It was 15 years ago when I first visited the Seattle area and went on a whale watching tour, so we decided that it was something we’d like to do together, so we drove up to the town of Anacortes (about an hour and 1/2 or so from Seattle) to catch the ferry over to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands.
The trip over took an hour and was a leisurely and peaceful trip by water. 
It’s a pretty little harbor town too, very picturesque. 
Lots of boats at the marina. 
Lovely day to enjoy the water. 
This sailboat was right by the ferry when we came in.
And here’s one spot to check in for whale watching. We got ice cream here when we came back. 
While waiting, I couldn’t resist taking a pic of these wild poppies that were growing nearby. 
And a look back at the ferry that brought us over. This one was huge and holds a ton of cars. 
The little town was really cute. 
This is the boat we went out on, along with about 25 others. 
The Odyssey
We boated off and it took us about an hour and 1/2 to reach the area where the whales were feeding. These are the killer or Orca whales, like you see at Seaworld. It’s fun to see them in their natural habitat. 
Pretty time on the water out there.
The San Juan Islands are rugged, but pretty in a rustic way.
Old lighthouse on the hill. 
And finally we arrived at our destination and spent about 30 minutes watching several whales zip around. We were lucky enough to see a few of them jump out of the water. We weren’t real close to them, but close enough that I got a few good shots.
This is my best one. Aren’t they pretty??
Now, just for fun, here’s a great shot I got 15 years ago on my first whale watching trip to the NW. This was taken out of Victoria, Canada and it was indeed this close to me. We were in a small boat and it came up right beside me and I was lucky enough to get this shot.
Incredible, huh?! This was before digital cameras, so I scanned my original photo.
And one more. We looked for their fins skimming across the water and it was really fun to see. 
After the Orca show was over, we headed back to the harbor. That was a very fun day too. A full day of fun. 
We found another breakfast place called Roxy’s in the Fremont district of Seattle and ate breakfast there our last day there. Very good too!
So, that’s a recap of our week in Seattle. I sure hope you all enjoyed the pics as much as I did. I am so proud of all the great pics I got on this trip and will treasure the memories we made. And I really hope that those of you who live in the Northwest and Seattle in particular, will feel very proud of your state.
You definitely should be proud!
I’ll get back to some decorating posts again soon, I promise. There’s just been a lot of other things to distract me right now. 
I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We are going out to one of our favorite outdoor spots tonight for a concert under the stars at Morgan Creek Winery, along with a picnic and fireworks at dark. The perfect way to celebrate for us!
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Rhoda that is incredible!!! I would love to do a trip like that. Your pictures are stunning! I have a question for you. Do you touch up in photoshop? Your water and sky are so beautiful! I hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July!!!
Hi, Kathryn, yes I do some editing on my photos. Like everyone else into photography these days, most everyone retouches them. I don’t have Photoshop, but there are several FREE programs out there, like Picasa and PhotoFiltre. I’m using Photofiltre for the most part, it just is easy for me to do them in a hurry. I do Auto Contrast to darken and lighten and then I do a Color boost, which just makes all the colors show up even better, esp. outdoor shots. That’s how the water & sky look SO blue. It just gives them an extra shot of color. That’s all I’ve done so far, but I have a lot to learn on photo retouching too.
Oh I’d love to go whale watching! Those are some aewsome shots!
omg i love your pics i have been checking in daily to see them i have never been to Seattle or a whale watching trip……….i just loved all your pics…ty
Hi Rhoda,
Your pictures are amazing…beautiful scenery…love the water…such a gorgeous shade! I’ve always wanted to see whales in their natural habitat, I’ll have to make the trip. I love your shots of the whales jumping…SO neat! Thanks for sharing!
Sharlotte
Hey Rhoda,
We are moving DH to an upstairs room for office space and we found a book about Bermuda I would like to pass on to you if you want it….didn’t know how soon you would reschedule your trip:):):)
Just let me know……..debra
I’ve never seen Orkas in the wild, what a beautiful site. Seattle looks wonderful too, it’s the place I’d rather be when we start getting the TX heat, and I’ve never been to Seattle either!
Have a safe and happy 4th.
Come say hi
Hugs
Denise
Oh, my friend, I think you have just helped me begin to plan next year’s summer vacation! I’m just four hours south of Seattle and it’s the area where I was born and spent the first few years of my life – but would you believe I’ve never been whale watching? Well, I think that’s going to change. The sooner the better. I’ve loved your photos and the way you shared your time in Seattle. And I’ve been so thankful you were there THAT week when it was so beautiful. After a few days of rain and clouds we have sun again – and the promise of warmer temperatures ahead! Come on back again. There’s so much to see and do. Thanks for the inspiration.
~Adrienne~
Hi Rhoda
I’ve truly enjoyed your Seattle trip. Looks like a trip J and I would definitely enjoy. The kids keep trying to talk us into going out there.
We are enjoying the 4th at the lake. Someone across the cove puts on a pretty professional fireworks show every year. We sit on the deck…have a little vino and enjoy.
Happy 4th of July!
Rhoda,
What a wonderful trip! My brother lives in Portland Oregon, and I can’t wait to have time to visit!!!
Looks like you had a great time! When I was in my early teens we took at family trip all over the US and one of the destinations was Victoria, Canada and we watched whales. This post makes me want to go to my mother’s and grab all the photo albums so I can scan them!
Hi Rhoda,
Good to see you today. Glad you saw me and spoke. I was just in a hurry following hubby. Love the pics of the whales and boats. Oh and the one with the light house. The water on all of the pics was just beautiful.
Can’t wait to see your yard sale finds of the day!. Take care and have a safe and happy 4th.
I Love YOUR blog, I LOVE your house, I have lived in Friday Harbor for 25 years, most of my life…If I would have known, I would have invited you to see my 100 year old farm house remodel.Come back anytime, I have a guest room.
I am sooo jealous. What an awesome trip!!!! We have been on dolphin watching trip before BUT never whale watching. I know that has to be breath-taking! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for sharing your pics. They are beautiful
I’m so glad you had so much fun, you were truly in God’s country, I adore that area so much. I know I told you already, but it is my favorite place in the world! (Not that I’ve seen much of the world! Ha!) I have never gone whale watching, but one time coming back from Victoria on a BC Ferry we passed a pod of whales and we saw a bit of them. Pretty special! They are such majestic creatures!
Hugs, Cindy S
I have always wanted to do that! It looks like you had a wonderful trip, and got some amazing photos too! What fun! Just found your blog and will be back again soon.
Your a fellow houseblogger!
Hey Rhoda! I have enjoyed all the post on your trip. It looks like you had such a great time. We had whale watching scheduled for our last day of vacation on Cape Cod and it was cancelled due to bad weather. I was so disappointed! There is always next year.
xo, Sherry
Thank you ALL for coming by to see our vacation pics! We truly had a great time & I’m so happy to have these pics as a forever reminder of that time. If I had known ahead of time we were coming out there, I might have been able to meet up with a few of you & I do wish that could have happened. We really did plan that trip the day before we left.
Deanna, I would have LOVED to have visited your 100 yr. old farmhouse at Friday Harbor. What a treat that would have been!
Wonderful shots Rhoda! I live in Alaska and whales never cease to enchant me. Cheers!
Looks like an amazing trip! I would love to get to see some whales in their natural habitat… but I’m not gonna lie! I would be scared silly if one came up as close to the boat as the one in your picture from 15 years ago! But that’s what makes it fun, right?
I absolutely love the San Juan Islands! Thank you for posting this and reminding me of all of my good memories there.
Wow, those photos of the whales are absolutely incredible! I was whale watching in Ecuador before, but never got as close to the whales or such good photos. I am putting whale watching near Seattle on my wish list!
SG
http://toptipsfortrips.blogspot.com/
They are truly beautiful Rhoda! Thanx for sharing! We went whale watching on our honeymoon in Maui. They are just beautiful creatures. Sadly enough my pictures were double exposed some how even though we took them with a camera that was suppose to prevent that. Loving the digital age now. Thanx again for sharing!
Hi Rhoda, I just found your blog and I have loved looking at your pictures. I was there last May and how beautiful it is. My son is in the Navy and stationed on Whidbey Island and he flew us to Friday Harbor for ” coffee and ice cream”!! I have had NW Pacific fever ever since!! thanks for sharing.