Orcas, eagles & scenic views in the San Juan Islands

August 30, 2011


A chilly, misty, 6 a.m. ferry ride across the Rosario Strait late last month spirited me and my family from Anacortes, north of bustling Seattle, to charming Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, part of the archipelago known as the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited, San Juan Island turned out to be the relaxing centerpiece of our Pacific Northwest vacation.


When we got off the ferry it was too early to check into our cabin outside of town, and the shops in Friday Harbor were still closed, so we drove our rental car up to Lime Kiln Point, a state park on the west side of the island known to be a good whale-watching spot. Along the way we saw this bald eagle perched high in a tree.


Our national bird, looking quite regal. When we got to Lime Kiln around 7:30 am, we—I laugh to admit this—felt so sleepy that we all took a nap in the car. We awoke 2 hours (!) later, refreshed but hungry, and without even getting out to see the park or its famous lighthouse, we decided to head back toward town and perhaps get a bite to eat. But just south of the park we glimpsed a scenic view and saw a pullout for Dead Man’s Bay. It was a bright, beautiful day, and we couldn’t resist seeing the view. Scrambling down a rocky trail, we found a deserted, pebbly beach and tide pools alive with fish, crabs, and small jellyfish. My husband and the kids went off to investigate the tide pools, and I sat on a water-bleached tree trunk, camera in hand, gazing out at the sparkling water and watching ships and boats go by.


And then it happened: I heard a “Fwoosh” and spotted a tall, black dorsal fin disappearing below the surface.


I jumped up and yelled “Orcas!” at my family, pointing past them at the water. A pod, or extended family, of killer whales was passing by, not 150 yards from shore. “Fwoosh, fwoosh” came the sound from their blowholes as each one surfaced to exhale and take another breath.


It was thrilling!


Whale-watching speedboats and other boats zoomed over to watch them too, but there on the beach, we had them all to ourselves. We listened to them breathe and watched them arcing through the water. After 10 minutes or so they disappeared. We stayed on the beach and 30 minutes later were rewarded with the sight of yet another pod passing by.


Three resident pods live in Puget Sound and dine almost exclusively on salmon around the San Juans, Victoria, B.C., and Vancouver, B.C. Transient pods of orcas arrive in the summer months; they eat sea mammals like seals and other types of whales (hence the name “killer whale”), as well as sharks and anything else they can catch (not people). They do not mingle with the resident pods but keep their distance, almost like a separate species. These are highly intelligent, long-lived creatures, and each pod has its own “dialect” and is led by a matriarch, whose offspring, male and female, stay with her for life.


We saw a few calves as well. See the little dorsal fin beside the larger one?


After that magical experience, we headed to Friday Harbor, where we spotted this sign advertising whale-watching excursions.


The harbor


And this figurehead


Later we visited the south side of the island and saw more pretty vistas at Cattle Point.


California poppies and grasses glowed in the late afternoon sun.


Spiky thistles were in bloom.


Mt. Baker in the Cascade Range stands tall over Lopez Island.


At the end of the day, Lime Kiln Point is the place to be for sunset views.


Lime Kiln Lighthouse is named for nearby kilns. Lime kilns on the island were important suppliers for the concrete and mortar used to rebuild San Francisco after the earthquake and fire of 1906. Sadly, keeping the lime kilns burning contributed to the deforestation of the island and subsequent erosion. A hundred years later, thankfully little of that damage is visible today.


The sunset views at the west-facing lighthouse are stunning. That’s Canada in the distance.


We joined a quiet group of sunset-watchers and some romantic-minded couples.


When the sun slipped behind the distant islands, we headed back to our cabin. That night we took the kids outside to look up at the stars, thickly strewn across the black sky, and saw the white trail of the Milky Way.

Up next: More whale-watching from Vancouver. For a look back at our visit to the Ballard Locks in Seattle, click here.

All material © 2006-2011 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

25 responses to “Orcas, eagles & scenic views in the San Juan Islands”

  1. Lisa at Greenbow says:

    You sure did a lot and saw the most beautiful parts of that part of our world. What luck seeing the whales so close.

  2. Donna says:

    Now that is some scenery. Love the images and wish I could see an eagle or a few killer whales up close. So, so cool.

  3. Awwww. So gorgeous, Pam. It’s been awhile since I’ve been up there and this is a strong reminder of the beauty available in WA state! So glad you experienced all that moisture after the hot summer you’ve been through! Also happy to hear your family was able to join you. Smart! And lucky to have spotted the eagle. Your photography, as always, is stunning.

  4. katina says:

    When we went to Oregon for a friend’s wedding in May, I had hoped to get to go to the San Juan Islands and Olympic National Park. But alas, it was not to be. Instead we went backpacking in the Yakima mountain range where I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Keeps you on your toes, you know…

  5. katina says:

    When we went to Oregon for a friend’s wedding in May, I had hoped to get to go to the San Juan Islands and Olympic National Park. But alas, it was not to be. Instead we went backpacking in the Yakima mountain range where I almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Keeps you on your toes, you know…

    Nice pictures, and I’m so glad you were able to see a bald eagle and whales. 🙂

  6. I’m so glad the whales came out in big numbers for your visit!

    In your ninth picture I see something that confuses me. I remember the islands as being rural in feel. Small buildings, quaint shops. Yet there looks to be a very tall building to the left in the background of that picture. Do you know what it is? Just a trick of photography angles? I’d hate to think in just a few short years that much has changed up there.

    The island in that picture is not part of the San Juans, Loree. I believe that it’s Vancouver Island, where the city of Victoria is. I was shooting with my telephoto across Haro Strait, so the island and building look closer than they really are. You are right that the San Juans, at least the parts that we saw, have quaint villages and are semi-rural. —Pam

  7. VP says:

    Did you see the eagle perched on the lampost when we were in Seattle?

    It was tough to chose between the San Juan Islands and Victoria for our post fling vacation, but finally settled on Victoria as my husband has a distant relative living on Vancouver Island. We had a great family reunion.

    However, having seen your pictures of the whales, I wish we’d had time to go there too!

  8. Mamaholt says:

    Dying. DYING over this post. I used to work for a really rich guy and his best friend had a “house” (more like a compound) on Orcas Island. I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. I was definitely born in the wrong state. What an amazing vacation you guys had. I’m putting it on the bucket list for my family.

  9. commonweeder says:

    Wow! What an experience! And a great great place to visit. Wonderful photographs.

  10. Beautiful shots! I’m glad you and the family had the opportunity to visit the San Juans. They, and across the border, the Canadian Gulf Islands, are one of my favorite places to visit. Thanks for refreshing my appreciation of them!

  11. Another beautiful place.
    We were lucky enough to see Orcas on a cruise excursion, a few years back. They are gorgeous creatures. I think the guides on our boat were as excited to see them, as the sightseers.
    Looking forward to more travel pictures.

  12. ST in SA says:

    Lovely pictures!
    My uncle and his family used to live on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands and I visited them when I was in middle school. I was trying to describe how beautiful the place was to my husband the other day and now I can just point to your post.
    When I am having my cooler-climate-please-fever dreams down here in South Texas I must admit I dream of the San Juan Islands.

    Thanks for taking me back in photos.

  13. daricia says:

    i hoped to make it to the san juan islands this summer but we spent all our time along the coast of california instead. i’m not complaining…gorgeous there, too! but, your pictures have convinced me to try again with the san juans. i would have been beside myself to see those whales! how exciting! and you didn’t even have to risk seasickness on a boat. your photos of everything are beautiful.

  14. David C. says:

    How different than when I visited in 1998-ish…but so pretty and pastoral, all the views. I like it in the sun! And I can taste the salmon…

  15. Les says:

    What a great opportunity! I can’t imagine how thrilling it was to see the Orcas, and jealousy abounds here.

  16. Gail says:

    What a wonderful adventure! You’ve convinced me to plan a family vacation to the San Juan Islands.

  17. Yael Ben-Ari says:

    Pam,

    Loved your photos of the Orcas and the Bald Eagle.

    In the time I have lived in the Pacific Northwest, I have never gotten such close shots of Orcas. You were very lucky.

    Moving here from the Midwest and California, I had never seen a Bald Eagle in the wild, until one day driving to work I saw a huge hulking shape in a dead tree. Driving closer, I realized that it was a Bald Eagle. I had shivvers all the way to work. After that, I looked for him in the same tree every day and much of the time he was there. They are truly majestic awesome birds.

    Yael

    I am beginning to realize just how lucky we were, Yael, to see so many orcas so close to shore. And there were eagles all over the place. It was amazing. —Pam

  18. Sounds like my husband, two of our friends and I may have been on the San Juans the same time you were. We took the ferry over from Anacortes on Sunday, July 31 and back to Anacortes on August 6. We saw whales, but from a tour boat — not like you saw them! I took tons of photos of the thistles. We don’t have many down here in very southern, Southern California. Lovely photos.

    We were almost there at the same time, Melissa. We left the San Juans on that Sunday morning and headed up to Vancouver. We did more whale-watching from a tour company based in Vancouver. I’ll have pics of that up soon. I’m glad you saw whales too! —Pam

  19. Your photos are lovely! You certainly had some great experiences. Orcas!!!!! How thrilling that must have been.

  20. Gorgeous, Pam. Your first picture had me hooked, and your story of the whales was magical.

  21. Greggo says:

    Nice exciting post. Your own version of sea world. ha.

  22. Big WOW … I’ll be referring back to this post when we plan our next vacation.

  23. Aerie-el says:

    Wonderful post, Pam! It’s great that you saw eagles, Orcas, beautiful skies, and the gorgeous islands. I am fortunate to have family who live there, a short 2-hour drive away. Just wish we had more time to visit!