Fly Me to the Moon
During the entire trip Mr. Mustang was under the assumption that we would be taking the Victoria Clipper back home however I had other plans. The return ferry to Seattle doesn’t leave Friday Harbor until 5pm and arrives in the city at 8pm so I wasn’t in the mood to get home late on a Sunday night. Kenmore Air is the most direct way to travel back and forth from the San Juans to Seattle but also the most costly. One way tickets cost around $150/person but total travel time only takes 30 – 45 minutes. This is my third time taking Kenmore Air but for Mr. Mustang, it was going to be his first. His birthday was coming up and I’m more of an ‘experience’ gift giver so I thought that this would be a nice surprise.
The Kenmore Air pick up spot from Roche Harbor is located at the far end of the main marina dock near the US customs booth. I wanted to keep the plane trip a surprise so I suggested to Mr. Mustang that before we leave for Friday Harbor, we should walk the dock one last time. Mr. Mustang still assumed we are taking the clipper home so he thought nothing of it.
After we reached the end of the dock and taking in the view, I got a text message that exact moment from Kenmore Air saying our flight has been delayed at least 30 minutes. Well great, how am I going to convince Mr. Mustang to stand in this spot for 30 more minutes? I stared at the sky for a solid four minutes hoping that the plane would magically appear. After a long pause, I decided to break the news and told him about the surprise Kenmore Air flight and unfortunately it’s going to be a bit of a wait. Mr. Mustang was more amused that I was frustrated about my second attempt to surprise gift him failed than him realizing he was taking a float plane home.
45 minutes later, our plane landed and after a quick roll call with the pilot, we loaded our bags, picked our seats and buckled up for a quick flight. The plane ride itself was actually quite smooth despite the weather we were flying through. Since the San Juans are in a rain shadow thanks to the Olympics, the weather was relatively clear and we got a great view of the greater Puget Sound area. By the time we crossed the Straight, clouds filled most of the sky and we hardly could see the land or sea. The interior was standard for a private aircraft with cushion seats and relatively low ceiling height. In my opinion, there was more legroom in the floatplane than a standard commercial flight but the seats themselves were slightly narrower. Since Kenmore Air uses private aircrafts, the cabin isn’t pressurized and the engine noise is considerably loud. I grew up with a line of Piper planes so I didn’t mind the noise but Kenmore Air does provide earplugs if the noise became too bothersome.
Overall I believe Kenmore Air is the best option to travel to the San Juans but it comes with a price - literally. Flying to the islands only takes 30 minutes and there is no airport security involved so if your plane says it leaves at 12pm, you can arrive at the dock at 11:55am and still make the flight. Out of all the methods to travel, it’s the most efficient, quickest and stylish way to arrive to the islands but keep in mind, the most expensive.
