San Juan Island, Washington September 10, 2002
Home?
Heading south from Canada, after almost three months of leisurely cross-country driving,
we'd visited towns from Montreal in the East to Vancouver in the West. And now we're back in the USA. Does
it feel like coming home? Do things feel any different?
Not really. The difference is mainly about in being in another place, another landscape. There's certainly little to differentiate Americans from Canadians, except perhaps those growing up in the French provinces. But it is a patriotic time (today is September 10,) and crossing the US border is, in one sense, a homecoming for us.
Just inside the US boarder in north
Puget Sound are the San Juan Islands. Actually, after the US and Canada
settled on the 49th Parallel as the countries' international border, this prime
bit of real estate was still in dispute. The English and Americans both
built military camps (parts of which are still preserved) on San Juan Island until the
difference of opinion was settled diplomatically. It took a 
dozen years, but there was
no bloodshed. If only more international disputes could be settled so
readily and amicably.
The San Juan Islands comprise more than 450 that are large enough to be named; one tourist brochure called them "emerald gems on sparkling seas". And I won't argue.
There are no bridges here, so you'll need to take the Washington State (car) Ferry; at least the ferry can take you to the four major islands. It's an hour from the small town of Anacortes to the largest of the islands, San Juan Island, which measures 56 sq. miles. Alternatively, you can get to the islands by sail- or motorized boat, or by small plane. Lots of boaters and pilots find the Islands to be a choice destination.
Our friends the Harts
graciously let us stay in their place overlooking a delightful bay on San Juan Island. It has taken Gene, who used to be a builder, about 10 years of
occasional visits to almost
finish his "guest house," which has all the amenities one could
desire. Now, aside from the fact that concrete has been poured and
a rock facing is being constructed around the concrete, it's hard to guess when the main
house will be completed. At the moment the Deer Family have taken up
residence. (See photo.)
The ferry goes to the small
town of Friday Harbor, but the Harts' Salmon House is on the other end of the island, near Roche Harbor
Village -- a
picturesque marina with a few stores, a hotel,
and a 
couple
of restaurants. A
resident painter I was chatting up said that of the 400 richest people in
Washington
State,100 of them visit Roche Harbor every year. I believe him; there were some huge yachts docked in the marina. And at lunch we (over)
heard the people on one side of us talking about the layout of their large boat, while the people on the other side
were apparently waiting for their pilot (husband?)
to fly in and take them back to the mainland.
Part of the allure of the San
Juans is the climate. It's moderate, with much less rain (14-20 inches a
year) than you'd expect, given that they're so close to Seattle. Apparently
there's a "rain shadow" effect. This means that precipitation
falls on the
mountains to the west and keeps the Islands relatively dry.
The Islands main draw is its combination of scenery, wild life, and isolation. Key industries are tourism and construction. There's biking, mopeding, hiking, sea kayaking, and whale watching for visitors. From May to September eighty Orcas (killer whales,) as well as Dall's porpoise, make the waters around the Islands their home. These can be viewed from a boat or from the shore at Lime Kiln Point State Park. We tried the latter, but the whales had apparently gone wandering off. This left the wonderful lighthouse, a couple of sunbathing harbor seals, and several boats seeking out Orcas for our viewing pleasure.
Here's one last photo of this little bit of paradise. What a lovely home away from home.
