Consider visiting San Juan Island, WA.

What a beautiful place San Juan Island is to celebrate the 4th of July. You have your choice of watching the fireworks at Roche Harbor Marina or in the heart of town in Friday Harbor. Both are great places to kick back with your favorite beverage & people watch.

I started the festivities by watching our local parade with my dog, Brook. If you haven’t watched a local parade, you’re missing something; the energy is infectious. My day continued with our Pig War picnic’s great food, music and more people watching.

In… read full article

I had clients from Scottsdale on the island last June. In an attempt to make the property search a leisurely process, they were staying in a vacation rental. Their grandsons would be joining them for the weekend. As the weekend approached, the husband announced he would be taking the boys fishing on Saturday afternoon at which point, the wife invited me to go to lunch that day.

I accepted the invitation, but must admit there were things I would have rather been doing on a glorious Saturday afternoon in June. I struggled with it while driving around the… read full article

Roche Harbor Mausoleum

Most people who come to San Juan Island are aware of Roche Harbor Resort, and possibly a tiny bit of it’s history. What many people do now know of, or have never taken the time to visit, is the mausoleum.

This is not so much of a hike as it is a destination. A worthwhile destination! The walk itself is in total one mile (by my estimation) one way. If you start at the resort the front desk of the Hotel de Haro has a great pamphlet that outlines many interesting things about the history… read full article

It was a grey, drizzly Saturday on San Juan Island.  I had been at my home office computer the better part of the afternoon, when I finally looked outside to see blue skies, shimmering sunlight, and tree branches dancing in a fresh breeze.  I got up from my desk, slipped in a lively CD, and threw open the windows, preparing to work on some art projects, when I glanced at my refrigerator thinking I would grab a cool beverage.  But, as I opened the refrigerator door I saw a drawing I did when I was six years old… read full article

Mt. Finlayson

Another hike that you must do while on the island is on the south side of San Juan commonly known as Mt. Finlayson (some refer to it as Jackle’s Lagoon also). Once you finish skipping rocks at South Beach head just a bit farther south on Cattle Point Road and turn (left) into the parking lot above Jackle’s Lagoon. From there you head up the trail, that at times, skirts surprisingly close to the road, but, trust me, your perseverance will be rewarded soon enough!

Once you head up, and succeed in making it to the… read full article

Part 1

With so much attention put on the waters that surround San Juan Island, many visitors (and locals too!) forget to look inward for stunning things to do on the island. There are so many incredibly beautiful places to hike and trails to explore on San Juan Island that you could spend each weekend on a different trail and not repeat your adventure for months.

May I suggest a starting point?  Mt. Young!  This mountain is a continuation of a trail that starts at British Camp on the northwestern side of San Juan Island not far from… read full article