The ferry ride alone makes the trip to Washington State's San Juan Islands a memorable one. It is just over an hour from Anacortes to Friday Harbor on an idyllic voyage through a maze of picturesque islands. It's not uncommon to see Eagles perched on treetops and harbor seals basking on rocky outcrops. But that's just a hint of the wildlife adventures that lie ahead.
Friday Harbor is the largest settlement on the chain's biggest island, San Juan. We spent parts of three days exploring San Juan's historical landmarks, hiking its wonderful trails and reveling in its signature attraction-Orcas…Killer Whales.

LIME KILN POINT STATE PARK
This is one spot you simply must not miss. It is the only park in America devoted entirely to whale watching. Researchers working out of the Point's old Lighthouse chart and study the pod of Orcas that, almost daily, makes an appearance not far offshore, feeding on salmon in the Haro Straight. They pass by at unpredictable hours, sometimes two or three times a day. You can spend $45-50 a person (more on that later) to take a whale watching boat tour but often the best seats in the house are on the rocky cliffs of Lime Kiln Point.
The Orcas feed in packs, displaying the acrobatic behavior they are noted for. They leap out of the water, swim on their backs and slap the surface with their tails.
When the Orcas aren't on display, you're likely to see seals feeding along the shoreline kelp beds or Harbor Porpoise swimming further offshore. On a clear day the view includes Vancouver Island and Victoria, British Columbia to the west, the Olympic Mountains to the South. Passing boat traffic of all sizes--from kayaks to sail boats to big freighters--completes the picture and ensures that whenever you visit the view will be entertaining and spectacular.

WHALE WATCHING TOURS
The boat tours almost guarantee at least a glimpse of the Killer Whales. The tour boats also hunt in packs and radio each other when their prey is spotted.
Federal law requires the boats to stay at least 100 yards away but nothing prevents the Orcas from approaching closer and it's possible to find yourself just feet away from Orcas in a feeding frenzy.
We went out on a wet and windy day. The weather was bad but the whale watching was incredible. We found the Orcas not far from Lime Kiln Point and watched more then 20 of them for two hours as they worked their way north along the coastline.
Helen Hsieh, the naturalist on board our San Juan Safaris tour boat, explained that rarely does the entire resident group (called a Super Pod) feed together for such a lengthy time. In the end, we had to leave the Orcas because the three-hour tour was over.
Whales aren't the only attraction on the tour. There are 85 pair of nesting Bald Eagles in the San Juan Islands, more than any other spot in the lower 48 states. On the way out to find the Orcas we saw several species of waterfowl including two new ones for the Ray's life list-a Black Oystercatcher and several Marbled Murrelets.

SEA KAYAKING
Another $45-dollar-per-person tour but, again, well worth the money and a terrific adventure.
We took San Juan Safaris "Sunset Tour" out of Roche Harbor Resort. Guide Andrew and his friendly and informative cohorts were great company on this 6-9pm paddle-powered voyage of discovery.
In a kelp bed on the far side of Pearl Island we were entertained by Harbor Seals. Mother seals and their pups let us drift within 15 feet of them before they would submerge and disappear.
A juvenile Bald Eagle soared overhead and then perched in a tree top nest not far away.
Bizarre-looking Rhinoceros Auklets (an uncommon bird that's worth looking up in your field guide) dove repeatedly near our kayak and surfaced with fish dangling from its beak.
The Sunset Tour was timed so that we could pause near the end of our return trip to gaze at the setting sun.
It was simply awesome! Though we did suffer from sore bottoms and stiff upper bodies for a couple of days afterward.

TWILIGHT REPAST
We rarely write about hotels or restaurants. Most often we seek out moderately price options. But the service, the food and the view at Roche Harbor Resort's Bar and Grill were all excellent. The prices weren't too steep either.
Sit outside (there are heaters spaced around the deck to cut the night time chill) and enjoy the twilight in this northern latitude where the sunset seems to linger for hours. We stopped in after our kayaking tour and thoroughly enjoyed the food and the experience.

PIG WAR HISTORICAL SIGHTS
In 1859 when Britain and the United States still disputed ownership of the San Juans each had a military force here. The two sides nearly went to war after an American settler killed a British pig that had been digging around in his potato patch. In the end, the only victim was the pig.
The two camps are historical sights now. The American Camp is on the south end of the island and has some nice hiking trails. Check out the eagle's nest near the visitor's center.
The British Camp on the northern end has more historical buildings, exhibits and trails. It also has, arguably, the most scenic spot in the San Juan Islands. Take the 20-minute climb up to Young Hill where, on a clear day, you can see a spectacular panorama.

WHEN TO GO/WHAT TO TAKE
July and August are when the islands are most crowded. September might be your better bet. The weather is still good, prices go down and the crowds thin out dramatically.
You can leave your automobile in Anacortes and bicycle or moped your way around the island but we advise taking the car. The various destinations you'll want to visit are 10 to 15 mile jaunts one way. We also enjoyed the freedom to run by Lime Kiln Point a couple of times a day…to stalk the Killers.

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