We managed to beat the sun up on this day, which means we were up REALLY early. This time we headed the opposite direction towards Anacosta to hop on a ferry. We ate some breakfast in the car and then drove on to the ferry, an adventure in itself. I think Patrick was a bit nervous! We sat on the large passenger deck and watched the view of islands and Pacific waterways roll by. We even spotted a porpoise! I thought about what it must be like to be an islander whose commute involves riding the ferry every day or somebody who lived on one of the more remote islands having to go ashore to get their groceries.
After one short stop at an island to let people on and off, we finally arrived at San Juan Island, home of Sung Harbor and Friday Harbor. I remembered my aunt talking about these summer destinations for years as her family visited them. It was fun to see all the things she loved!
We walked up the main street of this harbor town that had little shops, restaurants and art galleries. The breakfast smell pulled us quickly to a little bakery that served fresh pastries and coffee, perfect for our early morning. Paige and I enjoyed a hazelnut crepe and blackberry brioche bun, but Anna and Patrick declined for now because they were going on a long run. It took a lot of self control for Anna! After that, Patrick and Anna headed to an American fort for their trail run while Paige and I walked around town a bit more, finally ending at the kayak touring company I had booked for the two of us.
We met our guide who happened to be from GA and two other young ladies who would join our tour. They were from SC and NC! So, we chatted it up on our ride to Snug Harbor and loved hearing about their traveling nurse careers. Meanwhile, Paige was soaking in all that our guide was saying about her life and career. It definitely sparked some ideas on what Paige would like to do in her future.
At our destination, we slipped into a tandem kayak and used a skirt to stay dry. I was glad Paige could not paddle off into the ocean, never to be seen, because she was absolutely loving it. We skirted along the coastline and saw a bald eagle, starfish, egg yolk jellyfish, lion maned jellyfish, another common jellyfish, a seal, what we think was an otter, lipids, barnacles, cormorant, king fisher and lots of other birds too. Paige was able to pluck a jellyfish right out of the water! They are non stinging and feel very muscular.
We were out on the water for two hours before heading back to town and meeting up with Anna and Patrick. They had the best 10 mile run and also saw lots of wildlife. And don't worry....Anna got her pastry afterward. It was really nice for us to be able to do one on one things with each of the girls. I really enjoyed seeing Paige in her element, just so excited about nature, conservation and a future that could include things she enjoyed.
After hitting a couple of small stores, we got back in line for the afternoon ferry and returned to Anacortes as well as the same hotel we had been staying at. Dinner? Well, we hit up Skagit Valley Food Co-op AGAIN! So good. This was our last day on the upper east side of Washington and I feel like we got the most of this area. We kept on driving south and made it to Seattle for the night.
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