San Juan Island
This past weekend was spent on San Juan Island. It was a little trip I planned last minute after I heard about the Lavender Festival happening there. I'm quite in love with lavender.
We camped at a very nice campground, though a little expensive as campsites go, but all the state parks were booked. It had a really nice bathroom/shower and great lake access for swimming. We also had a view of a lake. So, no complaining here. The weather was perfect for camping. Falling asleep looking at the stars while being serenaded by nocturnal creatures was so pleasant.
We visited the Farmers Market and the nearby Arts Festival that was happening Saturday morning. I bought some fresh cilantro and a summer hat. There are so many great artists on the islands!
The lavender farm was incredible. Twenty acres of lavender is impressive. And the smell! Wow! I could have stayed there all day. We listened to a few lectures about cultivating lavender, cooking with lavender, and lavender distillation. We cut our own bouquet and toured the farm and farm buildings. Dave had some lavender lemonade/iced tea. I couldn't because I'm still on my elimination diet. Grrrrrr.
After the farm we drove to a view point on the West side of the island and stopped just in time to watch a few pods of orca whales swimming North. I've never seen whales in the wild before, so I was very excited. The binoculars were stuck to my eyes. It was a beautiful sight to see.
Dave wanted to show me a place he had visited when he had sailed to Roche Harbor with a friend years ago. He had taken a jog and found it. It was a mausoleum. There is a lot of history behind it, so I'll spare those details, but it is full of free mason symbolism, which Dave finds fascinating. It is basically the crypts for the McMillian family, who ran the prosperous lime factory on the island in the early 1900s. The ashes of the family are in the bases of the chairs around the large table in the center of the mausoleum.
On Sunday after breakfast we traveled to South Beach. Two miles of sandy beach and drift wood. We spent a lot of time there just enjoying the views, the sand under our feet, and the sunshine. We drove through Friday Harbor and got in the Ferry line 3 hours ahead of the scheduled time we wanted and lucky we did, as the line was almost full! We walked the dogs to an espresso stand in the shade to wait it out and wandered the streets.
Dave and I realized on the ferry ride back to the mainland that we've lived in Bellingham almost 8 years now and have never been to San Juan Island! We decided then and there to start exploring more of the awesome landscapes that surround us. We definitely explore a lot, but we get stuck in our favorite places. It is time to find some new favorite places.
Oh, the dogs had a lot of fun too. They were so tired yesterday!
More photos of this adventure on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaltech/sets/72157621600922857/
We camped at a very nice campground, though a little expensive as campsites go, but all the state parks were booked. It had a really nice bathroom/shower and great lake access for swimming. We also had a view of a lake. So, no complaining here. The weather was perfect for camping. Falling asleep looking at the stars while being serenaded by nocturnal creatures was so pleasant.
We visited the Farmers Market and the nearby Arts Festival that was happening Saturday morning. I bought some fresh cilantro and a summer hat. There are so many great artists on the islands!
The lavender farm was incredible. Twenty acres of lavender is impressive. And the smell! Wow! I could have stayed there all day. We listened to a few lectures about cultivating lavender, cooking with lavender, and lavender distillation. We cut our own bouquet and toured the farm and farm buildings. Dave had some lavender lemonade/iced tea. I couldn't because I'm still on my elimination diet. Grrrrrr.
After the farm we drove to a view point on the West side of the island and stopped just in time to watch a few pods of orca whales swimming North. I've never seen whales in the wild before, so I was very excited. The binoculars were stuck to my eyes. It was a beautiful sight to see.
Dave wanted to show me a place he had visited when he had sailed to Roche Harbor with a friend years ago. He had taken a jog and found it. It was a mausoleum. There is a lot of history behind it, so I'll spare those details, but it is full of free mason symbolism, which Dave finds fascinating. It is basically the crypts for the McMillian family, who ran the prosperous lime factory on the island in the early 1900s. The ashes of the family are in the bases of the chairs around the large table in the center of the mausoleum.
On Sunday after breakfast we traveled to South Beach. Two miles of sandy beach and drift wood. We spent a lot of time there just enjoying the views, the sand under our feet, and the sunshine. We drove through Friday Harbor and got in the Ferry line 3 hours ahead of the scheduled time we wanted and lucky we did, as the line was almost full! We walked the dogs to an espresso stand in the shade to wait it out and wandered the streets.
Dave and I realized on the ferry ride back to the mainland that we've lived in Bellingham almost 8 years now and have never been to San Juan Island! We decided then and there to start exploring more of the awesome landscapes that surround us. We definitely explore a lot, but we get stuck in our favorite places. It is time to find some new favorite places.
Oh, the dogs had a lot of fun too. They were so tired yesterday!
More photos of this adventure on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaltech/sets/72157621600922857/