San Juan Islands

Man, this is quite the place.  

Parker and I have loved being up here, and we plan on coming back at some point. 

Working up here is rather awful, but vacationing would be spectacular!

After driving from Seattle, we hopped on a ferry headed from Anacortes to Friday Harbor.  

We're staying at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in some housing for Friday Harbor Laboratories. I'm not complaining about the view from our deck.

 

Our bosses were here with us the first week, but this week and next its just Parker and I.   

Heather aka "Boss"

We were glad they worked with us for this reason:

Our work entails bushwhacking through brambles 5-9ft tall.  Oftentimes the brambles are hearty rose bushes and trailing blackberry.  

I'm afraid I'm not too fond of wild rose bushes any longer.  I hope these ones get eaten by slugs.  All of them.

This has been the hardest mapping Parker and I have ever done.  We've had to go through walls of vegetation.  I'm not joking when I say walls.  We literally kick and struggle and push through vegetation that in any other scenario would be termed impassible.  

On the upside, we get to ride on a boat daily and the views are beautiful.  

Bet you wish you could wear one of these every day, don't ya?

We map islands that others aren't allowed onto, excepting a few.  

 

Seals are usually surrounding the islands, lounging on rocks or popping their heads up from the water to check out what we're doing.  They're such curious, playful animals.  Its been great seeing them swim, nurse their pups, splash, and lounge. 

Yesterday the fog was so thick we didn't make it out to map.  With cloud cover, it was difficult to tell where the water, fog, and sky were separated.  It was an incredible feeling.

 

So we came back to Friday Harbor and set out to explore the island.  

We drove past Whale Watch Park at the perfect time to see Orca whales breaching in the water.  What a sight!  They're HUGE! 

 After Whale Watch Park, we continued down the road to Lime Kiln State Park and headed out on a trail we found.  These trails are what you'd imagine in a perfect trail -- moss on the sides, tall trees, leaves littering the ground.  Oh it was gorgeous. 

Slicked back hair from the rain.  Nice.  Real nice.

We've found some random things while mapping.  I found this onion on an uninhabited island in the middle of a patch of brambles it was nearly impossible to go through.  Full grown, nearly a pound in weight.

Whaaaaaat??

This is Patos Island.  We came to look for plants, but the island was impressive over by the lighthouse -- the grass, the ocean, the lighthouse, the salty wind.  

These islands are sweet.  I can't wait to come back and vacation here.  It will be epic.  I'm bummed we're headed back in a week.  This is one beautiful place.