I recently visited Vendovi Island, part of the San Juan Island Preservation Trust, for the first time.

[cremevax@infosec.exchange]

I recently visited Vendovi Island, part of the San Juan Island Preservation Trust, for the first time. It is a small island between Guemes Island and Lummi Island with about three miles of easy walking trails to explore. The only way there is by boat/kayak. https://sjpt.org/visit-our-preserves/vendovi-island-preserve/

[cremevax@infosec.exchange]

But perhaps you would like to know some weird Vendovi Island facts. Here ya go:

The island’s reader board says it was named after a Fiji chieftain, Veidovi, who was being taken to New York to stand trial for the murder of sailors associated a 1840 South Pacific sailing expedition: https://sjpt.org/a-long-journey-home/. He died shortly thereafter and his skull was put on display at the US Patent Office?!?

For a while the island was inhabited by members of the Father Divine religious cult. After the death of its leader, Jim Jones tried to take the cult over by claiming to be the reincarnation of Father Divine. As the Wikipedia page on the cult explains, this was problematic from a math point of view, as Jim Jones had already been born before Father Divine died.

When you walk the trials you might happen on a clearing with an unexpected memorial to John Fluke of Fluke Instruments fame?!? Fluke bought the island in the 1960s, and his family sold the island to the San Juan Preservation Trust after he died. I guess there was some sort of understanding that the big memorial would remain.

[mlanger@mastodon.world]

@cremevax I need to check that out. It's remarkably close to where my boat lives at Squalicum Harbor.

[cremevax@infosec.exchange]

@mlanger I’m glad I finally went after passing by it so many times. Also, we saw no one outside our party while we were there!