I left camp at 9AM and drove to Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve visitor center. From there I traveled down to the harbor and walked around the shops. I had breakfast by the pier. I visited the Island County Historical Museum to see artifacts and history of the area. They even had fossils from a mammoth. This historical reserve preserves an unbroken record of Puget Sound exploration and settlement from the 19th century to the present.
Next I drove to Deception Pass State Park and sat on a bench to plan my upcoming travel days. I decided to skip Rainier and hit four of five parks up north. It is incredible what you can accomplish with a GPS and cell phone.
At 3:10PM I boared a ferry from Anacortes I sland and rode it to San Juan Island. I drove off the boat at Friday Harbor and drove immediately to the American Camp at San Juan Island National Historical Park. It commemorates the "Pig War" between the United States and England when the two countries almost went to war over a shot pig which resulted in a twelve year standoff with the only casualty being the pig. I took a short guided walk of the grounds. Then I drove southeast through the park to see Cattle Point Light. From there I could see some whales out in the distance. I began to make my drive back out of the park and stopped to watch porpoises leaping out of the water. I quickly drove down to South Beach for a better view, but instead I was surprised to find a great view of orca whales simming and jumping by the shoreline.
After watching that swim I drove northwest on the island to Lime KIlm State Park to visit their lighthouse. I sat out on the rocks for a couple of hours and eventually tons of orcas came swimming by. There were mobs of people who stopped along the coast to watch, but I had a great view from the rocks. The views were fantastic as the whales gracefully swam along and occasionally waved to me with their giant black dorsal fin.
After 8PM I drove to Wayfarer's Rest, a hostel, to sleep for the night. In the evening I visited a pub for dinner. The island had its own brewery and I did my best to sample a pint of all the varieties.
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