View Full Version : Bae. (About the island you reside on).
Good morning Bae. I've been so taken and awestruck every since seeing the magnificent photos you posted in the Open Forum several weeks back pertaining to the island in which you reside. (Showed my husband and he too was awestruck).
I was wondering about swimming (natural open water setting over swimming pools). The fresh water lakes look wonderful for that, or do the lakes serve more as reservoirs for the residents on the island? How about swimming in the ocean?
In respect to coves and peninsulas around the island, are there sandy beaches where one could have gatherings around a bonfire, or are the islands outcroppings comprised of sedimentary rock formations only?
How about fishing and hurting right where you reside (on the island)? Or do you have to plan (off island) excursions for those types of activities?
The big lakes on the island are mostly in park or conservation lands, and are used for drinking water, fishing, and recreation, including swimming, rowing, and sailing. Water withdrawn from those lakes for drinking water is run through a treatment plant before it makes it to anyone's faucet. That said, when we built the new plant for my community down by that large lake I showed, we had to add a pollutant *injection* system on the input side of the plant, so we could demonstrate that the system was functioning by removing any injected "pollutants", as the intake water was already so pure it was meeting the safety standards, and the state inspector wanted to make sure the plant would actually do something if the water happened to get polluted for real.
People do swim in the ocean water here too. Mind you, the ocean water temp gets down to 45-48F in the winter, and up to perhaps 52-55F in the summer. If you are sneaky, and swimming at the right time of day so that the tides haven't moved much water, on a sunny day the top foot or so of water will be considerably warmer.
Our beaches are for the most part rocky, or pebbly, or gravelly. There are very few sand beaches of the sort where you'd lie out on towels or play volleyball. The beaches are a common recreational location though - bonfires with driftwood, hiking, gathering kelp, wildlife watching, and so on. Here's a view of one of the pebble-type beaches from the porch at my house by the beach at several different tide levels - the tidal range is about 12-14 feet:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8bdYFKk3OW4/S_nM4o4OVzI/AAAAAAAAAw4/RkjodEplxNs/s640/img_0068.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8bdYFKk3OW4/S_nMrvW6TgI/AAAAAAAAAwY/iLJIJCMdq8I/s640/img_0064.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_8bdYFKk3OW4/S_h63ysH_QI/AAAAAAAAAuQ/o4OUk7D-OMk/s640/gse_multipart9112693186992264985.tmp.jpg
Here's a view of a less beachy location:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_8bdYFKk3OW4/TLkc2e4FKTI/AAAAAAAAB6A/Al5J58aghco/s640/img_0967.jpg
Fishing, there's plenty, primarily salmon, halibut, and rockfish. There is an abundance of prawns, shrimp, and crabs in the area, and they are pretty easy to catch - I set out crab traps from my beach just using a small rowing dory. Shellfish gathering, clams oysters and mussels, is also simple enough, as is harvesting kelp. These activities are mostly regulated by the state, so you have to have licenses and be aware of seasons and catch limits. I suspect strongly that many old-timers ignore the regulations, as they subsistence fish and gather.
Hunting - we have more deer than people. There is almost no public land available for hunting, so you need to hunt on your own land, or find someone who will allow you to hunt on theirs. We passed county-specific hunting regulations a few years ago only allowing archery, black powder, shotgun, or handguns to be used here - no rifles. This was for safety concerns - this is a smallish place, and rifle rounds can go a long way with the terrain we have, and you have to be very very careful which direction you are aiming. We have rabbits and other small game as well, though most of the small "game" are considered invasive species and agricultural pests. There's no "sport" to hunting here, there is so much game - if I wanted to take a deer here, I'd go out into my driveway with a net and an apple. For "real" hunting, people go to the mainland, there aren't any large species here such as elk or mule deer.
The islands are very similar to your Canadian Gulf Islands, and are part of the same archipelago in fact.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&q=san+juan+islands+gulf+islands+map&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Gulf+Islands&gl=us&t=h&ll=48.728813,-123.159485&spn=0.7428,0.944824&z=10
You live in the San Juans, yes? I think I see Turtleback mountain on Orcas in one of the photos... I lived on Lopez for many years. In fact, the beach in front of your house looks a lot like the day use park across from the village... are you on Lopez?!?
I'm on Orcas, the beach shot is from the north shore - the islands you see off in the distance in the first photo are in Canada. I live on the side of Mt. Constitution, about 1200 feet up, right on the border of the big state park. The beach house is down in the village here, on the north shore, and where my Mother, chickens, greenhouse, and garden live :-) The winery I work with is over on Lopez though, which is more agricultural than this island, being flatter and having actual dirt in more places.
Aha! So who are you?!? Do you work at Brent & Maggie's place? I have friends on Orcas too... in fact, I'll be up at some point in March, back to visit Lopez. I was on the founding board of the Lopez Community Land Trust, and built a house with the first project. My name is Rebecca Lane, though I was Rebecca Sandel when I lived on Lopez. I miss living there!
Yes, that's the winery :-) I help out on the board, and specialize in "informal quality control" of the wine.
I worked with the Orcas community land trust, OPAL, for many years here, and also served as our island's Housing Bank commissioner, trying to help figure out what to do about the huge gap between housing prices and wage levels here. Now I spend most of my time doing the same stuff for the county planning commission. I also help run Eastsound's water system, which has been a fascinating learning opportunity in civil engineering. I never thought about just how much concrete and dirt it takes to build a dam.
Hi Bae. Thank you ever so kindly for sharing all of the wonderful additional photos and information with me!!! I'm lost for words. How gratifying it must be to be able to wake first thing in the morning, prepare a thermos of coffee, then make ones way down to the waters edge and find a comfortable quiet spot, then relax and wait for the sun to rise. That would be something I'd do often. That and beach-combing!
My family would have to pry me from the waters edge! That would be my spot of comfort and solitude for sure. I could look at these pictures all day long! I can't get evening fish bakes on the beach out of my head right now. I think that would be my favourite pastime. Having a personal boat/watercraft at ones disposal where you live would definitely be an asset. Just having the freedom to switch things up a bit whenever one wanted to would be worth everything!
My mind is working overtime right now. Are you ever greeted with the sight of whales swimming nearby Bae?
Wow. Looks incredible. Do you live in a community, or out by yourself?
My mind is working overtime right now. Are you ever greeted with the sight of whales swimming nearby Bae?
We have three resident pods of Orca whales, J,K, and L pods, the "Southern Resident Population", about 88 whales. They are often found cruising along the shoreline of one of our islands in particular, as there is easy salmon hunting for them there. Now and then, they come into other areas of the islands. There are also minke and gray whales, Stellar sea lions, and all sorts of other cool critters.
We all here spend a lot of time making sure we aren't messing up the ecosystem that allows these whales to live here, both because whales are cool, and because our tourist economy, which drives our county economy, depends on people coming here to see the wildlife :-)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_8bdYFKk3OW4/TCfm1NEB0FI/AAAAAAAABFQ/jUZBbqcDPbE/s640/109-0908_IMG.JPG
Wow. Looks incredible. Do you live in a community, or out by yourself?
Well, the whole place is sort of a community, about 56 square miles with about 3500 year-round residents. My nearest neighbors are a few minutes walk away, it's about a five minute drive to our village (of about 1100 people). About 45 minutes by boat to the island with our main town and county seat, about an hour and a half to the US mainland by ferry or private boat. My mother's home is right on the edge of our village here, and my daughter often walks over to her place after school to take care of the chickens and garden, help Grandma out, and do homework.
The island is basically a small village, a couple of hamlets, a couple of small harbors, some mountainous forest lands, and some agricultural/rural valleys between the mountains, with expensive vacation/second homes tucked into scenic spots. About 1/2 the homes here are only occupied during tourist season.
Gorgeous photos! The San Juan Islands have been on my list of places I've wanted to visit for a long time now. Thanks for sharing!
These folks have some interesting permaculture educational/internship programs here:
http://www.permacultureportal.com/
All of the additional pictures you posted Bae is my slice of heaven for today, but the picture of the pod of whales is the cream on top! I could whale watch for hours at a time, every day! I think when one resides in such a place it changes the fundamentals of how one lives and sees things. I tend to think (especially having kids) that there would be a sense of having a difficult time putting the brakes on in order to catch ones breath and slow down. So much to do and see.
Wow. Wow. What a great place to make a life for yourself and your family. Thanks so much for posting the photos, particularly the orcas.
I tend to think (especially having kids) that there would be a sense of having a difficult time putting the brakes on in order to catch ones breath and slow down. So much to do and see.
We call it "island time". Half-an-hour late isn't "late", it's normal. Things happen when they happen. A "scheduled" event may be moved, or spring up, with little warning, or concern. There's very little rushing, or "priority service". Service is good, but on a different timescale.
Incomers and tourists often can't stand it :-) I often think the behaviour gets exaggerated precisely to sort out those who have trouble with the idea.
In about 1997-ish I went to a labyrinth workshop at the Theosophical Society's Camp Indralaya. Great people, interesting, and fun! Beautiful facilities. No chance to do any exploring elsewhere, tho; more's the pity.
Wow! Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
I'm jealous. What stunning scenery you get to enjoy.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cikatricis/2690465236/
look at my beach. It is so much like Bae's. We are on the Canadian side and we are not an island, but we are cut off by ferries, so it is like we are an island.
The San Juans, the Gulf Islands and the Sunshine Coast are all fabulous.
Hi Bae. Island time, I like that. :) As a family we go out and do lots of things but one special outing we do (multiple times over the course of the height of the season) is go huckleberry picking. I was thinking about you in respect to berry picking (any/all varieties) and was wondering if Orcas Island's climate encourages the healthy production of wild berries and whether or not you as a family gather? Seeing I have a real weakness for huckleberries (so does my family), how are the huckleberries on the island?
Also, I was wondering about the concentration of homes across the island. Are there locations on the island where one can still enjoy expansive areas of uninhabited forest, or are homes/residences pretty much evenly scattered/distributed throughout?
Hey Kally. Wow! Absolutely beautiful! Jealous and envious I am. I'm positive I have a little ocean/sea blood in me from a past life, because for as far back as I can remember (childhood included) I have longed to live near the water. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
We have silly amount of berries of many types growing all over the place here. The islands used to be a major regional fruit growing powerhouse, before roads and extensive irrigation were common on the mainland. The fruit was transported to mainland markets via boat, which was cheaper at the time than other methods of shipment. As a result, there are still orchards and berry patches everywhere, many gone back to semi-wilderness. This is one of the reasons we have so many deer, there's almost unlimited food for them.
My favorite berries here, which I'd never come across, before are salmonberries. Blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries are all over. When we want to make a pie, we just send out kids to go forage, they seem to know where each hidden patch is' and which ones are ripe.
As to undeveloped forest land, we have a large portion of our lands protected in state and county parks or conservation lands. We have a very active set of folks who raise funds to put more and more land into protection each year. And we have a special real estate transfer tax that is used to purchase ecologically sensitive lands.
I live right on the border of Moran State Park, which is about 5400 acres with 40 miles or so of hiking trails, presenting several lakes and most of the large mountain on this half of the island. There's still some old growth forest tucked away.
Good morning Bae. Thank you so kindly for the informative posts! :) I live for stuff like this. Here in Canada, waterfront owners are subject to Canadian laws governing the free and unrestricted use by the general public- beach-walkers if you will, to walk along the beach (waters edge) of any property provided they do not interfere or infringe upon the property owners rights/privacy. Do the same laws apply in the US?
I was wondering about this because it would be so nice to have unrestricted movement afforded to the residents of the island so that those of you who wish to walk the many miles of beachfront on the island could do so without concern.
I have heard of salmonberries before but have never had the opportunity to try them. Are they more tart than sweet? How about wild strawberries Bae? They're really- really small (as compared to regular strawberries) but pack an acutely stronger strawberry flavour. When we go out we never come across large quantities of them, sort of hit and miss as we're gathering other berries, so we usually just eat the few we find.
It sounds like a paradise. Hopefully, you and the other residents can keep it that way. Do you have a good way of making sure one or two property owners can't do things that ruin the place? I think I would even have trouble with notions about putting things in there to bring tourists. I know tourists bring in money, but it seems like there could be alternate ways to support the island without making it a "destination" place. I hate that term. To me it sounds like "a place-that's-beautiful-now-but-not-for-long" place. Hopefully your paradise will stay paradise for a long time.
Sounds like the residents there are doing well to keep it that way. I must say I'm very envious!
Here in Canada, waterfront owners are subject to Canadian laws governing the free and unrestricted use by the general public- beach-walkers if you will, to walk along the beach (waters edge) of any property provided they do not interfere or infringe upon the property owners rights/privacy. Do the same laws apply in the US?
In most of the United States, ownership of the land and tidelands below the mean high water line is retained by states, in trust for the people. The land *can* be leased or sold if doing so is in the public interest - leases for tidelands for oyster farming, for instance, or for placement of dock pilings. Washington State is odd, in that it allowed for a long time private ownership of the tidelands, so any random stretch of beach in Washington may be a patchwork of public and private land below the high water mark. There are maps available to help people avoid disagreements :-) Road ends in my county that intersect the beach all do so on public lands, so there are clear routes to the shoreline areas even if neighboring property owners are cranky.
I was wondering about this because it would be so nice to have unrestricted movement afforded to the residents of the island so that those of you who wish to walk the many miles of beachfront on the island could do so without concern.
I have heard of salmonberries before but have never had the opportunity to try them. Are they more tart than sweet? How about wild strawberries Bae?
The taste of salmonberries varies wildly depending on the individual bush, and the moment of harvest. They can range from quite tart, to bland, to sweet. They are also pretty fragile berries, which I suspect is why we don't see them in stores. Children who live around the bushes seem to develop a sense of exactly which berries to pick to get the super-tasty ones, so I rely on their judgement exclusively.
Wild strawberries are hiding all over hereabouts too.
It sounds like a paradise. Hopefully, you and the other residents can keep it that way. Do you have a good way of making sure one or two property owners can't do things that ruin the place?
We currently have pretty aggressive land-use, building and environmental regulations that prevent the most obvious forms of ruination. We're rewriting our shoreline, upland, and critical areas regulations over the next few years to improve the situation.
The biggest thing I think though is that most folks who decide to move out here do so because they like the ecosystem here, and aren't motivated to clearcut, build giant resorts, drop in a WalMart, or start large-scale pig farms :-)
There's a tremendous amount of social pressure to "do the right thing". However, with half the people being "summer people", that's not always enough.
I think I would even have trouble with notions about putting things in there to bring tourists. I know tourists bring in money, but it seems like there could be alternate ways to support the island without making it a "destination" place.
Luckily, most of the "things" we put in to attract tourists are things like preserved forests and conservation lands. It's more of an eco-tourism destination than a "let's drive jet-skis and chase the otters" place.
It is perhaps unfortunate that the New York Times just placed the county on its list of the top spots to visit in 2011, at the #2 position. Still, tourism-related business is what keeps a good portion of our year-round population able to live here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09where-to-go.html?_r=2
It's always a struggle in "destination" communities to preserve the things that draw people there in the first place. If you put in McDonald's, strip malls, resorts, and all the other things to "better serve" the tourists, you end up turning the place into a clone of where your visitors are coming from.
I keep coming back over and over and over again to view and review the pictures. You really are so lucky Bae and I've really appreciated all the time and input you have so kindly given.
I was thinking back to a funny berry-picking story (2007) after we had moved our two youngest boys in with us. It was huckleberry season so one early morning we packed up and away we went. It was all new for the boys as they had never done anything outdoorsy before in their lives.
Anyhow, when we arrived at the picking location we gave them a sample taste of huckleberries and gave them each a small little ice cream pail to carry around with them to fill as they picked, and, to make them feel important. They were so happy and excited. It was hard picking and keeping an eye on a baby (age 16 months) and a toddler (age 2 and a bit), and four other kids, but all went off without a glitch!
However, as minute by minute ticked by, the boys dainty little fingers, their delicately formed lips, and their snow white t-shirts (silly me) became more and more purple! LMAO! They were eating the berries as fast as they could pick them and everything in their grasp was purple!!! :)
I often think about people who live in big cities who never get to enjoy the outdoors like we or you and your family do. How they never get to see a deer or bear up close, or smell the fresh clean mountain forest air, or take a drink of clean, pure, fresh spring water from a gently flowing creek or stream, or get to pick wild berries and mushrooms at their leisure. So much to be thankful for.
Bae you have found paradise to call home.....
Beautiful....just beautiful.
Hi again Bae. I've had something else on my mind in respect to the islands inhabitants, that being lifestyles related to reducing and simplicity. I recall you talking about the stringent recycling program(s) in place on the island, yet from what you see in the manner by which people live in your community and neighbouring communities on the island, is there a general sense of conservation and making due with?
Very much so. Some of it is motivated by the fact that imported materials from the mainland are expensive in money and time, and anything you throw away you have to pay to have barged back, at considerable expense, and you have to haul it to the transfer station yourself. Waste doesn't magically disappear when you put it in a can at your curb :-)
Also, I think many of the people who move here are self-selected to have a conservation mindset.
A further consideration is that the county has significant poverty issues.
What a great attribute. It's uplifting to know there are communities (whole/entire communities) actively living and practicing environmentally aware/conscious ways. There's no doubt that living on an island changes the dynamics of how people conduct themselves related to environmentally sound ways. i.e. How they see things, how they live, how they use, how they view issues related to conservation and reduction, and how it all adds up (impact wise). But most important of all IMO is how it helps common people distinguish between what is necessary or unnecessary.
I see it as a good thing all the way around, particularly in the case where younger generations of people are included into the overall thrust and mix. Aside from positive environmental reinforcement (thinking and mechanical process), it promotes good habits early on (at a young age) by encouraging alternative choices (speculative/selective purchasing), something that doesn't exist on the level we need to see it in order to turn around the current standard methodology of consumerism as it stands at present.
I just now took a picture of our elite yacht club, while picking my daughter up from sailing practice. No expense is spared on our facilities, as you can see.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8bdYFKk3OW4/TXBKvgQDqHI/AAAAAAAACQc/qPVnvkpGjhw/s640/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg
Oh wow! Marinas have always been a weakness of mine. I'm not a boater at all but I could spend hours admiring sailboats and yachts. The minute I seen this picture I seen myself on the beach in a pair of summer shorts and sandals, carrying a wicker picnic basket full of all sorts of refreshing and appetite quenching goodies for the day! I can smell the salt in the air!
Is the marina a deep-water dock-age point on the island, or does one have to adhere to buoys and markers in order to get their boat out to open water? As a kid I remember going out boating with friends parents and whenever we encountered shallow water, sandbars, or narrow mouths, special lighted buoys (green and red) had to be read in order to safely navigate ones craft through the dangerous passageways and back out to open deeper water again. I'm working from memory, but I think it's stay right to green, left to red? Correct me if I'm wrong.
At any rate thanks so much for posting the picture Bae! Just thought of something else to ask you. How about fueling of crafts? Is there a little docked hut where one can boat right up to in order to fuel, buy fishing gear, etc? I remember there was a hut like that when I was a kid and while waiting to fuel, the dads of my friends would idle the boat just enough to keep it straight and from being pulled away by the current.
Just wanted to add a little something else. I remember (even in the height of summer) once the sun went down and you were out in open water, you had to put on a jacket or sweatshirt and pants. It got cold real fast. Sometimes we'd stay fairly late and boat home in the dark, and seeing all the fires going along the many beaches and coves where people were already settled and snuggled in for the evening provided for such a friendly and warm backdrop to the day.
I live right on the border of Moran State Park, which is about 5400 acres with 40 miles or so of hiking trails, presenting several lakes and most of the large mountain on this half of the island. There's still some old growth forest tucked away.
I used to stay with my aunt on Orcas every summer for a couple weeks. I've hiked all the way around Cascade Lake in Moran State Park a number of times, hiked to/past Mountain Lake (we used to be in awe of the number of newts you could see swimming around below the trail) and the Twin Lakes to fish with my dad, and once to the top of Mt. Constitution from the bottom. I always loved the waterfall in the little hollow across the road from the beach. My friend and I would walk a mile into Olga every day for a candy bar and hang out on the float dock, and we were dragooned into enough oyster picking to consider it being sentenced to hard labor!
I envy you, Bae...
I have perhaps mentioned before that one of the reasons I picked this spot was that it had atypical weather for the Pacific Northwest coastal area. Nearby mountain ranges on the mainland and Vancouver Island skim off a lot of the precipitation before it gets here, leaving the "blue hole" over the archipelago.
I got a great radar shot of this from the other day, when the nearby mainland areas got hit with a significant rain. The clear space in the middle is the islands :-)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CyOV-0A7sN8/TX02HlIwrdI/AAAAAAAAEOk/BgEKXNCDwvE/s1600/201103131710.gif
The U-shaped island right in the middle of the clear space is the one I live on. Amusingly, the one wee dot of rainfall shown on that is directly over my house :-)
The radar image is interesting. How lucky you are with the rain. :) How is the island Re: clear/foggy/overcast days?
iris lily
3-19-11, 10:24am
The radar image is interesting. How lucky you are with the rain. :) How is the island Re: clear/foggy/overcast days?
yeah, I'm trying to figure out if I could grow lilies there successfully. Got enough light? The PNW is, of course, U.S. mecca for lilies 'n iris and that's where the major growers are, so I suppose it would be ok. I wonder how deep is the soil and what is its composition. Lilies need deep soil.
That's interesting, bae, about the rainfall pattern of your island. I had no idea and had just lumped you in my mind with the "otter people who are always wet and dank and apparently do not care" ha ha
I just reread a little of this.
You mentioned the tides. Tides are really interesting. I worked on an island in Germany in the north sea when I was younger. Seemed like the tides were huge. (I'm not saying that right, but you know what I mean). At one point in the cycle, you could walk to a neighboring island. But of course, you had to have a guide, since if you didn't know what you were doing, you could suddenly be surrounded by water and nowhere near land. Also, you had to be careful right off shore because you could walk out to the water's edge during low tide and think you were fine. All-the-while, these small little channels would fill up behind you first, and suddenly, you'd be in a lot of water.
They had signs up by the water that said "Warning: The Ocean Breathes".
How cool this planet is!
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