San Juan Island Camping

After doing much research and staying up til midnight exactly 90 days in advance, I was able to secure a reservation for a campsite at the small and in-demand campground right on the beach on San Juan Island.  Although we had only been home from Hawaii for three days, we packed up and headed out early on Thursday morning to catch our 11:45 ferry from Anancortes to Friday Harbor.  We were able to get up there in time with rush hour traffic and hope on our ferry for the beautiful 1 hour and 20 minute ride to Friday Harbor.  We then spent the most wonderful two nights and three days at one of the most amazing campgrounds that Ron and I have ever seen.  By luck, I chose the best campsite of the 18 which had an unobscured view of the water and was right next to a large field that the children loved playing in while Ron and I were either working, cooking, or relaxing in the campground.  We enjoyed playing in the beautiful bay next to the campground, soaking in the stunning views of the Puget Sound, and watching Orca whales swim by for over an hour on our first evening there.  It truly was a magical place to camp in and spend time with our family.  We will definitely be visiting this campground again in the future!

Lia, Ella, and Logan on the ferry ride to Friday Harbor on the morning of  Thursday, August 9th.

The kids exploring the bay adjacent to our campground on our first afternoon there.  The weather was in the 80s on Thursday, so it was the perfect day to spend at the beach.

The kids and me on the beach.

The kids enjoyed climbing on this big rock on the edge of the shore over and over again.

The children sitting by the fire on Thursday evening while dinner was being made.

This is the field right next to us that the children loved playing in whenever Ron and I were in the campsite.  They played tag, made up dances to perform, and practiced gymnastics.  It was the cutest thing.  Here is Ella getting ready to do a cartwheel for me.

Ella and Lia putting on one of the many dances they choreographed and performed over the weekend.

We enjoyed cooking and eating s'mores after dinner on Thursday night.  As always, Logan made a mess of his face and hands.  Here he is showing off his handy work.

Ella and I relaxing by the first as the sun set.

After watching the Orca whales during and after dinner, we enjoyed a stunning sunset before putting the kids to bed.

On Friday morning, August 10th, we drove into the quaint town of Roach Harbor for a walk around the hotel, marina, and shops.  With the exception of Logan kicking one of his flip flops off from the dock onto some rocks on the beach below (and me falling while trying to scale down a rock wall to get it and getting all bruised and scratched up), we had a lovely morning exploring this town.

The marina at Roach Harbor.

We then came back to the campground for lunch and to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening.  Here are Logan, Lia, and Ella performing one of their dance/singing numbers for us.  It was so cute to see them do this as they have never really done this kind of thing together.

All three kids in their final pose.  Look at how cute Ella looks!

We went back down to the beach for the rest of Friday afternoon.  The kids wore their swimsuits and spent quite a bit of time playing and even swimming in the freezing water!

Lia really swimming in the frigid water with her new friend, Cameron, who she met on the beach.

Logan turned a piece of drift wood into a paddle board and enjoyed paddling around the bay on it.

Logan sitting down on his 'paddle board.'

The Hartland Fam.

This is the hilarious pose I found Logan sleeping in on Friday night.  Although I usually find his head covered in blankets every night before I go to bed, I have never found him with his "comfy warmy" blanket piled on top of his head like a turban.  Oh this boy, he just keeps me laughing every day.

We woke up to a slightly cooler and windier morning on Saturday, but we still enjoyed it never the less.  After breakfast, we walked back down to the water's edge to soak in the view one last time.  Here are the kids posing on the giant, dead tree next to the edge of the cliff.

A family picture with the Puget Sound in the background.

Lia hugging little Ella.

An adorable, close-up shot Lia took of Logan and his missing tooth while playing with my camera.

Cute Logan enjoying the view of the water from a bench.

After packing up our entire campsite, we headed back into Friday Harbor for a delicious lunch of fish and chips and some walking around town before catching our 3:45 ferry back home.  Here are Lia and Logan enjoying their lunch on the restaurant's rooftop terrace that has a wonderful view of the marina.  During lunch, it started raining and rained for over an hour before stopping in time for our ferry ride back to Anancortes.  We were so grateful that the rain held off until after we were done packing up all of our stuff.  It was a wonderful end to a wonderful weekend!