San Juan Island, Washington

14 Jul 2013               San Juan Island, WA

            We arrived at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal just on time.  For these big ferries, they recommend being there at least an hour early, and 2 hours early if you can, to secure a spot.  I was worried about the H3 being over-height, so I took off the radio antennas.  I had no idea what to expect and just drove up to the booth, paid, and went to my corral lane.  Then we waited.  Once we began loading, an announcement was made over the loudspeaker calling walk-ons and telling everyone to get back in their cars.  We drove down the ramp and onto the ferry.  How weird.  I have never driven onto a boat before.  People up here around Puget Sound do it all the time, but for me this was a novel experience.  To make it even better, we were parked all the way to the bow of the ship with a wonderful view of the channel crossing.  The trip from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island was a little over an hour.  The weather was beautiful and the skies were amazingly clear.

This guy made the decision to put us up front.  Wow, the power he has!

I had to go back down to be sure the parking brake was set.  Now I noticed the wheel chock on the front right wheel.  I guess they figured I was a moron. 

This was the view out the back of the Ferry with Mt. Baker in the background.

            Arrangements were made for our friend Austin to meet us at Roche Harbor, on the other side of the island.  We had to park the H3 and load gear onto the boat.  The drive across the island was a scenic stroll through farmland and horse property.  Austin was waiting just as we planned at the little, quaint, Roche Harbor.  I used to see Austin every day teaching school in Las Vegas.  We even did a few music events together, so being finally able to meet up again is a real treat.

Austin, "Show me your crab claws!"

            The yacht we were staying on must have been almost 70 feet long!  Austin’s mom and stepfather own the beast, and were hosting a massive summer party for their grandchildren.  How great for Garner and Katherine to show up and wreck the place!  Not only were Austin’s mother and stepfather on their boat, but also 3 grandkids, Austin’s sister-in-law Jessica, Austin, me and Katherine, and Jessica’s friend Monty.  There is a master bedroom, front bedroom, another 2 person sleeping quarters, and the floor.  Katherine and I decided to rough it in style and sleep on the very top.  This was a great place to be.  Stars were out in full glory at night, no bugs, and the temps were cool.  It was beautiful.

Katherine thinks I am going to let her sleep.  Yea, right.

            The next day was unforgettable.  We just happened to show up for opening day of Dungeness crab season.  Holy cow!!!  We love crabs.  Austin’s mom Gretchen is an expert.  She knows where to go, how do catch the crabs, and she can clean a crab like no other, a true professional.   

We had one crab “pot” and two sets of “rings.”  The pot is easy.  You just put bait, we used raw chicken parts, in the wire box, drop it with a float, come back, and hope there are crabs.  The rings are another story.  You have to tend the rings and work a little bit to get your crabs.  The bait is in the center of the ring with two other rings on the outside.  These are all connected with netting.  Once you pull up on the set of rings, it creates a funnel, and the crabs can be lifted to the surface.  We did this all on the small boat in several outings.  It started out with only a few crabs coming in, but a little later in the morning, we hit the jackpot.  Katherine and I both got our fishing/crabbing licenses and started marking our crabs.  The night before I read the fishing manual, and found out that crabbing is highly regulated.  

GMAN using the rings.

Checking the size.  Smaller than 6.25" and it's illegal.  

Opening day is a huge deal.  There were crabbing pots everywhere out in the channel around the harbor.  When we were done for the day, Gretchen showed me the best way ever to clean a crab right on the dock.  Great, one down, and 20 more to go. We even took in some rock crabs which made the experience even more fun with their hard shells.  

Check the video below!!!!!

Austin and I readied the giant boiler and the fun began.  We cooked them up and called all the kids over.  It was a feast.  We ended with another wonderful night relaxing and talking with Austin and Jessica, then sleeping on top of the boat.