Living on San Juan Island, I am lucky enough to not have to make a point of tracking down our resident Orca whales.  If I was visiting, on the other hand, I’d definitely make a point of getting in a kayak, on a whale watch boat or hiking along one of the island’s many west side public access points, because witnessing such majestic creatures in the wild is certainly a peak experience.

Why do wild places and animals resonate so strongly?  I think we put so much of our own wildness aside as we make our way through the human world.  Obviously, we live in houses, drive cars, work, walk on concrete instead of soft, fecund earth.  Also, what is wild in us kind of gets in the way of paying bills, putting kids through school and sustaining what has become a “normal” human existence, and that’s just stuff we have to do…most of the time.  What if you succumbed one of your wild impulses?  What if you turned from the human road to glimpse through the trees of some forest, along some overgrown animal track?  What if you played hooky with your kids some Tuesday just to be together, off schedule, off the grid, with the phone off the hook and the t.v. unplugged?

When I take this moment I realize that “home” is not an address, a building, or a place but a feeling of recognition that I am where I am want to be, when I am want to be there.  For just that moment, everything else falls away and it feels so good.  That’s what I look for in a vacation.  It’s why I kayak and visit wild places; and it’s what thrills me so much about a chance encounter with San Juan Island’s Orcas.

Yesterday I flew down to Seattle to pick up visiting friends and we were treated to a fantastic whale show off San Juan Island’s gorgeous westside as we descended on final approach.  From about 1000 ft over the water we witnessed lots of splashing, jumping and breaching and whales seemed to fill the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The wild held sway, even from the within the throbbing, buzzing, pulsing cockpit of my busy little Cessna.  That’s why I live on San Juan Island.

The latest whales, dolphin, porpoise and other wildlife sightings from the waters around San Juan Island, Washington.

The severed dorsal fin of a transient whale (i.e., not one the whales we see regularly off San Juan Island) was found on a Washington beach recently.  For now the story is pretty mysterious, and we’re waiting for someone to come up with an explaination about what might have happened.  You can ready the whole bizarre story  here, for now; and we’ll update this post if we get more information.

There is a great short hike to the southernmost tip of the island that doesn’t seem to get used very often.  Drive south past American Camp on Cattle Point rd and look for a little turn out on the right just as the road bends off the left.  Park, jump the fence and pick up the trail heading out to the point.  Once there, you’ll be treated to about a 300 degree water view featuring Lopez island, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic mountians.  Wow!

The latest whales, dolphin, porpoise and other wildlife sightings from the waters around San Juan Island, Washington.