Amy Marie visits - San Juan Island

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The site of the British Garrison on San Juan Island is now a National Park


First a little island history on an unusual incident, in the 1860’s, associated with clarifying the border between Canada and the United States.  As a result of uncertainty on the islands ownership, both the US and Great Britain maintained military garrisons on opposite ends of the island.  Tensions rose briefly when an American killed a British pig.  A satisfactory resolution was arranged, and the island continued to be jointly occupied until 1872 when Germany was asked to intervene and render a judgement on which nation should be the sole owner.  The ruling favored the United States, so the British Garrison reluctantly left for Vancouver Island.

Today, there are national parks at the sites of the two camps.  The American Camp was on an inhospitable shoreline swept by continual winds and fog, devoid of protection, and continually cold.

The British Camp was on Garrison Bay, a pleasant spot, well protected from weather, wind and fog with a hill that provided good views of the surrounding area.  Today, Garrison Bay is a popular anchorage for recreational boats.  The National Park has a dinghy dock which provides easy shore access for the park, hiking, and walking dogs.  Additionally, the San Juan Transit shuttle stops regularly at the park, so it is easy to get a ride to many of the islands attractions and two main cities, Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor.  We purchased the Day Pass so we could make multiple stops and then ride the next bus to the next location we wished to visit.  Shown below are some pictures from the various spots we explored.


We hiked to Westcott Bay Shellfish Company from Garrison Bay


A hiking map for the area around Garrison Bay


If you arrive by boat, as we did, the two main towns have excellent marinas with fuel, pump outs, and fresh water.  Both these harbors are extremely busy with a very positive “holiday” buzz.  Provisioning options are more plentiful in Friday Harbor.  As an option, there are anchorages at several locations around the island.  You must however check the weather to insure you will have protection from prevailing winds. 

Roche Harbor


Roche Harbor Marina


The Gardens at Roche Harbor


The town of Roche Harbor as seen from the gardens

Friday Harbor


Ferry Landing at Friday Harbor



Saturday Farmer's Market in Friday Harbor



Tasty food was to be found!



We first rode Susie's Mopeds in ~ 1995.  They still sound like angry bees!


Where shall we take Amy Marie next...?


Lime Kiln State Park


The Lime Kiln fire box



Crushed Limestone went in the top and heat converted it to Lime.
The kilns operated 24/7 for years.


Links


Track Logs

Location: 464 Heron Ln, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, USA

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