http://www.nwsource.com/travel/scr/tf_destination.cfm?ct=11&pageid=WA

Why is it known as 'The Gem of the Don Juans'?

Hi Bryan,

Actually Orcas Island is not known as the Gem of the Don Juans, but
rather the Gem of the San Juans, basically because of its spectacular
beauty. The San Juan Islands are considered the "jewels" of the
pacific north west, located in the Puget Sound.

"Considered by many to be the jewel of the Pacific Northwest, these
American islands offer a stunning array of diversity, from the rolling
pastoral hills of San Juan Island to the rugged day hike of Mount
Constitution on lovely Orcas Island."
(...)
"Orcas Island is the favorite destination for vacationers seeking a
secluded getaway with great diversity. Although many of the San Juans
feature fjord-like inlets and sounds, Orcas boasts the lion's share
with generous harbors, fresh water lakes, streams and waterfalls.
Orcas is considered the most spectacular of the islands and is often
referred to as "The Gem of the San Juans."
Orcas is only one of the 172 San Juan Islands and located
approximately 60 miles north of Seattle. This peaceful island lies in
the Strait of Georgia between Anacortes and Vancouver Island. To the
north, on the mainland, is Vancouver, B.C."

PS Adventures
http://www.psadventures.com/dest.htm 


"When you take that first step onto a ferry bound for the San Juan
Islands, you'll leave behind the stop lights and congestion and enter
a world that doesn't object when time seems to pass slowly. During
your journey you'll glide by a string of evergreen jewels, the largest
of the 743 islands created during the Ice Age. You'll pass rocky
points that define sheltered coves, and beaches surrounded by madrona
trees."
(...)
""Considered to be the most spectacular [of the San Juan Islands],
Orcas Island, with over 36,000 acres, is the largest. Orcas Island has
been a favorite for generations of visitors from all over the earth.
The population is widely spread out adding to its feeling of peaceful,
tranquil privacy. Mt. Constitution in Moran State Park offers
panoramic views of all the archipelago, and is surrounded by miles of
trails and breathtaking scenery."

Orcas Island Real Estate
http://www.pacificws.com/harvey/


"Known for decades as the resort island, Orcas Island is the "Gem of
the San Juans'" one of the most naturally beautiful and unique areas
of the world. Located in the "Banana Belt" of the Pacific Northwest,
the San Juans have an eternally temperate climate: moderate rainfall
(less than half that of Seattle) and daytime temperatures that average
a balmy 75 degrees during the summer and between 40 and 60 during the
remaining months."

San Juan Web
http://www.sanjuanweb.com/SeaWatch/


"Known as ?the gem of the San Juan Islands?, Orcas Island is often
considered the most beautiful island in the San Juans. It is the
largest island and is located approximately three hours from
Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle, giving you the perfect mix of big
city refinement with the peace of pastoral living."

Buck Bay Farm
http://www.buckbayfarm.com/activities.html


Search criteria:
orcas "gem of the * juans"
orcas "gem of the san juans"
"gem of the san juan islands"
"san juan islands" jewels

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes,
Rainbow

---

Request for Answer Clarification by probonopublico-ga on 28 Nov 2004 23:30 PST

Hi Rainbow

Are you sure you've got this right?

I have actually been to Western Australia, which - if I remember
correctly - used to be quite some distance away from North America.

Has there been a geological or geomagnetic shift?

Or yet another Bush invasion?

Or what?

Puzzled of Hove

---

Clarification of Answer by rainbow-ga on 29 Nov 2004 00:00 PST

Hi Bryan,

Now you've gone and got me confused. :)

Am I sure about what? Where the San Juan Islands are? Where Orcas Island is?

Rainbow~

---

Request for Answer Clarification by probonopublico-ga on 29 Nov 2004 00:20 PST

Hi, Rainbow

I'm sorry to hear that you are confused.

Or is it me?

Am I not right in believing that WA means 'Western Australia'?

Australia is rather a big island nudging New Zealand. They play
cricket ... well, sort of and, among the inmates, it is known as Oz.

They speak English, like what you or I do but they are nowhere near as posh.

---

Clarification of Answer by rainbow-ga on 29 Nov 2004 00:52 PST

Hi Bryan,

Now I'm not so confused any more. WA does stand for Western Australia.
However it is also the abbreviation for the state of Washington, USA.
My apologies for not making this clear from the beginning.

"The San Juan Islands adorn the entrance to the Puget Sound in
Washington. These spectacular islands of various sizes and shapes have
been largely preserved in their natural state. The Washington State
Park Service provides campgrounds and hiking trails on many of the
islands so that residents and visitors can enjoy the many scenic areas
throughout this region. Ferries provide transportation to the larger
islands, but the smaller ones can only be reached by private boat."

Encarta: San Juan Islands
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461559906_1741500822_-1_1/San_Juan_Islands.html


Washington abbreviation WA
Enchanted Learning: Washington
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/washington/

Admin Prof: State Abbreviations
http://www.adminprof.com/stateabr.htm

I hope that clears things up.

Best regards,
Rainbow

PS- For TS: Actually I'm closer to Bryan's timezone than you think. :)

Wow, Rainbow, Many thanks for clearing up my confusion ...

So, WA also stands for Washington ... Well you learn something every day.

I can now understand why Orcas Island is known as 'The Gem of the Don Juans'.

Obviously, it's a discreet reference to Bill C*****n's time in the White House.

No Longer Puzzled or Confused but

Truly Enlightened of Hove

Dear Puzzled,

No, President Bush has not taken over Australia . . . . . yet . . .

What Phil was suggesting was that you take the polar flight, which
should lead directly over the Western Canadian border to 172 rocky
islands (at low tide) and what we LAUGHINGLY call the "Banana Belt of
the Pacific Northwest"  . . . and then on to Australia.

Essential travel items: sunglasses, flowered shirt . . . and don't
forget your Wellies!

Ever the helpful, 
your
Latrine
 
p.s. here's photo of our house . . . . it's a fixer-upper, but it has
a certain charm ... don't you think?
http://www.outerworlds.com/sanantonio/Purdy/outhouse.jpg

Hi, Irene

Many thanks for the photo ... I am very much looking forward to my
visit ... but I can't make out the number on the door. Or has it
simply got a name?

However, I am even more confused to find that I have to travel across
Canada en route to Western Ausralia.

I can now understand why all those Canadian Geese keep getting lost.

Puzzled & Confused of Hove

Dear Confoozed,

I think rainbow has done a splendid job of answering your question,
and, for keeping her up way past bedtime, don't you think she deserves
five twinklies and a wee tip?  I know you're probably just having
breakkie, but we on the other side of the pond are knodding off!

may I suggest you try this link to help clear up any further muddle:
http://www.sanjuanweb.com/answerman/

gotta catch the angel train . . . !

ta!

Latrine

ZZZzzzzzzzz

Bryan-
I'm glad I was able to help. Thank you very much for the rating and tip.
Best wishes,
Rainbow

'Ullo Guvna,

It's bleedin' 'ot down unda, I tell ya. The Guiness is tu cold 'n thay
won't sell a dogs eye as a pie floata. Neva 'erd of it thay say. Ow ya
bin anyow? I betcha bin checkin the Bristols on the street, now it's
reel cold 'n all back in tha ol' dart .. no wot I mean .. cooor ..
enyways, I woz juss checkin out this tarts deaf wen sum geeza warks up
n sez, "By chance, would you know Probo"? Git a load o' that Guv, "By
chance" .. what a toff.

Enny way .. "Probo?" I sez .. "Probo? .. evrywun nose Probo". "Fact is
sunshine, Probo woz givin ordiance at tha Vatikan. Up on tha balc'ny
he woz. Wavin' at his thowsunds o' chums belo. I woz in tha square o'
corse. Then a stranga ta me sez "Bleedin' good ta see Probo, but whose
tha geeza in tha funni tit'fa 'n white dress"?

So eny wayz Guvna, tha geeza giv me a messuge fer ya. I writ it down,
so 'ope i git tha spelin rite. Mus 'it tha frog 'n toad, lef me
kippers on tha stove.

Yors fatefully, Granville

ps Bort miself a nu bag o' frute las week on accounta been givun tha
sack. I woz Shop Stuard, no wot I meen? Tha pillicks sed I whinged tu
much. Mite tri me 'and at politiks .. nu sute 'n all.


Dear Puzzledprobo of Hove,

Ahh .. I detect the source of your confusion. As a seasoned traveller
Puzzled you have experienced a little known phenomenon, Inverted Time
Lapse. The time shift of the perceived paradigm or pattern leaves one
with a sense of arriving before one has set sail. Your experience in
WA (AUS) was indeed real. However, your observation was that of Monkey
Mia and it's ever reliable dolphins visiting the tourists. Whales too
have sighted tourists in that vicinity. Your mixed reference to Don
Juan in lieu of San Juan is understandable. In fact it also correlates
to your other visit to Puerto Rico. Monkey was also the name of a
ship, which leads you back to Orcas Island and the port of Orchard. No
need to fret puzzled one, as a simple remedy is at hand. Further
travels should be undertaken in a westerly direction to return you to
the future.

Remain positive, Dr. Phil

ps A pleasure it was to bump into your friend Granville. He claims to
hail from the uppercrust of English society, citing you as his admired
mentor.

Hi, Phil

Many thanks for your news.

I'm glad to hear that Granville is settling in as Professor of English
at Adelaide University.

Maybe we can meet up when I next come over.

I am sure that Irene will like him, too.

All the Best

Probo

Dear Confused No More,

I apologize.  It was I who was confused over the W-A reference, having
never beeen Down Unda.

How ethnocentric of me.

Still, did you have any luck with the answerman?  Did he fullfill his
promise of being able to inform as to What's Up as well as What's
Down?  (this might've helped with the latitude problem...)

The geese have seen the light now too and are preparing for take-off:
http://www.countrybynet.com/attachments/files/14129-Reving%20into%20the%20wind.jpg

Also, apologies to rainbow. With a name like that I thought she must
hail from the Left Coast.

Just goes to show what thinking will do!!  

As for this Granville fellow, I think he would be a perfect match for
Latrine . . . eh?

ta ta for now,

ts

Dear Dr. Phil,

Does one have to be a seasoned traveller to experience Inverted Time Lapse?

I never leave the rock and my time inverts and lapses more often than
I care to admit...

Curious of Orcatraz,

timespacette

Dear Curious of Orcatraz,

Thank you for your interesting question and observation. ITL is a rare
condition endured only by the very frequent traveller. Many a bell
curve has been drawn to indicate the close association with deep vein
thrombosis, or DVT.

The condition to which you refer may in fact be the diametrically
opposed condition suffered by almost half the world's populous. Post
Meridian Tension, or PMT generally appears post noon and is a cyclic
condition best observed from a distance. Should you ever suffer ITL,
DVT and PMT in unison, please stay indoors.

Must go as I see a silhouette knocking at my door .. is it Queen
Latifa ? .. hhmm .. looks a bit like Whoopi .. ahhh no it's OK, it's
Oprah.

Dr Phil