Capturing the Moment

  The San Juan Islands are nestled in between the US. mainland and the southernmost part of Canada, Victoria B.C. Back in 1859 a war almost broke out between England and the U.S. over who these islands belonged to. It was eventually left up to a third party to decide. The arbitrator was the leader of Germany at the time, Kaiser Wilhelm. He sided with the U.S. and from that point on the San Juan islands belonged to us. And if you get a chance to go visit the islands you will be glad the Kaiser voted that way because they are a hidden gem right in Seattle's backyard. Gardens at Roche Harbor   Friday harbor is the main town amongst the islands. Its quirky shops and bookstores keep the tourists and locals entertained, while a storied company town history still shines through on San Juan as shown in the Co. store and historic lime kilns at Roche Harbor. Lime Kiln Lighthouse   Most of the business these days is from tourist, although one farmer has found a way t...

View from the Bridge  The adventure is underway. Our first stop on our Northbound to Alaska is a quick town stop in the San Juan Islands. Friday Harbor is a quaint village nestled on San Juan Island. Even though it is the commercial center of the islands the description of "bustling" would be a bit of an overstatement. Boats of all kinds are tied up in the harbor and big ferries come in every few hours. A statue of a seal named "Popeye" overlooks the harbor at the end of the docks and the actual seal Popeye still haunts the harbor on a daily basis. She awaits food handed to her from the nearby seafood stall. Popeye lost her eye many years ago but hasn't let that stop her from having ten different pups! Popeye Friday Harbor   We had the morning to walk around so I was able to snap a few pictures of the beautiful town. I also picked up some local beer from the Island Hoppin Brewery to do a special beer tasting on our Northbound since we only h...