Whales & Trails: A San Juan Island Adventure With Your Grandchild

Program Registration & Orientation: 5:00 p.m. After you have your room assignment, head to the conference room at 5:00 p.m. to register with the Road Scholar program staff, which is also where our Orientation session will take place. You’ll receive a welcome packet with up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, and other important information. If you will arrive later than 8:00 p.m., please ask for your packet when you check in. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Grandparent program. Grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren. If/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently, program staff will supervise. Children are never to be left unsupervised. Periods in the daily schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

In the Conference Dining Room.

Our Group Leader will provide us with a brief program overview. The remainder of the evening will be at leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

A voucher will be provided for breakfast, which is served in the lobby restaurant.

Once checked out of the hotel, we’ll visit the artfully designed Hibulb Cultural Center for a field trip led by a museum docent. The cultural center has over 23,000 square feet of exhibits and classrooms and the natural history preserve is 50 acres dedicated to telling the story of the “salmon people,” the Tulalip Nation. The artifacts, carvings, art and interactive displays weave insight and understanding to the land, the people, and the culture of the many Northwest Tribal ancestors.

At a local restaurant.

Next, we'll board our motorcoach and travel northward to Anacortes where we'll board the Washington State Ferry bound for San Juan Island. You may wish to enjoy the view of the National Scenic Byway through a tapestry of Islands from the inside passenger cabins or from the outside decks as we take our 1.5-hour journey through the archipelago to Friday Harbor. Upon arrival at the dock in the late afternoon, we’ll make a quick transfer to the hotel via shuttle and check in.

At the hotel.

At leisure. You may wish to socialize with new friends, play games, or enjoy the hotel's amenities.

At the hotel.

Starting off the day in the hotel conference room, we’ll learn from a local expert about how incredible orca pods are. A uniquely social population, we’ll also hear recordings of their communication with one another – their language. Next, we’ll walk to the nearby Whale Museum for a docent-led field trip. At the first museum in the country dedicated to the representation of whales living in the wild, we’ll learn about the social intelligence of these amazing creatures, what efforts are being made for orca preservation, and also how each whale is unique. We’ll then return to the hotel.

At the hotel.

Then, after transferring via minibuses, we’ll go on a hike through San Juan Island’s American Camp National Park, where we’ll learn from an expert naturalist about its historical and archaeological importance while also enjoying multiple opportunities along the way to stop and observe and reflect on the flora and fauna. We’ll end our short hike at South Beach to take a break and enjoy some time exploring the beach before returning to the hotel.

In the hotel conference room.

A local art instructor will join us at the hotel for a surprise art project. We’ll create our own keepsakes to take home. Please note, this activity is not just for kids!

At the hotel.

After walking from the hotel, we’ll board a chartered boat through the islands with our Group Leader. While searching for orca whales, bald eagles, porpoises, seals, sea birds and sea lions in their natural environment, we’ll hear fascinating commentary about these critters and their natural habitat. At the end of our ride, we’ll walk back to the hotel.

In the hotel conference room.

Next, we’ll transfer to San Juan Island's English Camp National Park where we will learn about its historical importance from a naturalist during a hike through the park. We’ll make some stops to admire native flora and fauna along the way. Returning from our hike in the mid-afternoon, we’ll have some free time to enjoy the pool or other activities of your choice.

In the hotel conference room.

In the hotel conference room, we’ll hear a presentation by a resident of San Juan Island focusing on what it is like to grow up and live on an island. Are there really no traffic lights or fast food restaurants?

At the hotel.

A wildlife rehabilitation expert will join us at the hotel for an informative visit, during which we’ll get an up-close look at a raptor rescued by a local rehabilitation organization. We’ll learn about the rehabilitation efforts and techniques of the organization while also learning about the specific characteristics of local species. Then, we're off to the west side of the island via minibuses for a visit to Limekiln State Park. Limekiln Park offers great wildlife viewing from shore, as well as a lighthouse that currently serves as an Orca research station. Led by our Group Leader, we’ll go in the research station to learn about Orca acoustics and how researchers interpret Orca dialects from the station’s underwater hydrophone.

We’ll stop at a nearby beach to enjoy a tasty picnic lunch. Afterwards, we’ll spend some time on the beach. You might like to try your hand at building sand castles or beach forts, look for sea critters along the shore or play some games with the group.

In the early afternoon, we'll head back to the hotel for free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

At the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

As part of a farewell program, we’ll gather as a group to present the kids with their own “orca adoption" kits to take home. After learning about the individual whales and species throughout the program, the kids will choose the whale they would like to receive information on. Kits include a personalized adoption certificate with a 3x5" photo of the chosen whale, a personal biography of the whale, a genealogy chart, a 16-page informational booklet about the Southern Resident Orcas, an annual subscription to our Cetus newsletter, monthly orca updates delivered via email, one "Orca Steward" patch, one bumper sticker, and a one-year Whale Museum individual membership. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Early breakfast at the hotel.

Once checked out of the hotel, we’ll depart Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, via the Washington State Ferry. Upon docking in Anacortes, we’ll transfer to a chartered motorcoach and ride to Seattle with drop-offs at SeaTac International Airport and the starting hotel. This concludes our program. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!