As June draws to a close on San Juan Island, summer continues to pick up speed. Last week brought some sunny weather to the island and live music at The Doctor’s Office (a coffee shop—not an actual medical center), the Rumor Mill, and the San Juan County Fairgrounds. Cask & Schooner, a restaurant and pub in town, celebrated its grand re-opening after a multi-year hiatus, and downtown Friday Harbor was abuzz this weekend with visitors who’d come over on the ferry.
We here at Outdoor Odysseys are just as excited as the visitors that the season has begun. This Saturday a few of us spent the morning at the Friday Harbor farmers’ market, where we purchased a hanging strawberry plant already full of baby strawberries and several beautiful mugs made by a local artist. Later that afternoon, we hiked to the top of Mt. Finlayson, at the southern tip of San Juan Island, and had spectacular, unobstructed views of the Olympic Peninsula, Vancouver Island, parts of the mainland, and a few of the other islands of the San Juan archipelago.
We led a bunch of our single-day sea kayaking trips last week as well as several multi-days, all of which received stellar reviews by the guests and guides alike, and we have another busy week ahead leading up to the Fourth of July. The only thing not entirely cooperating is the weather, which continues to be a mixture of sun and clouds, but with a steady run of whale sightings last week, fortunately the kayakers and Orcas don’t seem to mind.