Sucia Island

Last week, my best friend flew out to Seattle from Washington DC for a week of vacation. The weather being as good as it was, it only made sense for us to remove ourselves from the craziness of the city for at least a couple days. So we decided to go boating in the San Juan Islands (northwest corner of Washington state… next to Canada). Since taking a three week kayak trip several years back, this place has sort of become a fortress of solitude (yep… superman reference). Since taking this trip, I typically make it up there at least once a year for some relaxation and reflection. Last year, my dad and I took a boating trip through the islands and up to the Canadian Gulf Islands. That was when I was only beginning my photographic journey. However, some of the shots turned out pretty well.

This shot was from that trip last year. we dropped anchor in this isolated cove for the night. Nearby there was a small opening in the land masses, and from the right point it appeared as though it were the edge of the world. Mix that angle with the shades of colors and it’s not a bad photo.

Each island has it’s own story, which contributes to their appeal. One of the San Juan islands played home to a rich and eccentric man who collected African animals and shipped them to this island as a local preserve (think Jurassic Park). As the story goes, the country’s wildlife departments and organizations didn’t like that too much, so he abandoned the project, but left the animals. So it is said that to this day there is an island with African wildlife.

D’Arcy island, in the Canadian Gulf used to be a leper colony. It is positioned adjacent to an active ship lane and people would be sent to this island to live/die. The creepiest part is that the ravens on the island are very talkative and make a wide variety of noises.

This time around we only stayed a single night in a Sucia Island bay. The inlet we chose faces west, which lends itself to some pretty epic sunsets. I stood on the back of the boat for a good 20 minutes taking a variety of shots. The water was like glass, and there were a few clouds to accent the sky, which made the shots even better.

 

Not bad eh?

-Elldub