On tuesday night I took a Washington State Ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, the largest town among the San Juan Islands. Driving a car onto a ferry and enjoying the sights while we traveled to the Islands was a new and exciting experience in itself. Upon arrival, I headed to the 5-acre farm of Ken and Deb Davis, a few miles from downtown Friday Harbor for another couchsurfing stop. Within minutes of my arrival I was drinking one of Ken's delicious home brewed beers made with sourdough hops and learning all the ins and outs of his farm and the islands. Ken & Deb had a couple of friendly WWOOFers staying on the farm for the summer, Jeff and Andrea. The farm featured goats, chickens, tomatoes, beans, apples, plums, strawberries, golden raspberries, and wild blackberries.
On wednesday afternoon I explored the main island by biking all over. Amongst the rolling hills there were plenty of interesting things to see including deer, cows, alpacas, sheep, blue heron, sea otters, farms, harbors, passing ferries, islands in the distance, wildflowers, wild berries, and an assortment of other plant life.
On thursday I planned out another biking excursion, this ride would require a 45-minute ferry ride to Orcas Island. The goal of this ride was to explore a different island, ride to the top of Mt. Constitution, and return to the ferry terminal in time to take the 7:40 back to Friday Harbor. I was successful exploring another island and climbing to the top of the Mountain. It took about an hour and 15 minutes of climbing to cover the 5 miles from the base of the mountain to the top. Needless to say I was spent... but the view from the top was amazing.
I had one remaining goal, to get back to the ferry terminal by 7:40. It wasn't mant to be. I rode back to the ferry terminal but missed the last ferry of the day back to friday harbor by a good 30 mnutes. I headed across the steet to the Orcas Hotel. The owner was out of rooms and placed several calls to other nearby hotels. Nothing available. About the time I started picturing myself sleeping on a dock or park bench a Canadian traveler walked in. Amy was traveling from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Friday Harbor, WA all in one day. She was in the same boat as me having missed the last ferry of the day. "Captain Doug" the owner of the hotel had a solution for both of us. He'd take his on his motor boat back to Friday Harbor. All we had to do was meet him down at the dock and he'd take care of the rest enjoying an evening ride for himself in the process.
Friday I did a short mountain bike ride with Andrea, said goodbye to my friends on the farm, and then took the car on the ferry back to Orcas Island. I headed to Doe Bay Resort to spend a night at their hostel and enjoy their hot tubs overlooking the water. I had the 8-person hostel building all to myself for a quiet night of sleep. Saturday I arranged for boat transportation to Sucia Island State Park for kayaking, hiking, and a night of camping. I took the kayak from Fox Cove were I camped up to Shallow Bay. This path along the shore gave me great views of the incredible sandstone rock formations that are found on many parts of the island. I also did a couple of short hikes and kayaked the other direction to Ewing Cove. On this route I saw 30-35 sea otters. Some popped their heads up in the water while others layed on rocks. The San Juans Islands were a beautiful place to visit and offered lots of opportunities for outdoor adventure. the third picture below is a small rock island covered with sea otters. The fourth picture is Fossil Bay where I camped.
