San Juan Island Vacation

I had a week of vacation and instead of traveling far away we decided to spend a few days checking out some of the cool stuff in our own backyard here in Washington State. We drove up to Mt. Vernon, WA to check out the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.



The kids were impressed and especially Ada loved the flowers.



I had my big camera and got a couple nice shots:





Next we took the ferry from Anacortes, WA to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, where we spent the next 2 days.



Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and it rained the whole time, despite it being warm and sunny the week prior.



The lighthouse at Lime Kiln State Park (also known as Whale Watch Park) is situated at the best site to spot orcas from the land. It's not the best time of year to see the orcas but that didn't stop Seth and I from a little hike in the rain while Lindsay fed the baby in the car with Ada. I got some shots of the lighthouse in the rain.



We riskily splurged for a whale watching trip and got burned. Despite the weather and lack of orcas, it really was beautiful out there on the Sound among the many islands in the San Juan archipelago, and I think the kids liked it, albeit with a twinge of disappointment due to lack of orca.





Even Jay was having fun, despite the fact that he was all wet because his diaper was soaked through, as someone who will remain nameless forgot the diapers in the car.



We saw some other wildlife, but nothing as cool as an orca. To make up for that, we went to the whale museum in Friday Harbor, which Seth said was his favorite part of our trip. He loves that kind of stuff. I think his favorite pastime is stuffing his brain with interesting facts.



The following day we took a ferry from San Juan Island to Orcas island and enjoyed beautiful Moran State Park. From the summit of Mount Constitution you can see all the way to Vancouver as well as several cities in Washington and countless islands.



There are countless scenic hikes throughout the park. Crystal and Rustic Falls were beautiful, and fun.





Jay loves looking up at the trees.



This was my favorite part of the trip as I got to play with my camera.






Rustic Falls:



And Cascade Falls:



Seth loved hiking up onto the trees and across the rocks.




We had dinner at a nice little restaurant on the water where we had fish and chips as well as clams.



I got a few shots at the Orcas Island Yacht club after the sun went down.





We stayed at the coolest little bed and breakfast on a quaint farm on the island.  The next day we went for a hike to the beach at Obstruction Pass State Park. Great views, beautiful weather, and lots of starfish!



Soon thereafter we caught our ferry back to the mainland and made our way back home for Easter weekend. So great that we can enjoy such cool places within a few hours of Seattle.