The other San Juan
By Carrie Hutchinson
Strolling through the upper deck of the Samish, it becomes apparent we’re sailing to a destination with a difference. On one table is a partially solved jigsaw puzzle. During the hour-long ferry journey between Anacortes on Washington’s coastline and Friday Harbour on San Juan Island, a couple of teenagers add some pieces, only to leave it for the next round of passengers.
The San Juan Islands from above.Credit: iStock
You’d need to have made this trip multiple times to forego the views for a puzzle. On this perfect day, the forested outcrops of the San Juan Islands – our destination of San Juan Island is, confusingly, one of its 128 named islands – are surrounded by water reflecting the sun’s rays like nature’s disco ball.
If you’ve never heard of the San Juans, you’re not alone. It’s a popular summer destination for those living in the Pacific Northwest. Away from there, many think it’s part of Puerto Rico; others have no idea. I can’t say I’m disappointed it remains a secret.
Misty mornings at the Friday Harbour marina.Credit: iStock
At Friday Harbour, there are knots of people waiting for family members and friends to disembark. This is the island’s main town and services both visitors and residents. It’s outside of tourist season, and the only sign being held up has my name on it.
There’s a real small-town charm here. Imagine a production company had decided to reboot Gilmore Girls and tasked a set designer with creating Stars Hollow on the water.
The township is like something from a TV set.Credit: Visit San Juans
Friday Harbour is what they would have built. There are pastel cottages converted into restaurants serving seasonal seafood, and shops selling lavender products grown down the road. You can have an octopus printed onto a t-shirt while you wait.
The Odd Fellows Hall is now the Whale Museum, its exterior walls decorated by murals of orcas chasing salmon. On the deck at Salty Fox Coffee, outdoorsy types sip on coffee and tear apart glossy cinnamon buns, golden retrievers at their feet.
Murals outside the Whale Museum.Credit: Visit San Juans
If the island offered nothing else, you’d gladly take the ferry just to spend a couple of hours poking around the galleries, but there’s more to discover beyond the town’s limits.
“We built the whole thing during the pandemic. This is one of our new pieces – a topographical map of the San Juan Islands. Here’s where we are at American Camp. It gives you a sense of the whole Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island, all the way up into Canada.”
We’re at the southern end of the island outside the visitor centre at San Juan Island National Historical Park, and park superintendent Elexis Fredy is describing the new facilities as a gentle mist begins to fall.
This is where the Pig War was decided. In 1845, the English Hudson’s Bay Company had claimed San Juan Island. Then, in 1853, Washington State wanted the island for the US. Farms were established, squatters trespassed and nerves occasionally frayed.
Lime Kiln Lighthouse.Credit: iStock
“The military era was really only a 12-year period of joint occupation,” says Fredy. “And it was very cordial. The British would come down here and celebrate the Fourth of July. Then the Americans would go up for the Queen’s Birthday.”
Tensions came to a head when an American shot a British pig that had dug up a potato field. Troops secured lines, warships assembled and chests puffed until, finally, in 1871, an arbitration commission gave the San Juan Islands to the US. In the end, the only life lost during the Pig War was that of the pig.
Now, the visitor centre tells that history and more. Several walks through the unique ecosystems, including the prairie lands, also start here.
With limited time, we head to the west side of the island to the lighthouse at Lime Kiln Point on the island’s whale trail.
An old lime kiln was part of the early industry on San Juan Island in Washington State.Credit: iStock
Ropes of kelp ride the gentle waves that land against the rocky shore. The sea floor drops away steeply just metres offshore, and patience can be rewarded with sightings of the resident orcas or migrating humpback whales.
Today, there are only diving cormorants and a curious harbour seal. As the mist rolls in again, I take a deep breath and one last look into the distance. There’s no one else around, but it would be remarkable for the San Juans to remain a secret from the masses for much longer.
THE DETAILS
VISIT
The return ferry fare from Anacortes to Friday Harbor is $US15.85 for a walk-on passenger and $US45.85 for a standard car. There are about 10 sailings each day. See wsdot.wa.gov
FLY
United Airlines operates daily flights to San Francisco from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, with connections to Seattle. Anacortes is an 80-minute drive north. See united.com
STAY
Earthbox Inn & Spa is a refurbished retro motor inn at the top of Friday Harbor, surrounded by lush gardens and with the island’s only indoor heated pool. There are a variety of rooms, some with kitchenettes. Rooms start at $US200 a night. See earthboxinn.com
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