After a great night’s sleep we had a leisurely
breakfast-included eggs, bacon and homemade bread! Rod put the car in the 10:30
ferry line and we walked on board for our hour long ride to San Juan Island,
landing at Friday Harbor. We saved exploring Friday Harbor, the town, for the
end of the day while we waited for the 6:30 p.m. ferry back to Anacortes.
We headed to the far side of the island to visit the
American Camp. A little bit of history I’d never heard of: The Pig War! In 1859 an American farmer named Lyman
Cutlar shot and killed a Hudson’s Bay Company pig rooting in his San Juan
Island potato patch. He nearly started a war between the US and Great Britain.
For more than 40 years the two nations had been contending
over the Oregon Country, which today comprises Washington, Oregon, Idaho as
well as portions of Montana and Wyoming and British Columbia. On June 15th,
1846, the two nations agreed on the 49th parallel as the
international boundary. The final sticking point was possession of the San Juan
Islands.
The two sides faced off for more than two months until Lt.
Gen. Winfield Scott arrived and the British (in the English camp at the other
end of the island) and the Americans occupied San Juan Island for about 12
years. Remnants of their camps and photos still remain and we got our passport
books from the National Parks stamped at both. Finally, in 1872, German Kaiser
Wilhelm I settled the dispute by awarding the SJ Islands to the US. And so
ended the so-called war in which the only casualty was a pig!
We traveled to the other side of the island to a spot where
whales and porpoises had been spotted earlier in the Hono Strait. We could see
boats and kayaks following some orcas but they kept moving away from us. Our
next stop was a lavender farm – gorgeous rows of purple lavender. We all bought
soaps or candles or chutney! In the gift shop. It smelled heavenly!
Our last stop before the ferry was a vineyard that used to
be a schoolhouse to sample some wines. We also photographed the camel that the
owners had in a field!! The others walked around a bit in Friday Harbor to
window shop and then we boarded the ferry for the ride to Anacortes and the
drive to Mt. Vernon for the night. We used up some of our cheese, crackers, fruit
and the rest of Betty’s wine for dinner! Rod tried a swim in the heated outdoor
pool but only got up to his t-shirt! It was too cold! Great night’s sleep where
we EACH had our own queen bed! Luxury!!
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