This Little Piggy

Boarding the Chelan

Since our itinerary for today was a day trip to explore San Juan Island, we grabbed an early breakfast this morning and were on our way to the ferry terminal in Anacortes by 7:30AM.  

The drive was a little foggy, but we made it in about a half hour. We found a parking spot (paid $13 at the kiosk) and then waited to board the ferry as walk-on passengers for the 8:30AM sailing. The ride over to San Juan Island took about an hour. We were treated to lovely views of the other islands we passed along the way.

Pelagic cormorants at the ferry landing

Samish sailing in the opposite direction

Friday Harbor

Walk-on passengers got to disembark first

It was about a 0.5-mile walk from the dock to M & W Auto, where we picked up a used Toyota Yaris to rent for the day. As an added bonus, the rental included a Discover Pass, which would cover the access fee to Lime Kiln Point State Park. Total cost-wise, we spent about $20 more to rent on the island versus driving our car over, but I think the extra time we saved by not having to line up for the ferry an hour early before each sailing was totally worth it!

Our first stop was the American Camp of San Juan Island National Historical Park. In keeping with how things have gone with my obtaining passport stamps so far, the visitor center here was closed, too. 😭

Ready for a history lesson? In 1859, the United States and Great Britain nearly went to war over possession of the island. This was all precipitated by the death of a... 

(wait for it...) 

Pig. 

Oink!

When the Oregon Treaty was signed in 1846, it established the boundary as the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to "the middle of the channel which separates the continent from Vancouver's Island", then south through the channel to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and west to the Pacific Ocean. However, the problem was that the channel itself wasn't specified. Was it Haro Strait, which was closer to Vancouver Island, or Rosario Strait, closer to the mainland? The San Juan Islands lay between the two and were claimed by both countries.

1859 - 1872

In the years between 1846 and 1859, the Hudson's Bay Company (based at Fort Victoria on Vancouver Island) established Belle Vue Sheep Farm on the southern part of San Juan Island, and American settlers had also come to the island to homestead as well. On June 15, 1859, when an American farmer found a Hudson Bay Company pig rooting in his garden, he shot and killed it. As a result, the British authorities threatened to arrest the farmer and evict all Americans from the island as trespassers. By the end of that summer, both sides had increased their military presence on the island. 

President James Buchanan sent General Winfield Scott to negotiate with the British governor. In November, both nations approved a joint military occupation of San Juan Island until a settlement could be reached. Twelve years later (yes, 12!) it was peacefully resolved, with the San Juan Islands becoming part of the United States and the boundary line drawn through Haro Strait. Amazingly, the only casualty of this international conflict was the pig!

We walked the trail from the visitor center out to the parade grounds and officers' quarters. It was interesting to learn that during the joint occupation British and American troops had amicable relations, regularly socializing with each another during their respective national holidays (Queen Victoria's birthday and Independence Day), as well as Christmas and New Year's.

Officers' quarters and parade grounds

From here, we continued a little further to the redoubt. The earthwork was constructed in September 1859 so that the Americans would have a more defensible position, with the gun platforms still evident today. 

Then we took Cattle Point Road to the lighthouse but decided not to stop and make the trek out to see it up close, opting to turn around and do the hike (~1.5 mile roundtrip) out to Jakles Lagoon instead.

 

Our next stop was Lime Kiln Point State Park. According to the park webpage, this is considered to be one of the best land-based whale-watching spots on earth. Pods of orcas and porpoises, as well as gray, humpback, and minke whales migrate through the straits every May through September.

As we were walking down to the viewing area, we heard loud smacking sounds, but couldn't see what was causing it. Turns out a group of whales were passing by right at that moment, slapping their fins against the surface! I quickly changed to my 70-300 mm lens and was able to capture a few shots of them spouting and breaching the water - so cool! Two women who were there with binoculars seemed to have some knowledge of marine biology, and they identified them as humpbacks. I'll take their word for it.

Humpback whales passing through Haro Strait with
Vancouver Island in the background

A seal, just minding his own business

Lime Kiln Lighthouse

We continued to drive clockwise around the island to the English Camp of San Juan Island NHP. While the visitor center was closed (of course!), we were still able to walk around the grounds for a bit.

Garrison Bay

Blockhouse

Barracks (aka closed visitor center)

At this point it was almost 1:30PM, and we were famished! So we headed over to Roche Harbor to grab some lunch.

French dip sandwiches x 2

The leaves on the trees here were a stunning red color!

Wow!

Then it was back to Friday Harbor to return the car, shop for souvenirs, and get a smushed penny. An ice cream shop conveniently located next to the ferry terminal got our business while we waited for the 4:15PM ferry back to Anacortes.

Our stops today:  #1 - Friday Harbor, #7 - American Camp,
#9 - Lime Kiln Point State Park, #11 - English Camp, #13 - Roche Harbor

The return ferry took a little longer because of an additional stop at Lopez Island. I also had an uncomfortable exchange with another passenger whom I had to politely ask to watch his F-bomb filled video with earbuds instead of forcing everyone around him to listen along involuntarily. Fortunately, the remainder of the trip passed quickly, thanks to a much more pleasant conversation with another couple who sat next to us.

After we got back to the hotel, our final order of business was to get our laundry done. Since the dryer on-site wasn't working, we found a laundromat nearby in Mount Vernon and picked up some burgers to eat for dinner while our load finished.

What a fun-filled day! Hopefully tomorrow we'll find a visitor center that's actually open and get some stamps!