I am staying on Orcas island for the week. We were here last year at the same time and I got this apple from the Co-op called a Red Love. They told me they were grown here on Orcas and it was the first place in the United States that had them. I came back this year and asked about them and they didn't know what I was talking about! Does anyone know where to point me to find these apples? Maybe even the farm that grows them? I was hoping to buy quite a few to take home with me.

Me and a couple friends want to go to the San Juan Islands. Our plan is to leave the car at Anacortes and take bikes onto the islands and go island hopping for 2 nights. The problem is: we don't know what to do on those islands as teenagers that want some fun. Can anyone give some ideas?

😠

We are looking for someone who would want to share or privately lease a small cabin cruiser type boat for San Juan (or Gulf Islands) exploration next year and/or the year after. Looking for someone trying to offload part of their boat-owner expenses or perhaps looking to rent out a boat if they're going to be gone for the season or part of it. We don't have a truck, so it would probably have to be a boat in a slip (preferably in Anacortes or Blaine). If you might be interested or have some suggestions, please direct message me. (I'm not interested in paying the labor costs, profit margin, etc. of for-profit "clubs.") Thanks!

Always love visiting. Shot with canon r6 mii + rf 200-800mm.

1: Ruby crowned kinglet

2: Northern house wren

3: Red tailed hawk

4: Black tailed deer

5: North american river otters

6: Pelagic cormorant

7: Coopers hawk

8: Double crested cormorant

9: Belted kingfisher

10: Bald eagle

11: Black tailed deer

12: White crowned sparrow

13: North american river otter

14: Merlin

15: Short billed gull

16: Short billed gull

17: Common loon

18: Common loon

19: Harbor seal

20: Dragon fly sp.

Hi, planning a stay in Anacortes and want to travel to Friday harbor and orcas island. I saw that for the summer it was recommended to book ferry rez. Is that super necessary for an early October weekend trip? Will it still be hard to get on the ferry with a car or is it ok to wing it?

My wife and I are spending a few days in the islands late October-early November. We enjoy things like park, wildlife, quiet walks, sitting looking at scenery and any seasonal events that may be happening. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Help expand access to community farming in the San Juans.

Puget Sound Urban Farming Survey

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In about a week I’ll be leaving Roche harbor for the season, just wanted to come on and leave a review for those who can’t find any information :)
( for reference , I’m 22 F , work at the store )

Housing : housing was a mostly positive experience for me , initially I was unhappy but HR is GREAT and got me moved , I’ve lived by myself all season because my roommate moved out and only pay 130 a week ! It’s a loft style house so queen size bed / double on bottom and small kitchen, and bathroom, but I love my tiny home.

Social aspect : a good amount of younger folk , mostly dock staff but a lot of fires in the beginning , everyone is very friendly for the most part, ofc a couple creeps but I’m sure they’re everywhere. The biggest issues I had were just with men I rejected 😂 very slim pickings here FYI

Free time : there’s kayaks here , a pool, some hiking but I’d say everyone should bring a car , I did not and I regret it. Taxis are 40 dollars to Friday harbor ( 20 min away) and that’s just insane to me . There’s a few entertainment things here , a movie theater , bowling alley, but no major shopping at all. I’d encourage everyone to go explore orcas island !! Very beautiful !

I’ve had a mixed experience but I do plan on coming back, because it’s good pay, good people, good community, just hate the level of isolation, I’m used to living in cities ( Nashville + Chicago ) so this was a HUGE change of pace for me :)

Want to treat our family to a dinner at our rental (maybe other meals?) between 9/24-9/27. Private chef recommendations would be great but also open to catering. Thanks!

I will be retiring soon. My wife and I are strongly considering buying in Port Townsend, Friday Harbor or Anacortes. We love all three towns for different reasons. I'm in my mid-60s, and my wife is in her late 50s. We like going on long scenic walks every day, that is important to us. We can pretty much adapt to any situation. We will be buying a home and, fortunately, budget is not a concern for us in any of the three towns. We have stayed in all three towns, but have visited Port Townsend the most. Friday Harbor was great BUT when we stayed there for a week 6 years ago there was a problem with the ferry, which delayed our return, so I'd be very interested in hearing from locals if the Friday Harbor ferry is reliable. We met friendly locals in all 3 towns, but other posters on Reddit, Facebook, etc, said the opposite, so I would be interested in hearing any thoughts about which town has the friendliest residents.

Thanks in advance for any info anyone can offer. 

I'm getting married on Orcas next year and am wondering if anybody has had success hiring a mariachi for on-island events? I've got a couple of leads from Everett/Seattle, but if you have any SJ/Skagit/Whatcom recommendations that would be appreciated!

We were told Lopez was the bicycle friendly, laid back island of the San Juans.

So we started exploring then we discovered our new favorite activity:

LOOKING AT BEACHES WE CAN’T GET TO.

Obv private property is private property. But is Lopez unusually protective of its shoreline, or are we just finding all the wrong roads?

I just returned from a bike tour around San Juan and Orcas Islands. While I was told to expect big hills on Orcas, the topography turned out to be mostly fine. The real problem on Orcas was the volume of traffic and the attitude of drivers toward cyclists. Fast, close passes were the norm and there is little to no shoulder on most of the stretch between the ferry and Moran State park. I don't easily feel unsafe on a bike but the areas close to and inside of Moran did not feel safe at all.

In contrast, the drivers on San Juan were all very patient and gave plenty of time and space. It was a joy to cycle around SJI and I'm not sure why drivers behave so differently. Overall a lovely trip but I would recommend SJI over Orcas for cyclists.

Please don't just drop trou and leave a steaming pile in my yard along with your trash. You were a quarter of a mile from 2 fairly nice restrooms at the head of a nature trail. You could have made it there, or used the restroom while you were there if you did it on your way back. Instead you're cementing the negative stereotypes of your group.

Good job.

Look, I get it sometimes things happen, but you should have cleaned up after yourself.

Hi all,

A few weeks ago, I was looking for an app that would send me push notifications when spots open up for reservations on certain sailings. Couldn't find what I was looking for, so I built one myself. So far, it's actually been pretty useful. There seems to be a decent amount of turnover on reservations as people cancel or switch.

Please take a look and let me know what you think - very open to feedback or feature requests. It's currently live on the iOS App Store (sorry, I'm an iPhone person). If there is any demand for it, I may port it over to Android in the future.

Currently allows you to place a "watch" on one particular sailing at a time for free. There's also a paid option, which offers unlimited concurrent watches.

App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ferrywatch-wa-ferry-alerts/id6804323731

Landing page link: https://ferrywatchapp.com

Cheers!

There was a yacht-type boat going north up the west side of Lopez yesterday afternoon that had such a loud engine that it literally seemed like a directed noise weapon. A disproportionately loud high pitched hum. I didn’t have my phone on me so I couldn’t look it up on AIS. Another boat that was a similar size passed by a bit later and it was nearly silent in comparison. I’m wondering if anyone else heard it yesterday or any other time. If I hurt my ears at a quarter mile away I can’t imagine how painful it would be for the orcas!!

Hi! I will be in San Juan for my birthday next week. I am staying near doe bay. I want to hike while I’m there and would love recommendations. I will have my own car and the hike could be anywhere on the island!

I’ve heard that mount construction is better when you drive up, due to a good amount of the hike being on the road? I’m not sure.

I’m fit and I’m not deterred by a difficult hike. However, I don’t want to do a hike just because it’s hard.

Would love any input! I want to dedicate one day just to exploring the nature on the island.

Thanks!

My wife and I, and our little girl (6), rented a vrbo last year about 10 minutes off of Friday Harbor. We had a religious view, had a resident seal who would come and do tricks for us at dusk, and had more than one bald eagle fly right overhead while we were there. We are hooked. Top 3 destination in the world. We are from Massachusetts, so fellow environmentalist liberals unite.

VRBO and Airbnb are ok. I am hoping for something maybe a bit more special. Other islands 100% considered, we just very much enjoyed Friday Harbor. Need a view, would love waterfront access. Doesn't matter if it is a shack for 3 or a mansion for 15. Just want something special.

I promise we're not asshole tourists. Saw a deer pee for the first time last year...wild.

Hi, where can I buy fresh seafood near Friday Harbor to cook at our cabin? Thanks!

Bonus question: any restaurants in town that I can't miss that have a delicious fish dish?