Minke whales and sailing friends...

The boat I was supposed to drive today is out of the rotation while new canvas is being made.  There was discussion about having me drive another boat.  Since we have some friends visiting, I let the office know I was fine not driving or working on a boat today.  Jim gets the day off!

Tim and Mary came to our slip, and we discussed the attributes of the C-Dory.  I've known Tim for a long time with our association on a sailing forum.  We have visited in person in the Tetons and at Lake Havasu.  Nice folks.

Joan had to work, so they got to have me as boat crew when we took Wild Blue out.  Another beautiful day in the San Juans... Tim took credit for that, saying he is fortunate with weather when he travels.  I am good with anything that works to keep that sun shining!

We were just out playing, with no destination in mind; we decided to head south through Cattle Pass and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  Without actually looking for whales, we came across a Minke whale... and then another.  It was fun being able to point them out to Tim and Mary.

They both got some helm time on Wild Blue...

 

A different experience for sailing folks, and one I can sure understand.  I'm thinking they enjoyed the pilothouse experience.

Little Izzy was missing her Momma, but quietly rode along.  I enjoyed pointing out things as we cruised: a bald eagle, some harbor porpoise, seals, and the Minkes.  Cattle Pass was pretty calm as far as wave action, but they got to see some of the swirling eddies the pass is known for.

Joan was "almost" off work when we came back around 2:00 - she met us at the dock.  I thought she missed me, but she was needing keys to the truck (that were in the boat) to run some work errands.  When she got back, the four of us had lunch with a view of the harbor.

Nice way to spend the day.  :-)

Marina sunrise...

An early start to the day - Joan's first day in the office!  She was up early, so... we are all up early.  ;-)

Just before the sun breaks over the horizon...

And just after...

Nice way to start the day.

I think it's a bumper sticker...

"With my luck, when my ship comes in, I'll be at the airport!"

We have been to the Friday Harbor Airport before, but never had a reason to go into the terminal building.  Yes, there is a terminal building.  Two local airlines serve this airport: Kenmore Air and San Juan Airlines.

No, it's not a huge terminal.  Kenmore's biggest plane is a Cessna Caravan, a turbo-prop single, 10 passenger (some are configured different).

We were at the airport today to pick up friends, Tim and Mary, who are visiting Friday Harbor...

We delivered them to the B&B they have reserved - cute place!  Looking forward to spending some time with them while they are here.

Playtime...

Space on a small boat is a concern.  We each get to pick the important stuff that comes along.  That goes for little Izzy, too.  Here she is, playing with her favorite toy...

(photos by Joan)

Bushed...

We had a plan this morning, even got up early to implement the plan: take the 8:00 ferry to Orcas Island with the scooters.  I am really looking forward to some land touring on Orcas.  I scrapped that plan when Mother Nature didn't listen to the weather weasels, who said it would be bright and sunny.  It is low overcast, the air is heavy with moisture, and it is chilly.  Maybe later today, maybe another day.  There are still plenty of roads on San Juan Island that are beckoning the scooters.

We had a staff meeting yesterday evening.  We have a lot of new staff, and it was nice to put some faces with the names.  When we got back from the meeting, little Izzy had put in a very full day, apparently...

Joan keeps saying she is going to rig up some kind of carrier/bag to take Izzy for a scooter ride.  I have seen dogs on motorcycles and scooters - never a cat.  You don't see cats hanging their head out the car window, either... but, Izzy does like to put her face in the breeze from the air vent in the truck.  At this point, I am in the "let's not do that" camp.  ;-)

It was still plenty light when we finished our meeting at 7:30... Joan's flowers have opened up...

Tourists...

You may be thinking I am going to say something about the tourists on San Juan Island... au contrare.

"Thanks!  Have a good trip."  That's what the young man in the grocery store said to me.

It was a beautiful day in the San Juan Islands - delightfully sunny when we got up.  No work schedule today (other than a staff meeting this evening); our plan: scootering around the island.  We walked to the bikes, carrying our jackets.  Didn't need them for the uphill walk to the scoots.  Looking back at the marina...

It is easy to see why we like it here; especially when Mother Nature blesses us with weather like this.

No real destination in mind, just wanted to ride some of the great roads on this small island; about 16 miles north to south, 10 miles across.  We rode south to the end of the island: Cattle Pass.  I go through here regularly on the whale watch boat.  It looks way different from land...

In the water in the background, you can see Whale Rocks, Long Island, and the southern tip of Lopez Island.  Heading back north, we stopped at a turn out to view the Strait of Juan de Fuca...

The water was gloriously calm today.  In the distance, you can barely see the Olympic Mountains at the horizon.  Then, on to South Beach...

Not what we think of when you mention "beach."  Mostly small rocks.  The land that you can just start to see through the haze is Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada).  From a higher vantage point, we had a great view of Haro Strait...

Look really close, and you might be able to make out a couple small whale watch boats out there... yes, we could see the whales, but I only brought the wide angle lens - didn't plan on doing any whale watching from the scooters.  ;-)

Heading eas, there is a nice view of Griffin Bay...

On to American Camp.  This is where American Troops were stationed during the Pig War - a 12 year "skirmish" between the US and England, with each side claiming ownership of this island.  Only one shot was fired... and the only casualty: a pig.  Look it up sometime - it is an interesting bit of history.

We turned north again, and drove along the west side of the island.  Great roads, perfect for the scooter!

The fastest speed limit on the island is 45 mph; other sections of road (like the above) are slower than that.  The blacktop is decent, ideal for the scooters.  The summer tourist season hasn't started, yet, and the roads were blissfully traffic-free.

Next stop: False Bay...

From Haro Strait, this looks like a safe harbor when the tide is up.  When the tide is out, it is a rocky mud flats.  You can see the steam rising, where the sun is baking the mud.  I can only imagine how many boats this bay captured over the years.

Back on the road...

The terrain on this small island is varied - the land slopes up from the Salish Sea around it, so the roads are twisty and hilly.  The riding is great!

Another great vista, looking west across Haro Strait...

The haze in the distance has dissipated, you can see Vancouver Island and some of the smaller islands on its east side better... and the whale watch boats.  Joan did her "happy dance;" glad to see the whales out there, glad to be playing on our scoots...

North past Lime Kiln State Park.  Some traffic on the road here...

Oh, deer!  We drove down a steep road, into Snug Harbor.  Plenty of new development since the last time we were here.  Back to the scootin'...

Densely wooded to open farmland.  Every corner holds a new view.  Having the scoots here has given me a completely different perspective on this beautiful island.

We rode back into Friday Harbor - Joan said those words I love to hear: "How about some ice cream?"  The woman can see into my heart.  ;-)  We rode south along the water, catching views of Turn Island, then came back north into town.  A stop at the grocery store before we had to get back to the boat.

It was at the grocery store where the young man checking us out said, "Have a good trip."

I thought to myself, "Am I going somewhere?"  Then realized: on this beautiful day, the locals are all wearing shorts and tank tops.  We drove by a woman and a small child on Jackson Beach (yeah, rocks) wearing swimsuits.  It is about 70º.  We are wearing jackets.  (Hey, it's cooler on the scoots!)  I have a camera around my neck.  Yeah, I look like a tourist.  Well, not just any old tourist: a scooter tourist!  ;-)

Busman's Holiday...

No, I didn't get a job driving a bus.

If you aren't familiar with that phrase: A holiday in which you spend most of your time doing the same or something very similar to your normal work.

I had the day off today... well, mostly - Joan gave me a hand removing the canvas on one of the company boats this morning.

We have friends coming in today - Randy and Cindy are our neighbors in Texas.  Yes, the ones who have the catamaran.  Yes, the catamaran that lost its mast 2 months ago.  They are up here on business, and arranged to spend a day whale watching.  They booked the trip way before Joan and I started work, with the thought that I would be working today.  So, I rode along with them on their whale watch trip.

I met the ferry to get Randy and Cindy, while Joan held us a table at a restaurant across the street; a restaurant with a nice view of the harbor... we wanted to be sure they got some of the Friday Harbor experience.  With brunch done, we went to our office and picked up their boarding passes.  Time for a few minutes looking over the marina, then we boarded the boat.

There was a good report for whales today - I was happy to hear that, since Randy and Cindy have been hearing our whale stories for several years.

It felt a bit odd being on the other side of the safety orientation, then sitting down while the boat left the dock.  You might thing: nice that you get to kick back and enjoy the trip... but, I would enjoy it even more being at the helm.  I did enjoy the sight-seeing.  Heading north, we came across some bald eagles...

The report on the whales put them where they would be easy to reach.  I expected a bunch of boats to be on the scene... nope.  A half dozen boats, and quite a bit of J-Pod foraging...

The naturalist, Heather (the one who was on my boat yesterday), explained to the guests how she identifies the whales...

A double spy hop...

... that I almost caught.  ;-)  And a nice breach...

... that would have been impressive if it was in focus.

Whales all over...

Randy and Cindy got to experience a great viewing.  When it was time to head for the dock, I noticed that Mike (the captain) continued heading east when we came to San Juan Channel.  I poked my head in the helm and asked, "What's up?"

"Transient whales just off Disney Point."

Nice - residents to start the trip, transients to finish the trip - a very unusual occurrence, since they generally aren't both in the area at the same time.

Some nice views of transients!

The trip ran long.  I knew Randy and Cindy were planning to catch the 4:15 ferry... it was going to be close.  I let them know there was another ferry two hours later - just in case.

We made it back to the dock as they were beginning to board the walk-on passengers on the ferry... didn't get there quite in time to board before they started with the cars, so we had a few minutes to visit, and they were able to get on after the cars.  They are staying at a motel in Anacortes, very close to the ferry landing... a full, but easy day for them today.  I let them know what a unique day it was, getting to see resident and transient Orcas on the same trip - that has only happened one other time for me.  I was delighted they were here to see this.

We didn't get to show them much of Friday Harbor, but Randy is definitely a boat guy and was enjoying the views around the marina.

Hugs good-bye and "See you in October!"