Tag Archives: Friday Harbor

What’s New and Cool in June, 2016

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I can’t even fathom how long a comprehensive list of every event taking place in Washington might be. It would probably break the Internet. So what I’m posting is can’t-miss festivals, new activities and darn it, my personal favorites.

June 2:  Alderbook Resort & Spa, where the spa happens to have doggy massages on the menu, presents the “Spirit of the Canal” Distillers Dinner. Make reservations through Edible Seattle or the resort which has discounted overnight specials for this occasion.

June 3-5:  Edmonds Waterfront Festival

Edmonds ferry

Edmonds ferry

June 4:  Oddmall Emporium of the World, Everett. If anyone goes to this, please let me know what happens there. I’m intrigued.

June 4:  The town of Lynden will try to break the Guinness Book of World Records by making the world’s longest strawberry shortcake. This is where I’ll be.

June 4:  National Trails Day means free State Park admission in Washington on this Saturday. Should you want to combine visiting a state park with hiking, may I suggest looking at the Washington Trails Association site or check in with one of the most prolific hikers around, Craig Romano.

June 10-12:  Craft Wine Fest featuring beer as well in Vancouver, USA.

June 10-12:  Maple Valley Days, Maple Valley. My old stompin’ grounds so I’m partial to this town’s celebration.

June 11:  Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island is hosting a fishing derby for kids 16 and under. No license is required and because this is also National Get Outdoors Day, once again you don’t need a Discover Pass because all state parks offer free entry that day.

June 17-19:  Marysville Strawberry Festival

June 18-19:  Walla Walla Onion Festival. I wrote about this and several other Northwest festivals in the May/June issue of Northwest Travel & Life Magazine.

June 24-26:  Taste of Tacoma. My hometown and where I first tasted alligator on a stick. Travel Tacoma recently unveiled their spiffy new website where you can look for other attractions to visit.

June 25-26: Spokane’s Hoopfest, one of the biggest 3-on-3 basketball competitions in the nation. For lodging, restaurants and other activities in Spokane, look at their tourism site.

Just Plain Cool

You can now take a tour with a park ranger at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma. Don’t mess with Mary Krauszer because she’s also a jammer for the Dockyard Derby Dames.

Mary Krauszer, new Pt. Defiance Ranger

Mary Krauszer, new Pt. Defiance Ranger

The San Juan Islands  recently introduced an app, San Juan Islands Insider, that gives you tips on where to explore, how to gather points and then trade those points in for goods and services on the islands. Available on either Google Play or at the App Store.

See Friday Harbor on the Jolly Trolley instead of hoofing it everywhere. By taking a riding tour, you can better scope out where you want to spend more time.   Jolly Trolley

As if Lakedale in Friday Harbor, doesn’t have enough different types of accommodations, this year they installed new canvas cottages.

Did I forget anything you absolutely love? If so, please let me know and I’ll add it.

 

 

 

 

 

San Juan Island Museum of Art and Sculpture Park: A Must-See

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I visited the Sculpture Park for a close-up look for the first time this past weekend and found I was intrigued. My grandson also enjoyed this adventure. Sculptures created in various media by a number of artists are artfully placed throughout the landscape giving off splashes of color, reflections and hints of pieces that make you want to come closer and study them.

The Sculpture Park was first created in 2001. Each year the installations are added. To fully enjoy all the Sculpture Park has to offer, you can go to their next event on Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4, 2011, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. where performance artists interpret their sculptures and the theme of the day is art, food and music.

 

To find the Sculpture Park, head to the west side of San Juan Island from Friday Harbor. It overlooks Westcott Bay and is a stone’s throw from Roche Harbor.

The mission of both the Museum of Art and the Sculpture Park is to connect people with art that inspires, challenges, enlightens and educates. The Museum is located in the town of Friday Harbor at 285 Spring Street.

 

More Top Travel Trends for 2011: The Washington State Version

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More of Thomas Stanley’s predictions and the Washington State destination that matches.

Train display at Freighthouse Square made completely out of Legos

  • Ride the Rails:  We have train travel covered here – from short 45-minute excursions to crossing the country on Amtrak – it’s all available for travelers in Washington State. My favorite short rides include a stop at the train museum and a jaunt from Snoqualmie to North Bend (www.trainmuseum.org) and the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (www.mrsr.com) that departs from Mineral.

 

Longer excursions are available on Amtrak (Amtrak.com) going north/south or east/west. But the best news of all is Amtrak opened a new stop at the Icicle Station in the Bavarian-themed town of Leavenworth last year. Daily service is now available.

  • Experiential Family Travel:  A simple definition of experiential travel says it is travel we live through, instead of look at. That can mean dining where the locals eat like Downrigger’s in Friday Harbor (www.downriggerssanjuan.com) or drinking coffee at Undertown in Port Townsend. Staying at a Bed and Breakfast also qualifies. States Inn and Ranch (www.statesinn.com), also in Friday Harbor, ranks as one of my all time favorites. The locally cooked breakfast from scratch was so delectable, I couldn’t eat regular food for a week afterwards.

Hurricane Ridge, courtesy of the Olympic Peninsula Visitors Bureau

If you want an all-inclusive experience, try hiring a Native American Guide to tour the Olympic Peninsula (www.nativeamericanfootprints.com). Highlights of these tours include dining on salmon cooked the Indian way, which is by far the most delicious way of cooking salmon, speaking with the elders of the tribe and hearing their stories, making your own hand drum and much more. This tour has now taken a spot on my Bucket List.

  • Bucket List:  Just a few suggestions here – The Space Needle, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, snowshoeing, winery touring and The Museum of Flight.

 

  • Top Picks for 2011:  These are my choices. Whether they turn out to be trends or not, you can’t miss with visits to the San Juan Islands, Whidbey Island, Lake Chelan or taking the North Cascades Scenic Drive.

Dining on San Juan Island

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I am always discovering new places to eat on San Juan Island and on my last trip Public Relations Manager and Film Liaison for the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, Robin Jacobson, introduced me to two I’d never tried before.

Curried egg salad at Market Chef

 

We lunched at Market Chef, just two blocks from the Friday Harbor ferry terminal. This deli/café and catering company uses local meat and seafood, plus local and seasonal produce from the San Juan Islands. My dining companions both enjoyed salmon chowder, while I savored the curried egg salad. Although the food was extremely high quality, I think it tastes even better when you can sit outside and enjoy the view of the Salish Sea while eating.

Market Chef is located at 225 A Street in Friday Harbor and specialty sandwiches, soups and salad in addition to a variety of baked goods.

Pasta from Hell remains the signature entrée at Vinny’s Ristorante, www.vinnysfridayharbor.com, even though new owners have taken it over. Because of the change, the recipe might have been altered a little, too, but the dish contains pine nuts, raisins, mushrooms, peppers, habanera and a curry cream sauce and many locals can’t resist ordering it.

I chose the Chicken Napoli, a chicken breast marinated in lemon and rosemary, baked and served with a lemon risotto cake. It was heavenly as was the salmon with berry salsa which included fresh strawberries.

Vinny's Ristorante salmon with berry salsa

Vinny’s is only open for dinner, which begins at 4 p.m.

Looking for a restaurant that offers breakfast on the weekends, lunch and dinner? You’ll see lots of locals at Downriggers, located on the waterfront. Famous for their Northwest cuisine, you can order steaks, seafood, chicken, entrée salads and soup. Lots to choose from.

For the wee ones, there are fish and chips, pasta, a cheese plate and more, plus kids can color on the table cloth because it’s made of paper.

I still have to return to San Juan Island and try the Duck Soup Inn, The Doctor’s Office and many more restaurants as the islands have a reputation for attracting some of the best chefs in the nation.

For more information about dining in the San Juans, visit www.visitsanjuans.com.

This month (October) the islands are hosting “Savor the San Juans,” their third annual movable feast complete with autumn festivals, dining out specials, farm tours and classes.

Friday Harbor’s San Juan Historical Museum Reveals Vivid Local History

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"The worst county jail in the state of Washington."

When I’ve driven by this place in the past, I thought the museum was only the one house I saw behind the sign. So I’d never made the time to check it out as a full-on history museum. I was blown away by what I saw this past week, because the entire museum is not one building, but eight, the grounds cover 1.6 acres and the place tells fascinating tales of San Juan Island history.

Paper mache replicas of farm women doing needlework around the kitchen table.

Currently located on the James King farmstead property, each of the eight buildings – a carriage house, a milk house, a barn, the Scribner log cabin, an old shed, the resource center, the farmhouse and the first county jail – lets visitors discover what island life was like over a century ago. The two-level farmhouse was built in 1894 (29 years after the civil war) and housed three bedrooms upstairs. In later years it was turned into a rooming house for teachers. Filled with furnishings and items you needed to live, the farmhouse stirs memories of simpler days.

At this time in history, there was no organized ferry service in Friday Harbor – that won’t happen for another thirty years. The 1887 territorial census says 550 residents lived in all of San Juan County. The James King farmhouse was recently completed and 72 years later it became a part of the San Juan Historical Museum.

Let’s talk a little more about the jail. They always seem to depict at least some of the character of a place. It was originally built near the Court House in 1894 and cost $234.50. It had three cells and an office. From the 1890s until 1971 local lawbreakers were locked up here until it was declared “the worst county jail in the state of Washington.”

At that time it was turned into a storage shed. During its reign as county jail its most notorious guest was Richard Straub who hanged on the lawn outside the jail in 1895 – San Juan County’s only execution.

Throughout the different buildings you’ll find artifacts like “noiseless” typewriters, adding machines, a wheelchair and an old switchboard. One display is a turnkey for twisting out aching teeth which really looks like an instrument of torture. Two original horse-drawn carriages, the rudder from a shipwreck off Hannah Heights and so much more dating to the turn of the century.

Bring a lunch to enjoy on the outdoor picnic tables.

Plan ahead to partake of the many activities the museum offers through out the year.

For more information, visit:  www.sjmuseum.org or call 360.378.3949.

Dazzling Possibilities on San Juan Island

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Ferry to San Juan Island, courtesy of San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau

When the ferry lands on San Juan Island, you can walk off or drive and immediately you’re in the town of Friday Harbor. Although Orcas is the largest island in the archipelago, San Juan Island reports the largest population – 7,700 people. Exploring the shops and galleries in Friday Harbor is sure to lighten your wallet a little because it will be difficult to resist the local artisans’ handmade gifts and décor pieces.

Where to shop:  San Juan Island hosts numerous galleries, many of them within walking distance of the Friday Harbor ferry dock. Try the Arctic Raven Gallery if you desire authentic Native American art.

Sweaters, accessories and home furnishings made from the finest alpaca wool fill the Country Store at Krystal Acres (www.krystalacres.com) and the cute and cuddly alpacas outside provide all kinds of photo opps.

Visiting the Gatehouse Store at the Pelindaba Lavender Farm (www.pelindabalavender.com) gives you a chance to stock up on some of the finer bath and beauty items you might want to try while on vacation, but definitely will need as soon as you get home. If you cook with lavender, you’ll want to take a look-see at the store’s offerings of cooking products.

Aerial view of Friday Harbor, courtesy San Juan Islands Visitor Bureau

What to see:  No trip to San Juan Island is complete without visiting the Whale Museum (www.whalemuseum.org). Absorb the entertaining and illuminating history of local marine life before boarding a boat to experience live whales on a whale-watching excursion. Or drive to Lime Kiln Point State Park on West Side Road and view the Northwest’s whale population from the outlook.

If you’re a military buff, American Camp, on Cattle Point Road, displays more than 100 Pig War artifacts in its visitor’s center.

Where to stay:  Drive the expanse of the island and you’ll wind up in Roche Harbor. There Quarryman Hall opened its doors in July 2007 and boasts state-of-the-art everything through and through. My personal favorites include the heated bathroom floor and the gas fireplace. Just a few steps from the elevator you’ll find the Afterglow Spa, which offers spirulina wraps, Turkish salt scrubs, therapeutic mineral baths, island stone massages and one of the most relaxing European deep cleaning facials I’ve ever experienced.

Where to eat:  Downriggers Restaurant in Friday Harbor, one of the locals’ favorite places to dine, has scrumptious seafood and is kid-friendly. Besides a children’s menu, kids can color on the paper tablecloth.

McMillin’s Dining Room, in Roche Harbor, specializes in Northwest cuisine focusing on fresh local shellfish and salmon plus island-grown organic meats, vegetables, herbs and greens. I highly recommend the Maytag Blue Cheese Salad and McMillin’s signature dish, Mama Shaw’s Meatloaf, which rivals any meatloaf you’ve ever tasted.

On San Juan Island, you’ll experience spectacular panoramic water and mountain views. You’ll think you’ve entered an exotic country, but no passport is required, just a willingness to take it easy.

For more information, visit www.VisitSanJuans.com.

Ferry Around the Islands

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From one ferry you see another, courtesy of the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau

I love riding on a ferry. One of my past e-mail addresses was ferryprincess. I even have a collection of ferry boat memorabilia. My husband and I even got married on a Washington State Ferry.

This all stems from my childhood. When we went to visit my grandparents in Port Angeles, we took two different ferries because the Hood Canal Bridge hadn’t been built yet, so I associate those big vessels with the wonderful times grandparents show their grandchildren.

This past week-end we attended a Ukulele Fest on Vashon Island and I had the pleasure of riding the ferry from Pt. Defiance to Tahlequah. Although it was only a 15-minute crossing those fond memories quickly came back. My grandfather always had black licorice for me and Nehi soda.

Should you want to take advantage of one of the largest ferry systems in the world, here are some ideas of where you can go in Washington State.

With no traffic to worry about, visitors can leave their stress at the ferry dock, relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and scan the waterways for marine life during the length of the vessel’s cruise.

Although only 12 miles long, Vashon offers a wide variety of scenic countryside and outdoor activities like squid jigging (a method used to catch squid), clamming and beachcombing.

Also accessible by car-ferry from Vashon Island is Port Orchard, a city that celebrates the Kitsap Harbor Festival and a Seagull-Calling Festival.

Situated north of Vashon and just a short ferry crossing from Seattle is Bainbridge Island.  Anchored by Winslow, a quaint town filled with boutique gift shops and restaurants, this island also features 17-acre Fay Bainbridge State Park, a park ideal for camping and picnicking and the Bloedel Reserve, a beautiful 150-acre nature preserve and garden.

Two highways, 20 and 525, serve as the main roads on Whidbey Island. Rural historic areas rule most of Whidbey, with Oak Harbor offering more of a city feel. Langley, on the southern end of the island, captures spectacular views of Saratoga Passage and bountiful shopping opportunities. Coupeville lies in the north central portion and exudes small-town charm.

The Keystone ferry (reservations suggested) on Whidbey sails to Port Townsend, one of only three registered Victorian seaports. The town’s film festival held in September warrants a visit and who wouldn’t want to see where “An Officer and a Gentleman” was filmed.

Last, but definitely not least, the San Juan Islands are Washington’s northernmost islands and reachable by a ferry from the town of Anacortes. Travelers can also start their island journey here and work their way south. Filled with shops and galleries offering art made by locals, Friday Harbor on San Juan Island is known for its whale watching.

Just a short ferry hop from Friday Harbor is Orcas Island, a picturesque framework for Mount Constitution, the highest peak in the islands. While driving up the mountain, vistas include the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, the rest of the islands and the recreational opportunities below like kayaking, hiking and photography.

For Washington State Ferry information, visit:  www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries