Absolutely stunning, warm, cloudless sunny (after the morning fog burned off) day to ride Lopez Island! My "mechanic" again borrowed his buddy's Rad City, so there would be no need of waiting for him at him tops of hills
. It's not the greatest bike in the world, but, it got the job done!
It seemed like every cyclist and their mother was going to the San Juans today - I'd hate to see what it's like on a summer weekend! Lots of ebikes too - a little more than half, from what I could see. They ran the gamut from fancy high-end Bulls to a Fuji e-cross city, a couple of Gocycle folders, the Rad City, and other assorted brands. It was wonderful to see the variety of ebikes and riders out enjoying this spectacular day!
The ferry out of Anacortes was a little over an hour late departing, due to said fog, but, finally, after some willy-nilly loading ("Bikers! Use your kick stands if you got 'em! Otherwise, tie up somewhere!), We were on our way. Sadly, masks are required everywhere except on the car deck again, due to our rising Delta variant Covid numbers. Thanks a LOT, antivaxxers
.
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The ferry landing on Lopez is a lonely little spot on the north end of the island; nothing else around for miles. Our first stop after a steep-ish uphill off the landing and a nice downhill coast after, was Odlin Park, about a mile from the dock:
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After enjoying the view, we hit the road again, heading south and east to Spencer Spit State Park. We carried our Park Pass with us, so we wouldn't have to pay the $10 daily use fee. At $30 per year, it's a great deal! After parking and locking the bikes, we hiked the short trail down through the woods and out to the end of the spit:
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This is all the room boats have to pass between the end of the spit and the little Island (and, that's my "mechanic", providing perspective
). Unfortunately, though we did see some pretty big ones plowing through as we walked out, there were none while we were at water's edge:
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Here's the view back across the spit. There are a decent amount of boat moorings available offshore (you need a dinghy to land), and it's a very popular spot:
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Back on the road, continuing south, we spotted some "wildlife"
:
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They did NOT like having their photo taken, and trundled away, all in a huff, right after I got this shot!
We continued south for a bit more, then crossed the island and turned back north again along Fisherman Bay Road, towards Lopez Village, the only town in the island.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot open in the village, which was surprising, considering the number of cyclists and cars about. Thank goodness, the ice cream shop was open, though masks are required inside again:
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Pretty views up the west coast and towards the village at the mouth of Fisherman Bay:
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After walking around the village a bit and enjoying a toffee coffee ice cream, it was time to head back to the ferry dock. We had been watching the Washington State Ferry website and knew the boat was still running nearly an hour late, so we took our time getting back to our starting point.
Loaded with the same precision ("Come on, people, let's go! To the right! Stack 'em up! Stack 'em up!") by the same deck hand as our outbound journey, we scooched in, waited for the vehicles to load, and were on our way back to Anacortes:
.
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This is just the front "row" - the rest of us were squeezed in amongst the cars.
A vehicle shot - quarters were quite tight, and many cars and trucks were left waiting at least 2 hours for the next boat! :
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Here's the ride:
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20.63 miles, according to Mi Fit. The
Giant Ride Control app lost contact with the bike at the beginning of the ride, and failed to record! Always have a back up recorder!!!
The great PNW is such a jewel of a place, especially on sunny summer days! So grateful we get to live here!
!
I love those kind of turtles cause we used to keep them as pets when we were kids. Had one for a bit that was only about 2 inches long. Little bastage latched onto the web between my thumb and forefinger and wouldn't let go. Guess he didn't fancy being a pet turtle.
