What a fantastic choice of trips! I would love to see orca whales and otters (one of my favorite ani

When you re nestled into a closed-top sea kayak, you sit low in the hull. You re not on top of the water as much as you re in it. Secure in your seat, your legs are slightly bent and your feet are braced against the pedals. Covering your legs and torso is a waterproof spray skirt, which keeps you dry from splashes of water or drips off your paddle.
As you dip your paddle into the water and propel yourself forward, you might feel as if your boat is an extension of your body. This is the most magical part of sea kayaking. You can steer yourself around a bed of bull kelp or position yourself to take the wake off a passing boat with only gentle rocking. You are in control of your boat just as you are in control of your own body.
I vividly remember my second time in a sea kayak. I recall my first time, too a quick urban paddle in Seattle s Lake Union past funky houseboats. That was fun, to be sure. But it was my second kayak experience a wilderness escape in the briny, cold waters of Southeast Alaska that was the benchmark. I paddled for several days with a friend who was an experienced kayaker into inlets and through passages in Sitka Sound, camping along the way on uninhabited islands in the Tongass National Forest. Every moment was filled with anticipation for a glimpse of a whale tail or the flash of a grizzly bear as it ambled off a beach and into the woods. Never have I felt so immersed in the natural world around me as I did in that boat in Sitka Sound.
Northwest TripFinder has teamed up with one of our sponsors, Outdoor Odysseys , to give away a summer guided kayak trip in the beautiful San Juan Islands . With 175-forested islands surrounded vanguard car rental employee self service by crystal-green waters and snow-capped mountains, the San Juan Islands are an idyllic sea-kayaking destination. Imagine yourself paddling here among orca whales, bald eagles, dall porpoise and harbor seals.
No experience in a sea kayak? No problem beginners are very welcome on Outdoor vanguard car rental employee self service Odysseys guided vanguard car rental employee self service trips. In fact, I highly recommend a trip with expert guides and a reputable company like Outdoor Odysseys if you re a beginner. They ll help you learn all about kayak safety, and teach you key paddling techniques like how to steer your boat or how to conserve vanguard car rental employee self service your energy. Also, their guides are out on the water every day and know so much about the natural history and ecology of the islands, and they re eager to share it with you.
What else can you expect on a guided excursion with Outdoor Odysseys? Their guides are proficient in the art of Dutch oven cookery to make mouth-watering dishes such as smoked vanguard car rental employee self service salmon pesto fettuccine and apple-cinnamon cobblers. Factor in good company and great views from a waterfront vanguard car rental employee self service campsite and you've got the makings of a superb getaway.
Your adventure begins vanguard car rental employee self service in the morning at the ferry landing in Friday Harbor, where you will be picked up and driven to San Juan County Park on the west side of San Juan Island. After a thorough dry land orientation covering vanguard car rental employee self service paddling techniquesand safety stuff, the group will get out on the water! The morning will be spent near Lime Kiln State Park, a fantastic area for spotting orca whales. After a picnic lunch (provided) at a beautiful little cove with a chance for some tidepooling, vanguard car rental employee self service the group will paddle for a few more hours, exploring the rocky shores of San Juan Island. You ll return back to Friday Harbor between vanguard car rental employee self service 5 and 5:30 PM, in time to catch the evening ferry back to Anacortes or grab a bite in town if you plan to stay the night.
vanguard car rental employee self service Imagine spending two whole days in the heart of the best whale habitat on the west coast. Using San Juan County Park as a base camp, your group will spend these days paddling in Haro Strait, the body of water that separates San Juan Island from Vancouver Island.  This area is considered one of the world's best orca whale watching sites – providing superb vanguard car rental employee self service opportunities for viewing over 85+ orca whales. After an invigorating day of paddling, you'll relax over a dinner of smoked salmon pesto fettuccine and organic salad greens washed down with bottled wines. vanguard car rental employee self service For dessert? Hard to imagine which will knock your socks off more – freshly vanguard car rental employee self service baked Dutch oven apple crisp or the sun setting over Vancouver Island. Want more? Ask your guide to take you out for a magical evening "bioluminesence" paddle!
vanguard car rental employee self service This is the trip of a lifetime! Spend three days paddling the beautiful San Juan Islands viewing vanguard car rental employee self service awesome wildlife and two nights enjoying award winning micro-brews of the Pacific Northwest. Outdoor Odysseys will be pairing Full Sail Brewery beers with delicious camp cuisine – guaranteed to please the most discriminating palate while you relax and enjoy the sublime view! Sample menu paired with Full Sail brews: Baked brie with pecans, sun dried tomato chicken sausage with wild rice and freshly baked Dutch oven gingerbread topped with whipped cream and blueberries.
To enter and possibly win one of the three kayak trips listed vanguard car rental employee self service above from Outdoor Odysseys, tell me what wildlife you d most like to see in the San Juan Islands. You must answer vanguard car rental employee self service this question by leaving a comment below. By leaving a comment, you will have the opportunity to subscribe to our monthly email newsletter, Trail News, but you will need to respond to the verification email you receive if you want to subscribe.
To enter the Outdoor Odysseys Giveaway, you must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry, or legal age to enter sweepstakes as required by each state. Employees of Northwest TripFinder or Outdoor Odysseys vanguard car rental employee self service and their immediate family members and household companions are not eligible. Void where prohibited or restricted by law or regulatory agency. The prize must be used in 2012. The winner will choose one of the three prizes outlined vanguard car rental employee self service above, contingent on space availability. If there is not space available on the winner s chosen prize and preferred trip date, they may choose a different date or different prize from those listed above.
A random drawing will be conducted by Northwest TripFinder on Monday, June 25, 2012 from all eligible entries received. The winner will be contacted via the email the winner provided when they entered. The winner will be notified by e-mail within two business days of the drawing. If the prize notification is returned as undeliverable the winner will forfeit his or her prize and an alternate winner may be selected. If the winner is found to be ineligible or declines the prize for any reason, an alternate winner may be selected. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. The giveaway entry period will end June 24, 2012, at 8:00PM PST.
We have a winner! Using an online random number generator to choose a winner from among our 68 entries, the winner vanguard car rental employee self service is Wendy Maurer Of Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island.  Congratulations, Wendy! You are going kayaking with Outdoor Odysseys !
There is nothing quite like seeing an Orca whale glide past you . in the San Juans, they are such a treat to see. Hope to make it to the San Juans this summer to enjoy everything there such an incredible destination.
I would love to see as well as be in the presence of pretty much all the wildlife the San Juans have to offer. Kayaking in the calm ocean alongside a giant orca, watching vanguard car rental employee self service bald eagles glide overhead, vanguard car rental employee self service and herds of elk (or moose?) or a bear or 2 on shore would be pretty darn neat. Please pick me!
I would love to see an Orca Whale. When I was working on a fire crew we were clearing brush on San Juan Island. During my morning run I saw a baby about 500 feet away down the cliff in a little inlet. That was so amazing! I will forever be in search for an experience as great.
I was trying to think of something clever, but whales are just too much of a draw. We have seen whales, and we have been kayaking in the beautiful PNW, but we have never done both at once. Perhaps that will change!
I ve seen Orcas from a distance and been on a kayak once and I would love to be on a kayak and see Orcas at the same time! Oh I just wrote my comment before I looked at the other comments and see that mine is almost the same as Caanan s! I m sure that many of us feel the same way!
Orcas, otters, eagles, all things PNW related in the San Juans would be an experience by kayak I have envisioned for a long time-either as a family or as a single-it would be wonderful. Thanks to the businesses for the opportunity to enter.
vanguard car rental employee self service What a fantastic choice of trips! I would love to see orca whales and otters (one of my favorite animals) up close in a kayak. It s been a while since I ve visited the San Juan Islands, so would love to return and rediscover.
It is my dream to see whales! I LOVE being out in a kayak and feeling like I am part of the ocean. Yet I would be nervous around a whale unless I was with some with that experience. I can hear the water calling me
I d love to have the chance to learn how to Kyak for more than 2 hours at a time and to see all of the wildlife. Of course an Orca would be awesome, but seals, eagles and bears (at a distance) would be fun too.
I miss the NW now that I live in the Mid-west, and would love to see the eagles fishing, and hear the Orcas inhale with their mammal lungs. And the magical sea otters, and the harbor seals, and moose, and salmon running, and a bear picking blackberries.
I have always wanted to spend time in the San Juans and still havnt made it there yet. My dream since 4 years old was to be a marine biologist and then life took a different turn, now at 43 have recently decided to return to college now that my kids are almost all high schoolers and finally make that dream come true. I would absolutely love the experience of seeing Orcas in the wild for the first time.
I would love to see Orcas and the various sea birds that live on and around the islands. As a kid I went on a whale watching tour of the area, but my mom was afraid I d get seasick so gave me something for the motion. I fell asleep on our way out on the water missed all the action! I think it s time for a redemp