Wander We Must. San Juan Island.

Wander we must, to not lose sight of where we are going.

This is true now more than ever.  We remember our intention as a family.  We get our buckets filled, and we are refreshed to head back to daily life.

One way this happens is vacations.  One thing that I have learned is that short vacations are much more realistic and doable, and there for have a better chance of happening!  And to maximize our shorter vacation time, the party starts the minute we are out the door and the alarm is set.  We live in the city.

So this means making the journey to our destination part of the experience, rather than a means to an end.  If at all possible it's things like letting the boys wear their pajamas, not booking early morning flights - such a horrible way to start a vacation in my humble opinion.  Read - 3 out of 4 of us are not morning people.  Packing fun snacks or making sure we stop at whatever coffee/ice cream store/restaurant that I can't live without.  Incorporating exciting modes of transportation like taking the light rail to the airport,

Or a ferry ride.

Especially with two young boys, whether I like it or not, most everything becomes an adventure.  So this part is a hit.  In vacation mode, I do my very very best to embrace their adventurism from start to finish.

Adventurism - I don't think I have ever used that word before.  But I really like it.

This the start to our long weekend on San Juan Island.  There was tree climbing while we waited for the ferry.  There was a certain little boy who dreamed of having an orange soda, really no idea where that came from, and another who craved popcorn.  So on the ferry we indulged.

We also looked up fun facts, because hey, that's still fun at age 7 and 8, and late 30's.  Ahem.  Did you know that the Washington State Ferry system is the largest in the country and 4th largest in world?  And largest in the world by number of vehicles transported, that's amazing.

Things we learned on our journey: P's Orange Soda dream fizzled out, it's not what he thought it would be.  Also P has a wonderful capacity to sit with and work on puzzles.  Never would have thought.  Finally, take the ferry home that sails during sunset.  Oh my gorgeous.  Perfect ending.



Tip: If you are going to drive, I highly recommend making a reservation in advance for the San Juan Island Ferry.  It doesn't cost extra, unless you miss your ferry, then there is a $10 fee.  The fare you pay at the Anacortes dock is a round-trip fare.

Check back throughout the next several days for more of our San Juan Island adventure.

very best,
Kirsty

This post is in partnership with the San Juan travel bureau.  Thank you for generously providing my ferry fare.  All adventures are our own.