San Juan Islands

We were invited by a coworker of Ian's named Jim to join his flotilla for a trip on our boat to the San Juan Islands. We thought it was a great opportunity since we would be traveling with a group who was very familiar with the area and who would be great tour guides for us. And as a bonus there were other kids around Jenna and Miranda's ages. We left our marina on July 21st and met up with Jim and his family aboard his boat. Our first stop was Deer Harbor, which is located on Orcas Island. The cruise up there took about 3 hours. Even though the skys were overcast, the water was very calm and it was a wonderful cruise. The scenery was beautiful! It was neat traveling past so many different islands on our way up there. It was the longest trip we have taken on our boat and Jenna and Miranda did great. Miranda actually fell asleep shortly after we got underway and slept almost the whole 3 hour cruise.


Here we are docked at Deer Harbor!

And the girls quickly became friends with Kate, Jim's daughter.

Previously when we slept on our boat, Miranda would sleep in this little enclosed tent-like thing called a Pea Pod. We decided to try her in a sleeping bag on this trip and it worked out great! Her and Jenna share a little cabin so their sleeping bags were laying right next to each other. Miranda would crawl right into her sleeping bag and ask to get covered and she would fall asleep. It was really cute!

One of Jenna's favorite things to do on our boat is pretend to fish. She is getting really good at casting so I think it is time to consider a real hook!

Many sea planes would take off and land at Deer Harbor so that was neat to see.

After spending a couple of days at Deer Harbor, we were on our way to Roche Harbor, which is located on San Juan Island. It was beautiful! The entire marina and village were very picturesque.




The girls really enjoy having "Happy Hour" on the bridge of the boat. Here they are being silly and cute!





Many beautiful sunsets were also enjoyed from the bridge and around the marina!




There was a nice pool at the marina and the girls loved swimming and playing in it. Jenna has gotten pretty good with her "swimmies".



The flowers and gardens around the marina property were beautiful and made for great photo opportunities.







In the woods not too far from the marina is a mausoleum. It was built by John McMillin, the founder of the Roche Harbor Lime and Cement Company, to honor his family. It is called Afterglow Vista and it looks very Roman with its large columns. It was really fascinating!





Jenna and Ian rented a kayak one afternoon and explored the marina. It was Jenna's first time on a kayak and she loved it. She even did her share of the paddling! They were able to paddle right past our boat to say "Hi" to Miranda and I.




We are already looking forward to our next trip to the San Juan Islands. My favorite spot was Roche Harbor so I would love to go back there, maybe even before the summer is over!