May 28, 2009 | In: trips
San Juan!
On Memorial Day Shaya and I rode the Washington State Ferry out to the island of San Juan so I could check two more lighthouses off my list!
First we drove out to the west side of the island to visit the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, named for the nearby kiln built in the 1860′s. Unfortunately we didn’t spot any whales while we were there but I’m told they are quite a common sight in the Haro Straight.
After checking out the lighthouse we trekked down to the kiln where I enjoyed the amazing views and Shaya poked around in the tide pools. On the way back to the car we spotted this sign that had been nearly consumed by a tree!
After a nice outdoor lunch in Friday Harbor we set off for the southern tip of the island, Cattle Point. As described on Lighthousefriends.com, “cattle appeared at the point in 1853 when the Hudson’s Bay Company established a ranch on the southern end of the island, populating it with sheep and cattle” and thus was born the name. Access to the lighthouse was via a quarter mile beach walk. We happened to be there during a lower tide so Shaya delighted in scouring the tide pools for small creatures.
The lighthouse itself wasn’t much to look at but the panoramic views were spectacular. While we were there we saw two whale-watching tours heading out to sea. We’ll be sure to try that next time!
Putting the finishing touch on an already great day, we saw a small red fox wandering along the road on our way back from Cattle Point and going above and beyond her duties as co-driver, Shaya got a 30-second video of it.
