Today’s blog written by Elliott Jones, Kira Bretsky and Dustin Hendrix
Photos taken by Kira Bretsky

We experienced our first full day in Friday Harbor together. We got to know each other a bit more and we were able to explore some of the south side of the island.



This morning we met the woman behind the emails, Caroline herself! She gave us an in depth orientation and explanation of the program we’ll be a part of this summer. We also learned our first Knot of the Day, a figure-eight knot. The early part of the day consisted of a map lesson, interrupted frequently by planes taking off from the nearby airport, and a tour of the Spring Street School Campus. After lunch, we split ourselves between a large red van and Morgan’s Subaru to be shuttled around the island.



Over the course of the first day and a half, we were able to see quite a few different organisms that call that Salish Sea their home. On the boat ride here, most of us got to see a pod of orcas, a few whales and some jelly fish. And then earlier today while we were exploring we had the ability to see a few seals, a bald eagle and a few porpoises.



We spent most of the day exploring the South side of the island and learning about the geography of the island and the area around it. We gained knowledge about who the land around Friday Harbor was named after and how if you “discovered” or map that land then you got to name it. We learned that many people from many different places from around the world came over to the Salish Seas and named different parts of the land and even the water because they were the ones to map that territory.



The view from the lighthouse was one of the first wonders of San Juan Island that we saw. All of us were sure to take lots of pictures for friends and family, just in case they didn’t believe how beautiful it actually was. A little while after we arrived, a few of us got text messages welcoming us to Canada. We then learned how to turn off roaming data on our phones. That way, we wouldn’t pick up cell signals from our northern neighbors.

We ended the tour with a visit to the Lime Kiln Point State Park & Reserve. Tim and Morgan, our supervising scientists of the day, pointed out where to keep an eye out for wildlife, and we saw some commotion in the area even though we weren’t able to identify anything. It was exciting to use our new weather-proof notebooks for the first time, although the weather was far from needing “proofing”. Those of us from California and Texas adapted very easily, while the Seattle folk admired the clear skies and light breeze that kept us cool.

As we reflect on our day with the smell of dinner distracting us, we think about how much fun we’ve had and how much more is to come. The bar is very high, based on today’s experience!!