One Park, One Museum, One Stamp at a Time
Orcas Island GetawayI finished my school year on Friday, June 14, and immediately set off on vacation. My wife and I are planning on spending the next 6 weeks or so traveling around the western US. Our first stop was 4 nights on Orcas Island with some college friends. Orcas Island is the largest of Washington state's San Juan Islands located in the Salish Sea northwest of Seattle. We caught the 10 pm ferry to the island Friday night and settled into our rental home for the next few days. Orcas Island is a "U" shaped island with a sound making its way up the middle of the island separating the two larger sides of the island. The island is mostly wooded with a couple of small mountains as well as some agricultural areas. The one main town area, Eastsound is located along a crescent beach at the top of the sound that splits the island. Our rental home overlooked the Salish Sea just outside of town. A few highlights of our stay include the fun little town of Eastsound, Moran State Park, and Buck Bay Shellfish Farm. We wandered through Eastsound while they were hosting a farmer's market with live music. This event helped create a festive atmosphere that carried throughout the small town. We visited the Orcas Island Museum which told the story of life on the island through six themed rooms that were each housed in an original homesteader cabin that were rebuilt to form the museum. We also had a great time at Island Hoppin' Brewery; where we enjoyed some awesome beer and learned all about the island tradition of electing a pet as mayor to raise funds for charity. Moran State Park makes up a large portion of the eastern side of the island and is home to Mt. Constitution. The park is the 2nd largest state park in Washington and looked like an amazing place to go camping and hiking. We, unfortunately, did not have the time to do much camping but did take in the outstanding views from the top of Mt. Constitution, which you can drive right to the top of and avoid too much of a climb. Buck Bay Shellfish Farm was a little south of Moran State Park and was located just off the sound. Here you can enjoy calms, oysters, and crab fresh from the Salish Sea. The seating is all picnic table and there are a number chickens roaming the area. The crab was great and the setting made for a perfect afternoon picnic. San Juan Island National Historical ParkWe took a day trip on the inter-island ferry from Orcas Island to San Juan Island to visit the San Juan Island National Historical Park and Lime Kiln Point. San Juan Island NHP is made up of two camps, American and English, set up on opposite ends of the island. They represent remnants of an interesting moment in US history. The Treaty of Oregon was signed in 1846 and established the boundary between the two nations on the 49th parallel. The language of the treaty was vague when describing the border in the Pacific Northwest. The term "strait" was used but was not specific as to which body of water would specifically be the border. The San Juan Islands were located between the two straits in question and each nation claimed the islands. The English and Americans each set up military camps on opposite ends of San Juan Island. The two armies existed in peace for a number of years until an American settler shot and killed a pig from the English company's camp. The English wanted to arrest the farmer and tensions quickly rose and war seemed immanent. Cooler heads prevailed in the long run and war was averted and the British eventually pulled out of the islands and gave up their claim. The Pig War lasts as an interesting footnote in American history and is remembered in the modern park today. We started our day by heading south from the ferry terminal in Friday Harbor, the fun main town on the island, along the San Juan Islands Scenic Byway toward the American Camp. Here we all got out and explored the short trail through the park and took in the sights that greeted American soldiers in the mid 1800s. The camp is mostly wind swept tall grass as only a couple of buildings remain from the camp along with the parade grounds. I succeed in introducing my friends that were traveling with us to the NPS passport program and they all bought themselves a passport when they saw me picking up my stamps. From the American Camp, we headed up the coast to Lime Kiln Point State Park which is know for being a great whale watching location. We spent some time taking in the amazing views of the sea and Vancouver Island (my cell phone told me I was in Canada) while looking for whales. We were not lucky enough to catch a glimpse of any sea life on our stop but I did enjoy the view. Next we made our way to the English Camp on the northern portion of the island. The English Camp was a stark contrast to the American Camp. The American Camp was a desolate frontier post with few tress and little of anything else. American soldiers often complained about their posting on the island. The English Camp was a beautiful grassy area in a valley along an inlet surrounded by trees. The camp had a beautiful little garden area and a few historic buildings still remain today. The English soldiers enjoyed their time on the island and were actually upset when the British pulled them out when surrendering the island. San Juan Island NHP is a fun quick stop if you ever make your way to the San Juans. You can take in each camp in a short period of time and still enjoy some of the islands other locales. We had time to wander around Friday Harbor and grab a beer at San Juan Island Brewing Company before catching the last ferry back to Orcas. New Units Visited: 2
San Juan Island NHP, Pacific Northwest NST* Total Affiliated Areas This Year: 10 Total Units: 39
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