Let's face it: Cycling is fun.
Taking up that motto, I set out last week with Laurel and our road bikes for the San Juans. We were based out of Lopez, where Hitch was good enough to let us hang out. The ferry ride was easy and beautiful. Baker was out in force, too.
Hitch's spread is very quiet and very close to Nature. It's hard to distinguish from camping, especially in good weather, which we had endless amounts of (save for foggy mornings).
Our first day was full of us riding all of Lopez. And I mean all of Lopez. We missed maybe 3 miles of road down the center, but went out to every bluff and every shoreline road. It's a cool island, very laid back and easy to navigate. The locals were plenty unfriendly, but hey, it's the end of summer and they're probably tired. It's like we used to say on Catalina, "F* off and come back soon!" You need their money, but it can get to be too much.
We also made a good survey of the two campgrounds on the Island, Odlin County Park and Spencer Spit (WA State). Spencer Spit is peaceful and well positioned, but it is far more of an RV site than you might like. Many sites did not have tent beds, presumably because there is no demand. Odlin, on the other hand, is fantastic. The primitive sites on the other hand are absolutely idealic. Views of the islands and the straits; hidden, but not far from the main camp area or toilets.
The ride was a whopping 39.1 miles and we found our way back easily, thanks to Laurel's excellent sense of navigation. I decided that it was a good idea for me to bash my leg.
Lots of ice and an overlong happy hour in front of the sunset over Mt. Baker did a lot to heal me, though.
The next day it was time for Island hopping. We debated the merits of San Juan (larger, less familiar) and Orcas (gorgeous, well-known, and hilly) and in the end, the ferry scheduled decided it for San Juan. We left a little early and stopped in at Lopez Village. It's very sleepy. After walking for 10 minutes, Laurel announces, "If I lived here, I'd blow my f*ing brains out!" It's probably true. Kinda slow -- it takes a special kind of fella.
We cruised down to the ferry and we dressed, pulled the bikes off the rack, and set sail. Ferries, by the way, are both free between islands and, much easier to board without a car. I highly recommend it.
San Juan was great. We had awesome weather, there were constant, constant rollers and though the mid-point of the island was kind of "same-y", the north end and in particular Westside Dr. (southbound) is stunning. We cruised along, watching the sun beat down on the endless golden water and visited Lime Kiln (itself a stunner of a campsite) and English Camp. After stopping at English Camp, Laurel noted he had another National Park under his belt. I was asking him to list the others when a wasp stung him, giving birth to a splendid cursing streak and an additional installment in Lola's pantheon of Bee Sting Stories.
Lots of nice way-finding and an unexpectedly nice cross-island road and then we even had time to stop at the Brewpub just in front of the ferry. I attribute our good luck there again to being able to board the ferry without ticket or hassle.
We made it home, and had a longer night of hanging out that the previous night when Laurel fell asleep at 9:30. I observe that Papa work is hard work.
Just before Laurel went to bed, I tried to cajole him into finishing off the Scotch with me, but he wouldn't. He told me I could get my $10 loss at backgammon the night before back if I finished on my own. I sat there and tried for another hour, but then decided it would be a bad idea to finish it entirely. So, I cleaned out a used beer bottle and put the remainder of the Scotch into it, leaving the empty bottle and empty glass on the table for him to find the following morning. It worked like a charm: he woke up with ever deepening surprise (and suspicion) that anyone could drink that much whiskey without suffering more than I was. I did, however, take advantage of him enough to get him to excuse my debt. Good sport.
We cleaned up as best we could, did some towels, and then drove to the ferry terminal to wait through two ferries before embarking for home. It's slow getting off of Lopez, even!!
We had lunch in Mt. Vernon [thanks to Laurel for the correction] and a (for me) brief ride before turning back. Laurel rode home, out of water, and spent, but behind some curious dude turning out 19 mph, so he was at least dragged and bedraggled.
What a great trip! Can't wait to repeat it.
