Heading out from Friday Harbor, there is a view that most folks who come to the area by boat don't see...
The pretty flowers there wind all the way down from the permit parking area...
We drove around town a bit, then headed to the west side of San Juan Island. It is a pleasant drive, with a winding two lane through fields and forests. Lime Kiln State Park is best known as a place to see whales. We walked down the path from the parking area to the lighthouse...
The lighthouse is a good viewing area. They keep track of whale sightings daily... and there are more zeros on their tally board than anything else. We have had a few of those days, too. As summer closes in, the whales are seen more often in this area. Still, it's a pretty view to the west towards Canada from the grounds...
And the reason this place is significant it the lime kiln...
You have to hike a short distance to get to the kiln. It was used to "cook" limestone to make lime. For many years, it was the most productive and best quality lime to be had. There is a lot of history here regarding the sailing ships that were used to move the lime all up and down the west coast and to Hawaii. Some of the main uses for lime is in the production of cement, paper, and sugar. Lime is reactive to water, producing heat... not a good cargo to have onboard a ship - if it gets wet, it can cause a fire!
We were the only ones on the path to the kiln while we were there...
The other folks who were at the park were there to picnic and look for whales. The whale watching from shore wasn't going to happen again today, as they were quite a ways north. Still, it is a pretty place to spend the day.
On the way back, we drove down to Snug Harbor and around on the 2 lane, heavily forested on either side...
Back to Friday Harbor in time for a late lunch and a leisurely walk to the ice cream shop. And in time to send my Honey off to work. ;-)
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