It is hard to believe that two months has passed since our last blog post! Back in early May, one of our guides Nathan took a group of University of Washington students out on a custom day trip to Yellow Island, owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, to experience the magical wildflower bloom that occurs every year in the spring. They launched from Friday Harbor Labs and crossed San Juan Channel over to Shaw Island and made their way towards Yellow, where they could see the spectacular, multi-colored blooms as they approached. Chocolate lilies, harsh paintbrush, and two species of camas covered the grassy knolls, which once served as a homestead for a couple in the early 1900s. Accomplished professor Drew Harvell was one of the members of the trip, and she and the current caretaker swapped stories and caught up as she held the same position almost 40 years prior! There is an extraordinary driftwood structure that stands on the south end of the island, built many years ago by Lou and Tibb Dodd, that is now the caretaker’s quarters. As Drew and Matt caught up, the rest of the group carefully circumnavigated the small island on the narrow trail. After their visit, the returned to their boats and paddled along the eastern shore of San Juan Island beneath the madrone trees.
We are looking forward to continuing to develop our relationship with Friday Harbor labs, as it is great to be able to facilitate these experiences for marine biology students from across the globe! We also hope to run more custom day and multi-day kayak trips in the future. Being the smallest of the six commercial kayak companies on San Juan Island, we have the luxury of working with primarily small groups which we think contributes to a more positive experience for guests overall. Give us a call to chat about the endless opportunities to view the beautiful San Juans from the seat of a kayak!
