San Juan Islands Trip: Day 2: Part 1

We woke up the morning of day 2 after a somewhat restful sleep (does anyone really sleep well when they travel anyway??) and had a full list of things to go see. (*to see day 1)

It was difficult to keep my eyes on the road with sweeping views of the ocean and islands that seriously made me want to stop and take pictures every 5 minutes. I tried to control myself.

First stop:

Lime Kiln Point State Park

Whale watchers far and wide gather at this point, as it is one of the best places in the world to view Orcas. Sadly, the whales hadn't been sighted for several days and still hadn't returned by the time we left.

It was quite foggy that morning and you couldn't even see to the other side of the water (which is Canada by the way).

{image: Lime Kiln State Park © ShannonSews}

{image: Lime Kiln Lighthouse Lookout © ShannonSews}

Can you see the ghost ship back there creeping in the fog? (below - at the edge of the branch on left)

{image: Whale Watching: Lime Kiln Lighthouse: © ShannonSews}

Lime Kiln State Park is really named after a lime kiln. The area adjacent to the park was quarried for limestone back in 1860 and kilns were built to fire the limestone to produce lime.

After walking over the jagged rocks below the lighthouse, we hiked up to the lime kiln that's remains are still standing. I stepped my way down a hefty flight of stairs to get there, and yes, my thighs were on fire by the time I got back up!

{Lime Kiln: San Juan Island - © ShannonSews}

Next stop:

Dead Man's Bay

I won't disturb you with the story behind Dead Man's Bay because it really is quite sad. If you're into disturbing, sad stories, you can google it.

This was a really pretty area. On one side sat a rocky beach scattered with driftwood; on the other side the ocean crashed up against tide-pool filled black jagged rocks.

{image: Dead Man's Bay: San Juan Island © ShannonSews}

We stayed a while. In case you can't tell.
Rod found himself a very comfortable driftwood bed. I swear he would have tied it to the top of the car to take home if we could have lifted it even 1 inch off the ground.

Next Stop:

Pelindaba Lavender Farm

Visiting a lavender farm, I have to say, was on my life's to-do list. I've wanted to walk through fields of lavender since as long as I can remember. And yes, it's as amazing as I thought it would be.

The fields are full of rich purple blossoms, bees are hovering and buzzing along each fragrant flower and every time the wind blows, the scent of sweet lavender flutters around you...and you never want to leave. Sigh.

{image: Pelindaba Lavender Farm © ShannonSews}

I kind of wish we had tasted the lavender ice cream, but since we had literally just eaten philly cheese sandwiches and a butterscotch milkshake at Vic's, more ice cream would have pushed me over the edge.

The one thing I did take away from this visit, is to make my own lavender scented water to spray over my sheets. I can't get enough of it!!

Next Stop:

Cattle Point Lighthouse

This lighthouse is down on the southern tip of San Juan Island. It's a pretty short hike over the hillside. We ran across an artist painting the Cattle Point lighthouse, but she wasn't very friendly when we told her we liked her painting. Maybe we threw off her mojo.  

{image: Cattle Point Lighthouse © ShannonSews}

Our final stop before the real finale of the evening:

4th of July Beach

Special to my husband because he was born on the 4th of July.

{image: 4th of July Beach © ShannonSews}

We dipped our toes in the icy water and sat for a while. It was a nice, quiet place to relax for a minute. We'd had a very long day of hiking and exploring, and it wasn't over yet.

What's next? Go to Day 2 part 2: Roche Harbor
[*Previous post: Day 1 Adventures]

---

SUBSCRIBE (never miss a post!): Subscribe to ShannonSews
BLOGLOVIN: ShannonSews on Bloglovin
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/SSorensenDesigns
TWITTER: @ShannonSews1
INSTAGRAM: ShannonSorensenDesigns on Instagram
SHOP: Shannon Sorensen Designs + Fairface Washcloths
YOUTUBE: youtube.com/ShannonSews