san juan islands

I recently took a trip out to the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state for a few days. My younger sister, Caitlin, just graduated from Western Washington University in nearby Bellingham, so the Shank clan gathered on Orcas Island for a few days of R & R.

There aren't many opportunities to experience the nautical culture here in Minnesota (although we do have more than our fair share of lakes) so any time I get to ride in a boat that is used for transportation as opposed to recreation it's a unique experience. The Washington State Ferries are one of the largest fleets of their kind in the world and have been fully incorporated into the state's highway system. How cool is that?

The majority of the boats have names from the local Native American tribes in honor of the fact that their canoes were the first to cross the Puget Sound.




























The villages at the edge of the water remind me of the little towns on the fjords I saw in Norway way back in 2003 (travel reference!).

Once you spend a little time sailing amongst all the islands it's not hard to imagine why people like to live here because, frankly, it's pretty chill. Morten Lauridsen has a cabin on Waldron Island and, from what I understand, the residents there have worked hard to keep any sort of intrusive presence away from it. As such, there isn't a ferry that goes there and no municipal power or water either.

One of the more interesting things about Orcas Island itself is the topography. Here's a Google shot (that's the aforementioned Waldron Island in the upper left there).

It's shaped kind of like a saddle bag and, on the eastern half of the island is Mt. Constitution. It's the tallest point in the San Juan Islands (2,409 feet to be exact...thanks Wikipedia) and offers some incredible views from the summit.

We took some time to hike around the trails as well. They were built by FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression.

There's a national historic park on nearby San Juan Island that commemorates something called The Pig War. My dad and I took a day trip there and apparently there was a dispute or something between the US and the UK over that particular island because there was some confusion over whose it was. Read the Wikipedia article on it if you like and you'll be impressed with its unimpressiveness. Why it's called a "war" I'll never know. No shots fired. Maybe we could call it The Pig Crisis or something like that. The Pig Misunderstanding? I mean, far be it from me to play down any sort of military escalation...it just seems strange is all.

Either way there are some interesting things to see when you're in the park. The British Camp on the north side of the island is in a real beautiful spot. It's also the only place in the United States where the Union Jack still flies.

About a mile away (and up a big damn hill) is the cemetery where British soldiers buried their dead during their 12 years on San Juan Island. This particular tombstone says:

Sacred to The Memory of William Taylor, Aged 34 Years
Who was accidentally shot by his Brother, January 26, 1868
This tablet is erected by his Sorrowing Brother

Yikes. That's a huge bummer.

The American camp on the south side of the island is incredibly spartan and bare compared to the British encampment. No rolling hills. No formal gardens. Just a prairie with some white picket fences and the few remaining structures.

Thanks for the memories, San Juan Islands. I will now tie myself to my desk and finish this piece for The Esoterics. Summer is fun but, at a certain point, I'm just ignoring my responsibilities. Mahalo.