New Births for the Resident San Juan Islands’ Orca Whales! In a little over a year, things have gone from bleak to “more promising” for the Northwest’s endangered killer whales. The Center For Whale Research says that in 2008, eight Orcas in the three pods, J, K, and L, that make up the southern resident population in Washington and southwest British Columbia went missing and were presumed dead. This included two females of reproductive age and the 98-year-old- matriarch of K Pod. Among the three pods there was only one surviving birth that year. This dropped the total of the…
Hiking and Exploring in the San Juan Islands
The southern arm of San Juan Island where American Camp, a national historical park, is located, offers a number of great hikes and walking trails with amazing views. Of course, it is always interesting to check out the history while exploring the grounds of American Camp, but just a short distance from the Visitor Center are a number of San Juan Island’s gems to explore. Mt. Finlayson is the highest point in American camp, offering great views of Mt. Baker to the east, Mt. Rainier in the southeast, the Olympic Mountains to the south and British Columbia to the west.…
Outside Magazine says Outdoor Odysseys is one of their “ten favorite liquid adventures in the United States”
Jetsetter’s Online Magazine
Paddling the Whale Trail – The San Juan Islands Their story begins… Despite living in Seattle for the last 12 years, I’m basically a landlubber. The smallest boat I’ve been on in years was a small county ferry that holds 20 cars. So I was both nervous and excited to learn that I was going to get to write this review for a sea kayaking company that operates out of Friday Harbor, Washington on San Juan Island. The outfitters are called Outdoor Odysseys, and the name doesn’t lie. Before I tell you about the hours spent paddling, the aching muscles,…
Jokes & Humor
An outdoorsy couple lived near Anchorage. One morning, the wife said she was going kayaking in the bay. The husband told her to be careful. When she didn’t return that night, he called the authorities, who searched the bay. They next day, two state troopers appeared at his door. “We have some bad news for you, some good news, and some great news.” “What’s the bad news?” asked the husband, steeling himself. “Your wife drowned in the bay.” “What’s the good news?” he asked. “When we pulled her up, there were a dozen king crabs and 8 Dungeness crabs clinging…
A Really Bad Kayak Joke…
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were getting cold so they decided to light a fire in their boat. It promptly sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too. (See, I told you it was bad…)
Tidepooling at Ruben Tarte!
On June 11 Outdoor Odysseys employees took a few hours to explore the tidepools of Ruben Tarte with Geneva Mottet, a marine invertebrates geek who served as our guide for the day. Geneva brought us some handouts with her own illustrations of local creatures we anticipated finding, and she led us through the slippery-slimy boulders of a perfect low tide. We soon discovered that there’s a lot to be found under the seaweed and cobble… Blood Stars delight me…it’s such a joy to lift up a wad of mucky green sea lettuce and find a tiny, bright red sea star!…
Jokes & Humor
A Frenchman, an Englishman, and a New Yorker were captured by a fierce Indian tribe. The chief comes to them and says, “The bad news is that now that we’ve caught you, we’re going to kill you, and then use your skins to build a kayak. The good news is that you get to choose how you die.” The Frenchman says, “I take ze poison.” The chief gives him some poison, the Frenchman says, “Vive la France!” and drinks it down. The Englishman says, “A pistol for me, please.” The chief gives him a pistol, he points it at his…
My kayak trip was amazing!
As we set out, it was great to be on the water. I was fascinated by the forest of algae underneath us in many locations of our trip. You could see so much from the kayak, including rock beaches, houses and sailboats traveling in the distance. You could not experience all this any other way! After lunch, we headed back to our original destination. Not long after launching, our orca experience started! I remember seeing a whale tail ahead of us and almost jumped out of the kayak seat in excitement. Soon, fins started to approach us. People would ask…
Jokes & Humor
While paddling off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his kayak. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft. Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted “Are there any gators around here?!” “Naw” the man hollered back, “they ain’t been around for years!” Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming leisurely toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy “How’d you get rid of the gators?” “We didn’t do nothin’,” the beachcomber said. “The sharks got ’em.” Unknown Author