The San Juan Islands

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i have planned (and failed) on three different occasions to take a trip through the islands, each time i allow myself to get diverted from my plans by my various travel partners .. tho the alternatives have been equally fun .. i am now more than ready to go and hope that one day soon i manage to get across the water to play among the islands

Stayed at the “Elephant House” cottage in Roche Harbor. Went sea kayaking up close and personal with the seals!

Saw three pods of Orcas around there, amazing

Therefore I’ll just say—my return visit was a blast in both celebrating old favorites and discovering new ones, from places to people to things to do. I will not wait twelve years to return to the islands next time!

Many people across the world, especially in North America, will certain fixate on places like New Zealand and other out-of-the-ordinary locations as escapes into paradise—for good reason. New Zealand, especially, is worth it.

And so are the San Juan Islands—and, I gather, the neighboring Gulf Islands in British Columbia. The wonders here certainly rival those in New Zealand and other paradises.

Yet, people who could save far more money visiting the San Juan Islands usually don’t know they exist. This may be part of the secret as to what makes the Islands so attractive to those who do know about them. They are all a collective low-key experience that have so much to share for the few that make the effort to go check them out.

I’ve mainly spent time on San Juan Island and Orcas Island within the group so far. The only other major island I need to visit now is Lopez Island. The others are, in general, meant to be very isolated and not-so-visitor-friendly—especially the big but still mostly privately owned Shaw Island.

In any case, if you’re living in North America, and you’ve been dreaming of going across the world to visit perfect places to escape, but can’t afford the cross-ocean transit, you might want to consider the San Juan Islands. You may be just as far away from them as other places, but you’ll be certainly rewarded with the experience if you plan for a week or so exploring San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez Islands. If you are an avid biker, I imagine your experience will be enhanced even more, as all the major islands—given it’s summer or a nice day in other seasons—are very biker friendly. You can hop on the ferries with no reservations or any fees (as it stands now), and you can get around at any time you want. As a pedestrian, you pay nothing to take ferries within the islands, but must tailor your trip around the infrequent shuttle buses. If you have a vehicle, you can go around the island as you wish once you land, but it’s expensive to take them on the ferries, and you often need to make reservations during the summer months.

Again, I realize that part of the trick of the enjoyment of the Islands is that they are low-key, so I don’t want to invite a humongous melee of domestic and international tourists in to spoil that element—at the same time, I can’t help but share how amazing these Islands are to everybody in the world, and want to be able to tell everybody what they’re missing. Instead, I should find that happy medium, and just blurt out the good news to those who I feel need the San Juan Islands escape the most. :)

...was to celebrate the 80th birthday of my grandma. We all went up there—including her, she didn’t actually live there, but my aunt and uncle have always spent their summers there and now have a great home there that he built. We had a wonderful few days in the islands and I’ve always wanted to return, and will be doing just that in a few weeks. Can’t wait.

...well worth the day trip for seattle to see them.

Every night we would dock some where different. Me and my friend would take set out a bucket of water, grab our nets, and a flashlight. On the poles of the dock use your flashlight to spot the glowing eyes of shrimp. Slowly put in your net behind them and SCOOP them up real quick and then dump them in the bucket. This is great entertainment for adults and kids that last for hours. When your done put all the shrimp back in the water. I hear if you decide to eat them it will taste like the smell of diesel.

I’ve been to Llumii Island for Labor Day weekend for about 10 years now… I will propose to my fiance here some day.