Geography Lesson

For those unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest, I thought a quick geography lesson might be in order. Place your right hand on a flat surface, palm down. Extend your thumb so it’s at right angles to your fingers. Your fingers are the British Columbia mainland, and your hand is Washington State. Your thumb is the shoreline of the Olympic Peninsula, the tip being Neah Bay and Cape Flattery, the furthest NW point in the lower 48 states. Keep your right hand where it is, and make a fist with your left hand. Place it, knuckles down, above your right thumb, so the thumbs are parallel, about an inch apart, and the tip of your left thumb is about 2 inches from your right hand. Still with me? Good! Your left hand is Vancouver Island. The San Juan Islands are located in the curve of your right hand between your thumb and fingers. San Juan Island is the westernmost of the islands. If the tip of your left thumb is Victoria, San Juan Island is about a half inch up your fist. There! Now you know where we are!