"Get off the road..." [Driver passes by]
Hi I'm Mike of Mike's Road Trip and on this episode I drive from Seattle
Washington to the North westerly part of this state to explore the scenic byways
of the San Juan Islands, where whale-watching, wine tasting, and water
activities take center stage, so come along with me and let me show you around.
From Seattle I drove north on Interstate 5 then headed west on Highway 22 to
Anacortes, where I boarded a ferry and set sail through the cluster of San Juan
Islands, until finally reaching Friday Harbor on the main island of San Juan.
Well, on this road trip I picked up a hitchhiker my big sis Susanne. "How are you
enjoying this Mike's Road Trip excursion to the San Juan Islands?" "It's fantastic
I'm having an amazing time!" "Well, let's get back on the road."
Our first adventure was to fly through the trees with the folks from San Juan zip tours, and of course I couldn't let my sister beat me to the next line.
After the zipline adventure we landed at our accommodations at the Friday Harbor
House, which is right in town on a high bluff overlooking the harbor. We soon
took a walk through town to get familiar with the area.
While walking around Friday Harbor, Suzanne and I were both enamored by this scenic beauty around
each corner, from the charming shops to the vibrant floral arrangements, to the
endless nautical scenes throughout the harbor.
Later that afternoon we drove to the other side of the island to Roche Harbor
where our first stop was to stroll this amazing sculpture garden park. There are
20 acres of outdoor art on display with over a hundred and fifty unique
creations in various mediums.
Just down the hill Roche Harbor revealed itself, like a scene lifted from a
painting. As the idyllic Harbor protected her watercraft, this yellow brick road
guided us through the village where we ended up stopping at McMillan's for
dinner. The meal was as sensational, as was the view.
As the Sun began to set we race down the road to the lime Kilm State Park which is famous for its sunsets, and
as you can see, it certainly didn't disappoint.
The next day we stroll through the fragrant fields of a lavender farm and
then we stop by the San Juan vineyards for a bit of a wine-tasting.
Our last stop of the day was to the American Camp, one of two historical military parks on
the island. The other is the British camp. In the late 1850s Great Britain and the
United States shared San Juan Island while a water boundary between the two
nations could be settled back then. Canada was under British rule at the time.
The American camp is on a grassy slope about 200 yards from the shoreline of Griffin Bay, the park has a number of historic buildings but the main attraction is the
vast beauty of the grounds and its view of the water.
After exploring the park we made our way back to Friday Harbor where we boarded a ferry and route to Orcas Island.
Once ashore we headed north toward the town of East Sound where our
accommodations were for the evening. Along the way we saw some extraordinary
sights, from expansive farmland to this large lily pad pond, and this regatta.
That evening we headed to dinner at Rosario where we enjoyed a
picture-perfect meal along with some extraordinary views.
The next day we went to breakfast and east sound strolled the streets to do a
bit of shopping and then took off for some sightseeing.
After a fantastic day of sightseeing we headed to Deer Harbor where we met up
with the folks from Krueger Escapes for a sunset sailing cruise and picnic dinner.
This was the perfect end to an extraordinary trip to the San Juan Islands.
Well that's it from the sensational San Juan Islands, util next time, we'll see on
the road...
MikesRoadTrip.com