Local Happenings | San Juan Island News
This month, ELEMENTS hotel & spa will become Earthbox motel and spa. Our new name reflects our heritage as a vintage motel while celebrating the natural elements that inspire us to re-invent, re-imagine and provide san juan island’s most creative, fun and unexpected lodging experience. Join us this fall to become part of the friday harbor hybrid hotel revolution.
May 25th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Rocking & Rolling off the West Side of San Juan Island
Savoring the last day of Memorial Day weekend, Capt. Craig, Tristen, and I departed Friday Harbor aboard the MV Sea Lion with a boat full of guests, excited to see orcas. Yesterday was a new moon and today we had tide fluctuation of 12 feet (a -3.22 low) so we pushed on through choppy Cattle Pass, determined to catch up with J Pod. We reached J1, Ruffles, while parallel with the northen most portion of American Camp on the southern end of San Juan Island.
J Pod was busy foraging along the westside of San Juan Island. The guests caught some great glimpses at J Pod’s oldest male (J1), as well as some fantastic views of J17 and her new calf J44. It was rough out in the Haro Strait today, but that didn’t hinder the excitement of viewing J Pod fishing off of the south and west side of the island.
On our way back we saw some of the other wildlife that are around the islands, including bald eagles, harbor seals, and a California sea lion.
What a great day.
Ashley, Naturalist