A Whale of a Time

I'm so glad we chose to ignore the weatherman's forecast and headed to San Juan Island for some camping and sightseeing.

One of the reasons that attracted us to this Island at this time of the year, was the possibility of spotting Orca whales. There are three resident pods, about 86 whales total, that roam the coast following the salmon. These factors give you a good chance to meet them, but still, you have to be at the right place at the right time, which doesn't always happen. I knew our chance had increased this time around when I noticed we had forgotten our binoculars.

Fortunately we keep a travel size one in the car, and this little binoculars became very popular as Shawn spotted some splashes to the south that had a potential to be whales. Sure enough, a whole pod of whales traveled the channel in front of us going north, and treating us to a beautiful display of nature. So cool! The Orcas might have been the main attraction, but there were many other locations to explore. We visited the English Camp and revisited the time of dual occupation of Island and it's peaceful, although drawn out, conflict resolution. Not many things taste quite a good as campfire pancakes and sausages in the morning. Rock ledges always attract the boys. Although this looks a little unsafe, it's only a trick of the camera and angle that gives this picture the such "edge." Walking around the grounds of American Camp.

This little guy stopped traffic and was happy to pose. Later we realized he wasn't the only of his kind (red fox) roaming around.

A little impromptu getaway that gifted us with many memories.