Today we crossed back into the US and headed for the San Juan Islands.  We cleared customs in the picturesque Roche Harbor.  Everything went smoothly and we were in and out in no time.  Patos liked the look of the little harbor so much they decided to stay there for the evening.  The rest of us headed down around San Juan to the bustling town of Friday Harbor.

On the way we cruised by Speiden Island looking for exotic animals on the shore.  Our efforts were rewarded and we spotted a few small herds of Japanese Sika Deer that were imported to the island in a failed business venture in the 70s.  There were also many harbor porpoise surfacing in the swift moving water of Speiden channel.

Once in Friday Harbor both Eldean and Grand Adventure were greeted by family members!  Eldean took their nephew and his family back out on the boat for a tour of the harbor and a chance to drive.  Grand Adventure went and explored the town with the rest of Ned and Peter’s family.  In the evening, we all reconvened on Deception for a final happy hour and to go over our end of trip instructions.

It was a great recap of the trip, thinking back to all of the places we’ve been, the things we’ve seen and experienced along the way.  Just looking at the map of the almost 900 miles we’ve traveled gave a sense of accomplishment to our skippers.  It has been a great journey that we’ve shared together, and I know it won’t be the last time we see one another.  Already plans are being made to go visit each other as well as to come back for another leg of Mother Goose!

After a fun evening of socializing, reminiscing, and sharing photos and stories, each crew went their own way for dinner.  Friday Harbor is a cute little port town and it has many great options for dining and shopping.  It’s also just fun to walk around the busy little town and window shop and people watch.