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The San Juans are a beautiful place unsurpassed by the rest of the world. Most visitors will agree that they have traveled a place which exists outside the rules of the rest of the world. If you how ever been to the San Juans you probably know that they are one of the most spectacular places in the world to sea kayak. On our trip to the San Juans we experienced just a few of the many wonders that surround this archipelago that will make your jaw drop in awe.
The land that makes up the San Juans is much older than the mainland itself. Geologists think it is a terrain in which is a small chunk of ancient continent which accreted itself to the mainland millions of years ago.
Life in the San Juans has long revolved around their surrounding waterways. This group of islands belong to the Sailish Sea watershed, which stretches from the base of the Olympic Mountains to the Georgia Strait in British Columbia. Early colonization began relatively quickly moving into the 1900s and fishing and agriculture were major industries though the development of trade in Mineral Lime placed Roche Harbor in the Western United States. The first real settlement was San Juan Town located on Griffin Bay(San Juan Island) was a testament to the wildest times. Saloons reigned, totting, land grabbing and drunkenness were the norm. No woman was safe at any hour. Some would say that it was scene that would make Frontier Towns in the Old West blush. Eventually all the settlers relocated, most moving north to Friday Harbor and soon San Juan Town lay nothing but a ghost town until a fire destroyed it in 1890.
The wildlife in the San Juans ranges from hundreds of species of bird to the magnificent whales. Many very rare sightings have been made there including California Sea Lions, young Humpbacks, Northern-right whales, Gray Whales, Transient Orcas and Pilot Whales. Eighty-three of the San Juans beautiful islands are designated as National Wildlife Refuges. These islands total 454 acres and are divided into four habitat types: reefs, rocks, grassy, and forested islands.
On our trip to the San Juans we had an awesome time and I think everyone agreed that it was a very worthwhile experience. None of us ever realized that such a beautiful place was so close to where we lived and that a place like the San Juans could have such an interesting background.
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