the Underwater Dome. Hopefully they will get to where they are raising enough Chinook to release into the wild and repopulate the species.  Just a thought.

After the Aquarium I strolled back down the waterfront to Ivar’s, for some clam Chowder!!  Theirs is some of the best.  I also got some oysters and salmon.  Good, but not great.  I’ll stick with the chowder next time.

I then left downtown Seattle and headed about 30 minutes north to a hotel in Edmonds.  Wasn’t anything special, just a place to sleep before I finished my trip to Friday Harbor

Day 2:  Getting to Friday Harbor, barely!!

On the way to Anacortes where the ferry takes you to Friday Harbor, I remembered having clam chowder once that was SO good at a casino that was on the way.   I am not much of a gambler, seem to lose mostly.  But the restaurant was closed, Covid.  Disappointed, but thought since I was there anyway, I could play the slots.  Lost $40 pretty quickly, but apparently not quickly enough!  The day went straight downhill from there.

• I didn’t know that you could make reservations for the ferry, they only started doing that 2 weeks ago.  So, I was directed to the standby line.  Missed getting on the Ferry by just 4 cars!
• The next ferry was not for another 3 1\2 hours! Had to sit in my car and wait or lose my spot in line.

• Gail force winds were rocking my car, VERY cold Gail force winds I might add.  Not supposed to idle car while in line, but occasionally had to turn on the heater.
• By the time I got on the ferry, it was dark, windy, and very cold.  Yes, I was inside, but it didn’t feel like it. And of course, one the highlights of a ferry ride to the island is the view, but it was too dark to see anything.
• Get to the island and there are pretty much no streetlights.  Even with my GPS I kept going the wrong way, going around in circles.  The few hotels on the island have no lighted signs, and this one was off the street.
• While I was checking in, the machine for the receipt ran out of tape and the guy spent forever trying to replace it.  I just wanted to get to my room!!
• Finally get to my room, and the lights go out.  Electricity on the entire island was out due to the winds.  I had asked if these winds were the norm and was told it was not.  Winds like this are very unusual. Just my luck!
• It was 28 degrees, and no heater!!  Thankfully I had packed warm pajamas, a big fluffy robe and some cheese and crackers.  I fell asleep praying the rest of my trip takes a turn for the better.

I did however learn some important things:

1. Stay away from the casinos! If I hadn’t stopped at the casino, I would have not been out $40 and would have been to Friday Harbor before dark.
2. Arrive at the Ferry place at LEAST an hour before the scheduled ferry AND make an appointment.

https://wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/scheduledetailbyroute.aspx?route=ana-sj

Day 3: Friday Harbor and the Whale Museum

About 2 am the lights came back on, and I cranked up the heater, then I got a good night’s sleep.  The winds had died down some, and by mid-morning the temperature was up in the low 40’s.  My original plan was to walk to the museum from the hotel.  Google maps said it was only ½ mile.  Lies!  I drove around looking for some coffee and found the museum, and there was no way I was walking!  Still chilly and a little windy, I went back to my room showered and got to the museum about 11. 

In the Puget Sound there are 2 pods of resident Orca’s.  The museum is dedicated to protecting these amazing creatures. I knew they weren’t going to be around for this trip, too early in the year, but hotel prices jump high next month, if available at all. 

My experience at the museum was amazing. Not very big, but packed full of information about the resident Orca pods, and as well as the migrating pods, and other types of whales and marine mammals.  Every resident whale has a name and a story.  They are highly intellegent and their social interactions are very fascinating. My favorite story was about Sookie. 

The story, Storm Boy, is a wonderful way to introduce your children to the wonders of the Orca and Northwest coast.

I watched this documentary for quite a while, Sonic Sea.  I learned something new, another disruption to ocean life, noise.  I cruise a lot, I recently went on a whale watching boat, and had no idea how it effects the whales and dolphins like it does.  I want to do more research on what is done to protect the animals.  I do know that the slower a vessel goes, the less disruptive it is and there are regulations boats and ferries must follow. The following link is a trailer for the Sonic Sea Documentary.

.   https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=sonic+sea+documentary&type=E211US714G0#id=1&vid=3bebf65a958d710c158ab636f151e11f&action=click

I hope the pictures I’m sharing give you some idea of the experience the Whale Museum has to offer.

After the museum I drove to the other side of the island, to the Lime Kiln Lighthouse.  It was closed for the season, but it does house a whale research program inside the lighthouse.  I would like to go back when it is open to explore it.

Very near the lighthouse you can walk down a short path to a whale watching area.  I went down, didn’t get to see any whales, of course, but it was an absolutely gorgeous view of the sound.

I finished my trip by driving around the island.  I wanted to go visit Westcott Bay Shellfish Co. https://www.westcottbayshellfish.com/  but they were closed until Friday.  One more thing to go back for!

Driving around the island it is mostly farms and ranches.  Saw very little of the coast.  There is another road that takes you to South Beach.  Many years ago, I visited the island with my son, it was early spring. We stopped at San Juan Park, not far from the lighthouse.  We did get to see whales then, a big surprise to everyone at the park.

I ended my day with a seafood dinner at Downriggers, downtown Friday Harbor near the ferry terminal.  It was $$$$, but I hadn’t eaten much the day before, so I splurged.  I got the clam chowder, clam appetizer, and the blackened fish tacos. The chowder was good, but the rest was great.  I am picky about my clam chowder.  The best part was I had a view of the Ferry Terminal, where I needed to go the next day, and I DID have an appointment at 12:10!!

Back to the hotel.  I did stay at the Orca Inn.  The rooms are very tiny, but you don’t have to share a bathroom. The staff was very nice. I noticed while on the island I didn’t see any other hotels.  When I researched it apparently most are hostels, or bed and breakfast, 3 times the price of this place. 

Day 4: Another lighthouse and another stop in Seattle

I got to the ferry terminal extra early, with my appointment. Much to my surprise, there was a ferry just finishing loading up for Anacortes, and they let me on!!  Pays to be early.

I was originally planning on just heading home, with a stop at the Mukilteo Lighthouse. The lighthouse and park were amazing,

But I decided I really didn’t want to drive 6 hours home, so got a room at a hotel I have stayed at before, in Seattle, near the space needle.  Travelodge, good price and decent rooms, and walking distance to the Seattle Center and Space Needle. I love taking the monorail from the Seattle Center to downtown, then an easy walk to Pikes Place market, and then down to the waterfront.  I t was too late to do all that this time but have done it a few times before.  Highly recommended. 

Day 5:  Point Defiant Zoo and Aquarium

My original plans did include this stop, but they were closed on Tues/Wed, so the extra day went well with my plans!  Again, I was disappointed in how lacking the exhibits were, just the wrong time of year.  But the aquarium, although small, was very impressive.  And I did get to see the sea lions interact with their trainers.  Most impressive was when the trainer talked about their food being from a sustainable source. She mentioned the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, which I strongly support. 

Conservation is the heart of zoos and aquariums. Though education and research are important components, population management and environmental protection is the key.  And while the aquarium’s I visited didn’t seem to have much, I did see they were very active in their conservation efforts.

Overall, my trip was an amazing experience and very educational.  The more I learn about the creatures of the deep, the more I love the ocean.