The San Juan Islands are a magical destination. A group of islands cast between Vancouver Island and the northern mainland coast of Washington State, they range from surprisingly sophisticated to off-the-grid hideaways. Congestion is unknown. There isn't a single traffic signal in all of San Juan County. One hundred seventy-three islands of varying size make up the archipelago on the ancient Salish Sea. The native Indians call this place the birthplace of man, a Garden of Eden, with evidence of their inhabitancy dating back some 5,000 years. Protected behind the Olympic Mountains, the San Juan Islands enjoy a temperate climate with less than half the rain fall of near-by Seattle. Average summer temperature ranges between 70-80 degrees and is nearly void of the fog that signals summer in San Francisco and the Monterey Bay.