The Perfect Day on San Juan Island

My husband and I travel well together. We are very active, outdoorsy people, but also like to learn about the history and culture of the places we visit. We love San Juan Island because it has it all: rich history, astonishing nature, and world-class art. We set out to experience all of it on one recent Saturday and I have to say that we might just have experienced the Perfect Day on San Juan Island.

Our day started early with breakfast at the lovely Bird Rock Hotel where we stayed. We loaded our plates with mountains of fresh fruit, Greek yogurt and still warm cranberry scones and headed out to the sunny patio to eat. I love their coffee, roasted just a block down the street at the San Juan Coffee Roasting Company. We chatted with the other guests and Kris, the front desk manager, who was a fountain of ideas of things to do.

I’m a volleyball player and bring a ball on every trip. We decided to check out the complimentary beachcruiser bicycles from the hotel and ride down to Jackson’s Beach for a round of volleyball. It has been a long time since I rode a beachcruiser with back pedal breaks. It was so much fun. John and I giggled the entire mile there. We had not only the volleyball court, but the entire beach to ourselves. The water was calm. We played, combed the beach for driftwood and sea shells, and looked at the snow-covered Olympic Mountains in the distance. The air smelled clean and salty.

Back in town, we decided on San Juan Bistro for lunch. On their cute outdoor patio we shared a Charcuterie Plate and a Northwest Cheese Board. John is a cheese connoisseur, a snob, really. He was blown away by the aged goat cheese from the island.

After lunch we strolled downtown and walked to the harbor, where we enjoyed watching the locals going out to fish and the tourists getting ready to kayak. Down by the docks we saw Popeye, a half blind harbor seal, who is almost tame. Popeye cleverly positioned herself right by the Friday Harbor Seafood Company, a stationary boat selling fresh fish and live crab.

John bought a huge slab of local Sockeye salmon. I asked him if he was planning on bringing fish back to Seattle with us. He smiled and said: “You just wait.”

The new, gorgeous San Juan Islands Museum of Art, a few blocks up Spring Street had an interesting sounding exhibition about Pacific Northwest nature photography. We were not disappointed.

We treated ourselves to an obscenely large ice cream cone from the Friday Harbor Ice Cream Co. a block from the Bird Rock Hotel, grabbed our car and set out to the Lime Kiln State Park, hoping to see some Orcas. The drive through the island’s farmland was beautiful.  Upon arrival, we walked the short trail to the lighthouse on the water and oohed and aahed the enormous Madronas lining the way. John read every interpretive sign on the way, so I didn’t have to. We climbed around on steep cliffs and watched the sea.

Suddenly there was agitation among our fellow sea-gazers. People started pointing and getting out the binoculars. That’s when we saw them. A small Orca family swimming by, breaching, swimming fast. I felt humble and grateful to be here among those fabulous creatures. I even teared up a little.

We watched and forgot time.

At some point we returned to Friday Harbor. I rested for a while on the Bird Rock Hotel’s comfortable balcony, while John did who knows what. He came back happy and declared that he wanted to see the sunset at American Camp.

So we headed south.  We went to see where the Americans had encamped during the peaceful occupation of the island after the Pig War. We stopped by the interpretive center where John happily reading more informational signs, walked around old barracks in high prairie grass and enjoyed the view.

Then we went to South Beach, San Juan’s longest beach.  We saw black foxes and a million bunnies on the way and even more exceptional views. As the sun sat dramatically behind wild clouds, the moon rose gracefully over Cattlepoint Lighthouse.

John asked me to take a little walk by myself, he had a surprise. As I walked along the water, I watched an otter feed. When I came back I knew once more why I had married this man. He was grilling salmon and had a picnic table set with salads, fresh baguette, fruit and wine. We dined like lords as night fell. I can’t remember feeling happier.

We ended our Perfect Day with a nightcap at the Cask & Schooner, a block from our hotel, and slept like babies.