If you remember from the first post, we had just finished our wonderful dinner and were feeling pretty groggy the next morning from our food coma, that actually started the night before. We decided to head over to American Camp Beach for an early hike to clear our heads. This park has some rather impressive historical roots dating back to the mid 1800s when the military established its presence during the British/US occupation. Today it is just a pretty place to hike around.
A group of kayakers are getting their safety lecture before heading out.
The entire shoreline is covered with fort structures made from the huge supply of driftwood.
We don’t get huge breakers on the sound, but look at the mountains in the distance!
We saw several bald eagles and tried to get a closeup of two of them before they pecked our eyes out.
We were feeling considerably more awake as a result of dodging eagles and tourist with paddles, we headed back to the cottage to get ready for a round of golf.
I promised a tour of the cottage in the first post, so here it is!
The front, and only door, is on the left and the “kitchen” is to the right. The door has a gorgeous window!
If you turn to the right from the “kitchen” you see the bathroom and bed. Look at that window!
Then you turn back, and that is pretty much it!
Like I said before, it is small but the architecture allows for a lot of light, and it is really cozy. What is really stunning about the property is the location and views-more on that in a moment. Another bonus is that it is just 1/4 mile from the only golf course on the Island. We had a 1pm tee time.
I did not take a lot of pictures of the course because, well, it ain’t that pretty! I warmed up in the putting and chipping areas.
It was a good course for me, the beginner, because there were not too many trees, water features or sand traps. But, this was an 18 hole course with some long drives, so I did not play every hole. I did drive the cart and managed to sneak some action shots of my hubby.
He looks like he is going to crush this ball
It was fun and very hot! We went back to the cottage and I took some photos of the beautiful property.
I absolutely love these trees. They surround the cottage.
We are up on a hill overlooking the water.
This is the view from the deck on one side.
And the view from the other side.
The woman who owns this property has a second rental right next door and a beautiful garden, I had to take pictures of that as well! All the islands in the San Juans grow lavender. There is so much of it I would say it is the primary crop here. There are lavender baked goods, soap, bath salts….anything you can think of will have been infused with the scent.
The bees love it so there is plenty of lavender honey for sale!
The owner has many wonderful and unique plantings throughout the garden.
There was a trellis that caught my eye. As I swung my camera up I spotted one of the largest bee hives I have ever seen.
I got a little closer
At this point we believed it was an abandoned hive and I tried to talk my husband into climbing up and using his head for scale. Then we saw this…
Obviously there were occupants at home and my hubby said it was a “no go” to the climbing up part. We estimate that the hive is just a little smaller than an adult head!
The rest of the garden was not as scary!
We ended this day with a light meal and happy hour at a beautiful spot over looking the ferry dock.
We watched the float planes, which were constantly present, land and take off.
Sorry about the quality of these photos, the planes were fast, I only had my cell phone and the happy hour drinks were starting to kick in!
The next morning it was time to head back home. We parked our car in the ferry line and set out on foot to find some breakfast. Cafe Demeter is the best bakery on the Island and just a few steps from the ferry dock. We have been here before and the wait in the long line is completely worth it! Highly recommend this one!
After my breakfast pizza, which I ate before I took any pictures, we wandered around town and checked out a few other places that are near the dock.
This houses many little shops to browse or pick up a last minute souvenir-probably something with lavender!
Also a great place for coffee or breakfast. It is also open for lunch and dinner.
We have not dinned here but I have heard good reviews.
Remember the ice cream we had on day 1? This is that shop but if you go remember they only take cash!
We had lunch at this spot last year, it was ok.
On the look out for our ferry at this pretty spot
Our ferry arrived right on time
We said good bye for this year.
Friday Harbor is just one side of the Island of San Juan. Roche Harbor is on the opposite side of the Island. It is just as pretty but maybe a little more effort to get there. Abbey from abbeyco is a boater who lives here in Seattle and happen to be visiting Roche while we were in Friday Harbor. If you would like to see more about that side of the Island, check out her post. She has great pictures and an adorable little girl too!
So it is good bye for now, until next year…..
Invisible-No-More 
The pictures are amazing 🙂
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Thanks Sophie-I am really enjoying your zucchini recipes! Not enjoying watching a teenager beat Nadal! 😦
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Enjoyed the pictures, of course. Also, for those of us hoping to visit this island, thanks for the hints and tips. 🙂
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