Summer Vacation Trip - Day 14

As usual, we were awake early (0500). Again, we ate breakfast at Navy Lodge Whidbey and got ready for an early departure. Following our "mountain day" yesterday, we decided to take a tour of the San Juan Islands! From the NAS, we could see the Olympics without clouds - an amazing view. Drove to Anacortes and got gas (0655). We arrived at the ferry landing (0710) and learned we were second in line for the 0905 (non-stop) ferry. Many other people showed up soon afterwards, so I was very glad we'd gotten there early. Seeing the pre-Independence Day crowds, I quickly made a return trip reservation on the Washington State Ferry website... I then took a nature walk on the beach nearby while Mollie worked on her journal. After watching huge crowds board another ferry (bound for Victoria), we boarded "Samish" on time and found a good place to sit onboard. It was overcast and cool (50s) when we made our transit to Friday Harbor but we didn't mind - we looked for whales and worked on a puzzle. The Olympics were more visible today than they have been all week and the weather cleared significantly by the time we disembarked (around 1015). We left the tourist area and headed south to the National Park (American Camp), where Mollie got a NPS Passport Stamp and a Junior Ranger patch. Later, we took a nice walk on the bluffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We looked for whales again and marveled at the scenery that was visible all the way from the Cascades to the western end of Washington State and Vancouver Island. We headed north on country roads until we reached the San Juan County Park, where we ate a picnic lunch in view of a pretty cove. I got an update for Mollie about Eileen’s prize (money and a golden canoe). We talked about her Extended Essay for IB and about our 2019 Summer Vacation destination (Canadian Maritimes?). I found it funny when Mollie also gave me a dig when I commented that she seemed tired - she blamed me (“Dad, you always snore!”)! After exploring some of the resorts (e.g., Mitchell Bay) on the west side of San Juan Island, our next stop was the British Camp (more NP). There, we took another nice walk and took a break on a high bluff that overlooked Garrison Bay. We looked for whales again (didn't see any) and were fortunate to see several herons, two playful seals who were visible under the water and a deer that swam from a little island back to the mainland before our eyes. We drove north again and stopped for ice cream (1415) in Roche Harbor (pretty) and made a short visit at the Westcott Bay Oyster Company (BBQ in full swing!). Mollie kept asking me what time it was because she wanted to make sure we had time to visit the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor. We made it there by 1515 and found the place to be quite professional and educational. I enjoyed reading the "biographies" of many of the Southern Resident J, K and L pod orcas that the locals track. We also watched a movie about the effect of ocean sounds on whale reproduction and communication, along with another about the re-unification of Northern Resident calf "Springer" with her pod in 2002. Overall, great place. We drove to the ferry landing at around 1700 and got in line for the 1830 ferry back to Anacortes. The parking attendant said we could leave the car for up to 60 minutes so we did some exploring in Friday Harbor. Mollie found a good book store and we bought some souvenirs (1715). I was tempted to sit on a bar stool until it was time to leave (like I did in 2010) but decided against it - there was too much to see! Back on the ferry ("Yakima" this time), we looked for whales all the way home (still no luck). By then, there weren't any clouds in the sky and it was in the mid 60s - such amazing weather! We were off the ferry by 2000 and stopped one more time at Deception Pass to see if the orcas who had been there earlier in the day (reported online) were still visible from the bridge. No dice, unfortunately. I think Mollie may believe we failed in our orca mission but the day was awesome for me. We were both sad that we’d have to leave in a few days but decided that we would definitely come back! After driving around in Base Housing (saw another seal in the harbor), we arrived at our hotel. Mollie cooked us a late dinner (macaroni and cheese, corn, strawberry newtons) and we read for a little while. Both of us went to bed at 2245.