Skip to Main Content
  • Welcome to Three Gems
  • Blog: Wanderings in the PNW
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
  • Welcome to Three Gems
  • Blog: Wanderings in the PNW
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

Salish Sea

Many people think that Puget Sound is actually a sound., but it’s not; it’s a fjord. What is even more surprising is that the Puget Sound is attached to a larger body of water, an inland sea that encompasses The Sound, The Straight of Juan de Fuca, Georgia Strait and the waters surrounding the Gulf Islands and San Juan Islands. Named for the language group used by the indigenous folks who’ve been living around the sea for over ten thousand years, the Salish Sea is a unique ecological and cultural marine marvel.

Day 39: Fort Casey to Oak Bay
17 Nov 2020

Day 39: Fort Casey to Oak Bay

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

Our trip was nearing its end. Our hope was to get to one of the campgrounds in Hood Canal by the weekend so we could meet up with friends and enjoy some time together. The pandemic made it hard to … Continued

admiralty inlet, family, fort casey, J.U.M.P., port townsend
Day 37: Deception Pass
4 Nov 2020

Day 37: Deception Pass

by womoses | posted in: Hiking, Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

After the exciting crossing from James Island, Gio and I had some time to hike around Deception Pass State Park. Here are some photos from that afternoon.

Day 33: Fourth of July Beach to James Island (Part 1)
19 Oct 2020

Day 33: Fourth of July Beach to James Island (Part 1)

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 2

We spent the following couple of days with Tim and Angela in an enchanting little apartment above an antique shop right in the middle of Friday Harbor. The apartment has this great balcony perched over the street, and in the … Continued

cattle pass, family, friday harbor, packing kayaks, steller's sea lion
Day 33: Fourth of July Beach to James Island (Part 2)
19 Oct 2020

Day 33: Fourth of July Beach to James Island (Part 2)

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

Leaving our large, noisy, pinniped friends behind we continued south past Long Island, which really isn’t that long (I’m not even going to bother checking with Edmond S. Meany on this one), and then as the current subsided, we cut … Continued

byssus, harbor seals, iceberg point, james island, lopez island, marine pollution, sea silk, tufted puffin, watmough
Tidepooling at Eagle Cove
15 Oct 2020

Tidepooling at Eagle Cove

by womoses | posted in: Natural History, Salish Sea | 0

On Wednesday October 14, 2020, I took a break from writing to join Giovannina and Brittany, a grad student here at Friday Harbor Labs, on their SCUBA dive at Eagle Cove. I didn’t get in the water myself, but helped … Continued

aggregating anemone, black katy chiton, decorator crab, san juan island, tidepooling
Day 31: San Juan County Park to Fourth of July Beach (Part 2)
13 Oct 2020

Day 31: San Juan County Park to Fourth of July Beach (Part 2)

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

The fog began to move seaward and we were able to see the whole length of San Juan Island, all the way down to the bluffs above Cattle Point. To the south, the Olympic Mountains began to peek out from … Continued

cattle pass, family, fog, marine layer, san juan island
Day 31: San Juan County Park to Fourth of July Beach (Part 1)
13 Oct 2020

Day 31: San Juan County Park to Fourth of July Beach (Part 1)

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

We awoke at 5:30 am and after a quick breakfast and minimal packing, were on the water by 6:30 am. The day was just awakening. The air was still and few birds were out, only the occasional gulls coasting the … Continued

american camp, fog, haro strait, lime kiln point, marine layer, olympic mountains, san juan island, south beach, tide rips
Day 29: Stuart Island to San Juan County Park
8 Oct 2020

Day 29: Stuart Island to San Juan County Park

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

We wanted to get an early start to catch the southbound currents in Haro Strait and ride them all the way to San Juan County Park. According to both Deep Zoom and the Current Atlas, the currents were set to … Continued

haro strait, henry island, san juan county park, turn point
Days 27-28: Stuart Island
6 Oct 2020

Days 27-28: Stuart Island

by womoses | posted in: Kayak Chronicles, Kayaking, Salish Sea | 0

“WHALES!!!” “ORCAS!!!” “WHALES!!!” Giovannina was shouting as she ran in her flip flops along the rocky edge of Jones Island. We had been packing up after a lovely breakfast with Gretchen, Noel and Odin when, seemingly out of nowhere, there … Continued

chevalier, june burn, living high, orcas, prevost harbor, sentinel island, spieden island, turn point, whales
The Night of the Nancy J
23 Sep 2020

The Night of the Nancy J

by Guest Author | posted in: Salish Sea | 0

by Glen “Alex” Alexander Did I ever tell you about the night the Nancy J almost sank? When I was young I did a little gillnetting. It’s a way to catch salmon that’s kind of interesting because it’s done at … Continued

gill netting, glen alexander, Guest Author, hover craft, salmon fishing, sinking

Posts pagination

« 1 2 3 4 »

Recent Posts

  • The Big Hurt
  • Washington’s Mayor of the PCT
  • The Ocean Is a Desert
  • Spider Meadows, Buck Creek Pass and Backcountry Surgery
  • Indian Heaven Wilderness: Fire and Ice Caves Loop

Recent Comments

  • womoses on The Big Hurt
  • Dianne Lonsbery on The Big Hurt
  • womoses on The Nisqually Chute: Spring Ski Touring at its Best
  • Tim Murphy on The Nisqually Chute: Spring Ski Touring at its Best
  • Nicki Garcia on Mud Eaters, Big and Small, of Saratoga Passage

Archives

  • December 2025
  • September 2025
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020

Categories

  • Biking
  • Cascades
  • Hiking
  • Kayak Chronicles
  • Kayaking
  • Local Wanderings
  • Natural History
  • Olympics
  • racing
  • Salish Sea
  • Skiing
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Welcome to Three Gems
  • Blog: Wanderings in the PNW
  • About Me
  • Contact Me

© 2026 - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP