San Juan Islands Sea Kayaking from Anacortes

Last weekend our friends from Yakima ventured across the Cascade Mountains for their annual sea kayaking and camping trip in the San Juan Islands. The first year that we did this trip we went up to Sucia Island for three days. At that point we had two small babies in the group (our son Taiga, and his "girlfriend" Ruby Duke). This year we stayed closer to home, opting to kayak out to Cypress Island. Our group has grown, doubled in fact. In addition to Taiga and Ruby, we had two more little ones- Harper, and Maren. As if that wasn't enough, two of the women were very pregnant (including Megan- the brains behind Anacortes Kayak Tours). It was a fantastic family adventure. Although rain fell on Friday it didn't slow the kids down one bit. Taiga and Ruby kept busy re-arranging the stones on the beach, digging holes in the sand, and re-filling the sea by throwing rocks. They were wet, but happy, and so were we.
Watching them interact with their natural surroundings strengthened our resolve that becoming the most "family friendly" sea kayaking outfitter in the area is a great idea. It's in the best interest of the children to make certain that they get a connection with the landscape, and develop a sense of "place".

This weekend Ryan Hopkins (our seldom seen kayak guide) is leading a group of students back up to Cypress Island. He called in last night to tell us that the kayaking was great, they passed through the Cone Islands on the way to Pelican Beach. It appears that the big Bald eagle's nest is once again being used by the resident mating pair.

On Monday Ryan and I will be leading a 5 day trip back up there. The weather looks fantastic. Although we've seen a lot of the place, we're excited to go back. Cypress Island is one of those magical places that are hard to get enough of.