Thursday, June 20, 2013
More Photos (Eric)
Jenny did a great job of summarizing our day today. It was a wonderful day with our only disappointment being that we did see anymore orcas. Our kayak excursion yesterday was also a wonderful trip with beautiful weather, but also no orcas. As Jenny mentioned, we did not learn until today how fortunate we were to see them on our first day. My primary purpose for this entry is to share a few pictures.
Kayaking Adventure
Waiting on the "Orca Highway"
There's a stretch of water between Canada and San Juan Island, called Haro's Straight, that's considered the best place in the world to see wild orcas. Pictures on the Internet show the orcas right by the shoreline. That's because there's an immediate 750 to 1000 foot drop. Other pictures show orcas spying and breaching right next to kayakers. This is the experience we hoped for, but knew it was a matter of timing and luck. In fact, it was not until late this evening that we learned there is only a 21% chance of seeing an orca.
On our first day, we were lucky enough to see the orcas from the road. Tonight we learned that that pod, L Pod, were on their way to the Pacific Ocean to meet K Pod, who, ironically enough, had been wintering in Monterey Bay. K Pod is tagged, that's how this information is known. Again, we didn't learn all of this until this evening, and this morning we were determined to spend time trying to spot these magnificent creatures. We rented a car, braved the wind and rain, and headed to Whale Watch Park. Where we watched. For three hours. In the wind and rain.
Two hours into our vigil some kayakers fought the swells and paddled by us. I am truly grateful that our kayaking experience yesterday was much different.
Three hours in, the rain really started to pour and the dampness was bone chilling. So what did we do? Got in the car and went to see the alpacas.
From the alpaca farm, we headed north to Roche Harbor, where we saw a wedding take place.
From the harbor, we hiked through a cemetery in the forest to a mausoleum. We had seen pictures of this and found it to be beautiful and haunting. I kept thinking of all those "Children of the Corn" type movies as we went deeper into the forest (along a well-marked trail that bordered on property where the mildest of signs read "Keep Out").
There are conflicting stories about the missing column. The book in our hotel room says that it's because the son of the creator of this mausoleum married outside of the family's religion.
After our hike, we headed back to Whale Watch Park, where we watched porpoises for a few hours. There's actually one in the picture below. I know. You'll just have to take my word for it.
In the evening we were able to tour the lighthouse, and that's where we learned all the great info about the pods. We ended our day with a visit to Mona. If you can't see an orca, why not go for the most random island experience? She'll be the last picture.
Eric looking for whales.
Inside and outside the lighthouse.
Mona. Yep, she's a camel, on an island, in Washington!
On our first day, we were lucky enough to see the orcas from the road. Tonight we learned that that pod, L Pod, were on their way to the Pacific Ocean to meet K Pod, who, ironically enough, had been wintering in Monterey Bay. K Pod is tagged, that's how this information is known. Again, we didn't learn all of this until this evening, and this morning we were determined to spend time trying to spot these magnificent creatures. We rented a car, braved the wind and rain, and headed to Whale Watch Park. Where we watched. For three hours. In the wind and rain.
Two hours into our vigil some kayakers fought the swells and paddled by us. I am truly grateful that our kayaking experience yesterday was much different.
Three hours in, the rain really started to pour and the dampness was bone chilling. So what did we do? Got in the car and went to see the alpacas.
There are conflicting stories about the missing column. The book in our hotel room says that it's because the son of the creator of this mausoleum married outside of the family's religion.
After our hike, we headed back to Whale Watch Park, where we watched porpoises for a few hours. There's actually one in the picture below. I know. You'll just have to take my word for it.
In the evening we were able to tour the lighthouse, and that's where we learned all the great info about the pods. We ended our day with a visit to Mona. If you can't see an orca, why not go for the most random island experience? She'll be the last picture.
Inside and outside the lighthouse.
Mona. Yep, she's a camel, on an island, in Washington!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Another Amazing Day (Eric)
This day started with breakfast at a rather unique establishment called the 5 Point Cafe. To give you an idea of what I mean by "unique", it is open 24 hours and says, "alcoholics serving alcoholics" on their menu. Having said that, the salmon Benedict I ordered was surprisingly good. Jenny also enjoyed her "hangover with friends" (i.e. eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast).
Next, and I need to preface this next story with a story I was not planning on telling because it makes us sound like we are living "la vida loco". As we were waiting for our flight to Seattle, I received an email from the ferry company we were going to take to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island that our ferry was canceled. We found out later that the ferry had caught fire. This was a serious problem because we already booked and prepaid our hotel and kayak trip. So we decided we had to find another way to get to Friday Harbor. Our options were limited and we ended up picking a flight with Kenmore air. We suspected this was going to be a small flight when they asked the exact weight of our luggage and our actual personal weight. The plane was in fact the smallest plane I have ever been on. It could hold exactly 9 passengers and the pilot (the 9th seat would be next to the pilot). Needless to say it was an amazing experience with views of the Washington coastline that took my breath away. Yes, it is true that small planes do feel the bumps more as Jenny's tight grip on my hand reminded me periodically, but the pictures and memory more than compensated for my crushed fingers. : )
Friday Harbor itself is amazing. We went to a state park to watch for orcas from the shore. While we did not see any at the park, it was a beautiful park, and we enjoyed walking along the coastline, and we did see several seals and porpoises.
Now, I mentioned we did not see orcas at the park, but on the bus ride back I was watching the ocean and saw a pod of orcas surface. The bus driver stopped for us and all of us watched in amazement as this pod swam past a few hundred yards from the shore. It was a magical moment. (We could not get a picture in time, but I thought this picture might capture the moment a fraction.
Tomorrow, we will be going on a kayak trip to try to see these majestic creatures from the water. We will try to get some good pictures to post.
Friday Harbor itself is amazing. We went to a state park to watch for orcas from the shore. While we did not see any at the park, it was a beautiful park, and we enjoyed walking along the coastline, and we did see several seals and porpoises.
Now, I mentioned we did not see orcas at the park, but on the bus ride back I was watching the ocean and saw a pod of orcas surface. The bus driver stopped for us and all of us watched in amazement as this pod swam past a few hundred yards from the shore. It was a magical moment. (We could not get a picture in time, but I thought this picture might capture the moment a fraction.
Tomorrow, we will be going on a kayak trip to try to see these majestic creatures from the water. We will try to get some good pictures to post.
Location:Guard St,Friday Harbor,United States
The Adventures of Going on Adventures
Every summer, we return to California to see our families. This year we decided to link the trip with our travels and head to Seattle. Eric has never been much further north of San Francisco on the west coast, so our plan was to fly into Seattle and drive down the coast to California. We decided to add a trip to the San Juan Islands for a little adventure, kayaking with the orcas (which, by the way, terrifies and excites me at the same time). This side trip was simple to book, a ferry leaving right from Seattle, just a few blocks from our hotel. We prepaid our hotel in Friday Harbor, paid for the kayak trip, and purchased our ferry tickets. We were good to go.
Until we received word that our ferry caught on fire.
And would not be sailing during our scheduled time.
We learned this little nugget of disappointment through an e mail which Eric received while delayed at the Houston airport. Normally, delays at airports can be frustrating. For us, we used the time to figure out our options and this is what we came up with:
I've always had a fear of heights. This increased after my epic, elbow-destroying fall on a hike two years ago. As we took off in this plane, Eric excitedly turned to me and said, "I want to take flying lessons!!!," to which I responded, "I want to take Valium!" After twenty minutes of sheer terror and white-knuckling Eric's pant leg, I was able to relax, a little, and enjoy the views.
(Notice the steep angle at which we turn!)
But as we were landing, we saw a bald eagle, and I knew we were in a magical place. We enjoyed a harbor-front lunch, where we watched another bald eagle being chased by smaller birds, and then took the bus to Whale Watch Park, which is exactly what it sounds like.
The orcas will actually swim right up to these rocks. This didn't happen while we were there, but we did see orcas further out, and they were breath-taking! We finished our evening strolling along the harbor and are now relaxing from today's unexpected adventure to gear up for tomorrow's!
Until we received word that our ferry caught on fire.
And would not be sailing during our scheduled time.
We learned this little nugget of disappointment through an e mail which Eric received while delayed at the Houston airport. Normally, delays at airports can be frustrating. For us, we used the time to figure out our options and this is what we came up with:
I've always had a fear of heights. This increased after my epic, elbow-destroying fall on a hike two years ago. As we took off in this plane, Eric excitedly turned to me and said, "I want to take flying lessons!!!," to which I responded, "I want to take Valium!" After twenty minutes of sheer terror and white-knuckling Eric's pant leg, I was able to relax, a little, and enjoy the views.
(Notice the steep angle at which we turn!)
But as we were landing, we saw a bald eagle, and I knew we were in a magical place. We enjoyed a harbor-front lunch, where we watched another bald eagle being chased by smaller birds, and then took the bus to Whale Watch Park, which is exactly what it sounds like.
The orcas will actually swim right up to these rocks. This didn't happen while we were there, but we did see orcas further out, and they were breath-taking! We finished our evening strolling along the harbor and are now relaxing from today's unexpected adventure to gear up for tomorrow's!
Location:Seattle to Friday Harbor
Monday, June 17, 2013
Seattle Sights (Eric)
(I am trying to recreate a post that I accidentally deleted)
Last night, after a wonderful dinner with Jenny's high school friend Kevin and his husband Bryce at a place called Dahlia Lounge, Jenny and I spontaneously decided to go see a live show at Triple Door. We caught a band called The Staves. I highly recommend them if you like transcendental folk music. This sister trio can sing some amazing harmonies.
This morning we had a delicious breakfast at Lola's, another restaurant owned by the same guy who owns the Dahlia Lounge. Afterwards, we wandered along the waterfront and stumbled upon the Olympic Sculpture Garden. Here's a picture of my favorite sculpture (No it is not just a random tree - look closely).
Next, thanks to Maggie's suggestion we decided to climb the hill to Kerry Park. Along the way we came across the World Fountain which was a surreal experience where the water spouts in unison with music.
After this came the not so relaxing or uphill portion of the journey, but once we reached the park we were treated to some amazing views of the city.
We finished the day with dinner at a Japanese restaurant named Umi. Sushi has long been a favorite of mine, and this place had some amazing food. Thanks to my wife Jenny for indulging me as I know that Asian food has not been a favorite of hers.
Last night, after a wonderful dinner with Jenny's high school friend Kevin and his husband Bryce at a place called Dahlia Lounge, Jenny and I spontaneously decided to go see a live show at Triple Door. We caught a band called The Staves. I highly recommend them if you like transcendental folk music. This sister trio can sing some amazing harmonies.
This morning we had a delicious breakfast at Lola's, another restaurant owned by the same guy who owns the Dahlia Lounge. Afterwards, we wandered along the waterfront and stumbled upon the Olympic Sculpture Garden. Here's a picture of my favorite sculpture (No it is not just a random tree - look closely).
Next, thanks to Maggie's suggestion we decided to climb the hill to Kerry Park. Along the way we came across the World Fountain which was a surreal experience where the water spouts in unison with music.
After this came the not so relaxing or uphill portion of the journey, but once we reached the park we were treated to some amazing views of the city.
We finished the day with dinner at a Japanese restaurant named Umi. Sushi has long been a favorite of mine, and this place had some amazing food. Thanks to my wife Jenny for indulging me as I know that Asian food has not been a favorite of hers.
Location:6th Ave,Seattle,United States
Seattle (Jenny)
Seattle has been a blast and Eric has done a great job of blogging about our adventures. I would just like to add that the food, the weather and the time with friends has been the best, and simply put, Seattle is a great place to get lost in.
Taking advantage of another beautiful day, we wandered for miles, exploring different neighborhoods and eating more delicious food. We're heading down to the waterfront now, to enjoy our last evening (for a few days) in Seattle. Tomorrow, we head to the San Juan Islands.
Taking advantage of another beautiful day, we wandered for miles, exploring different neighborhoods and eating more delicious food. We're heading down to the waterfront now, to enjoy our last evening (for a few days) in Seattle. Tomorrow, we head to the San Juan Islands.
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