| 9-17-05 Hello All, Well the kids are back in school, the weather is cooling off and we have had some rain. Sure signs the summer is at an end. The blackberries are shriveling on the vines. The plum tree has given up its last plum, the grapes are nearly ripe and we still have plenty of fresh tomatoes ripening in the garden. The boys are enjoying school. Adam ( 15, sophomore high school) has a full load of tough classes. He is continuing full steam ahead with his music. We moved the piano from the pump house (we moved it there when we built the house) down to the covered area where the drums are located. The boys can now have piano, drums and guitars all in one spot (oh goodie!). Seriously though, both boys are doing well with the music and it�s amazing what they have accomplished, never having had a music lesson. Jon (13, 8th grade) is enjoying his senior year at the middle school. He goes over to the high school for his math class. Cody is glad to be back in school, I think Lorelei is enjoying the respite although I know she misses her baby. Lorelei is still watching a 2 year old. She is deciding if she will go back to substitute teaching later this year. Well now about our trip to the San Juan Islands in Washington. We did the best we could to plan for somewhere we had never been. We took fishing gear for nearly every kind of fish we might encounter. We rented a house on Orcas Island through a realtor that handles many properties on the island. We loaded everything we could on Saturday night August 27th. We got up early on Sunday, finished loading and got on the road at 8 am. Our goal was to reach the Anacortes ferry terminal in time to be assured of getting on the 5 pm. Ferry. We received conflicting reports from all sources of information, saying you need to be in line from 30 minutes before departure to 2 hours before! After seeing the way the system works it really depends on which island you are leaving from and on which day of the week. About 2 hrs north of Seattle at about 2:30 pm we crossed a bridge, which put us on Fidalgo Island. Technically we were now in the San Juan Islands! We arrived at the Anacortes ferry terminal around 3 pm and we were first in line for our class of vehicle. Since the boat is over 7-1/2 feet tall and the truck and boat are just under 40�(that�s another story) long, we can only be put down the center lanes of the ferry. So we were assured of a spot on the 5 pm. Ferry. We parked and went in to see the terminal and look out across the water and get our first glimpses of the many other San Juan Islands. We decided to make a quick bite to eat before the ferry arrived, so Lorelei made sandwiches and the boys strummed a guitar they brought, while sitting in the boat amongst all our gear. The skies were darkening and it began to rain, no it poured! We loaded onto the ferry and we were off. Our destination lay some 9 nautical miles (10.35 miles) away. We headed off across Rosario Straight, weaved our way between Blakely and Decatur islands, turning back north we rounded the tip of Lopez island and turned west to our final destination. A quick stop at Shaw Island and then a quick jaunt across to Orcas. The rain hit the windows of the ferry as we proceeded, although it was beginning to lessen. We disembarked around 6:15 pm., although our journey was not yet at an end. Adam turned on the GPS unit that was loaded with the street map of Orcas, we had to make our way to the northern side of the island, pick up the keys to the house and then come all the way back to the southwestern end of the island. On the islands, the roads are narrow, signs are few and about the only way to ask directions is to stop and ask a cow! We made it to East Sound and picked up the keys and then on to the house, arriving at 8 pm. 12 hours from when we left our house. It was a long day. Everyone wanted to tour the house. It was cozy enough, 2 bedrooms, and 1 bath, warm and dry. The first thing we did was open all the blinds and in the dim remaining light we could see what an awesome view we would have for the next week. Monday we explored our little end of the island by bicycle. The boys and I rode over to Deer Harbor and inquired about a slip for the boat. With the long weekend coming up and our boat only being 19� the gal in charge did not seem to be too eager to rent us a slip for a few days. So we kept looking around. The boys said they had found a marina and a boat ramp just down the road from the house, so we went to check it out. We tracked down the marina owner and he finally agreed to give us a spot along the dock for 4 days for less money than the big marina across the harbor. He said he usually doesn�t rent for just a few days, but he made an exception. On Tuesday we launched the boat and then took the truck and went in to East Sound to explore the shops, to get fishing licenses and to explore Rosario Resort and the rest of the island. We returned and took the boat out for a cruise. We used the GPS to help navigate and locate some underwater structure but we did not have much luck catching fish. We were about 5 miles out when rain and wind engulfed our little craft. It was about dinnertime anyway, so Lorelei and Cody huddled in the cabin and we headed back south to the dock. Wednesday we went out on the boat to do some crabbing and fishing. We put out the crab ring first, and then 2 box traps. After setting the two box traps we went back to check the ring and all the bait was gone! I figured we just didn�t get it on there good enough and it had fallen off, but when we checked the next trap, we realized that there were so many crabs, they had climbed on and devoured the bait and left, all in about 15 minutes. Every pull, the traps were crammed with Dungeness crab, causing quite a commotion in our little boat, pulling the traps on board and sorting through 15 or 20 feisty crabs. In about 2 hrs we had 8 Dungeness keepers and 2 huge Red Rock crab. We also fished and found that tipping our jigs with a piece of raw fish was the trick for more fishing action. The boys landed some good sized Sculpin and I caught a 2-1/2 foot long Spiny Dogfish , which is a kind of shark. It was a great day and we capped it off by having a crab feast! Thursday we headed out on the boat again. The weather was great, temps in the low 70�s, a few clouds and plenty of sunshine. This time we decided to venture to San Juan Island and visit Friday Harbor. We used our chart, our compass and GPS to travel west out of Deer Harbor, through the North Pass and out into the San Juan Channel, then south to Friday Harbor. The trip was only about 7 nautical miles, but it gave us a chance to get more familiar with navigating. At the harbor entrance we hailed the Harbor Master on the VHF radio and asked about the procedures for courtesy docking. He replied, and we proceeded to find a good spot to tie up for a few hours. We walked around Friday Harbor and ate lunch at a great little seafood and burger place. Back on the boat and out into the San Juan Channel we witnessed the power of the ocean when it is forced between the hundreds of islands of the San Juan�s, a giant tidal rip and a few giant whirlpools had formed in the channel, swirling debris and kelp, choppy waves appeared from nowhere and rocked our boat as we motored through. We decided to stop and fish on the way back, so once again we turned to our chart and GPS to find a �mound� or �hump� in the ocean floor. We were able land right on top of one such mound and it was apparent that Jon would have the hot fishing rod for the day. He landed two rockfish and a nice Lingcod (that we had to release because the season was closed). Adam finally connected with a nice Lingcod and then back near the harbor we stopped and Cody caught a nice Dogfish and Lorelei caught a huge Sculpin. What a great day! Friday Jon and I got up and went out in the harbor and fished. We caught Sculpin and Dogfish and saw a HUGE buck deer on the tiny island out in the harbor. The rest of Friday we spent driving around and exploring the island on land. Saturday we relaxed and began preparing for the trip home. Lorelei Cody and I rode our bikes over to Deer Harbor and watched the boats and walked on the docks. Adam and Jon took a bike ride into East Sound (10 miles one way). We had to retrieve the boat and start packing. We went into East Sound later in the evening and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Another great day, but we were realizing that we didn�t want to leave! Sunday was up early to finish packing and clean the house. Lorelei was nearly in tears. She did not want to leave. It�s hard to explain how relaxing and peaceful it was. Lorelei really enjoyed the boat rides and the harbors. We finished packing and had a smooth ferry ride back to the mainland. Gas prices had shot up and the mayhem from the big hurricane was what everyone was talking about. It was awesome spending time with the family in such a beautiful place. We are already planning our next trip! Glynn Jr. |