San Juan Islands

[tangentgirl]

I'm doing this next week. Woohoo! Can't wait. Anyone have any suggestions of other things to while island-hopping? Must-sees?

[tangentgirl]

Can't wait to do it again sometime. Went to San Juan, Orcas & Lopez. Rolling hills, beautiful scenery, AWESOME FOOD. I swear all the veggies were out of the back yard. And the fish.

Note about Orcas Island, MapMyRide.com has to be underestimating the climb. No way it's only 300 ft over 20 miles. It gets really tough, especially around Moran State Park. Also, there is an Orcas Island Shuttle that has bike racks - next time I go, I'll take the shuttle to the other side of the island, drop the gear where I'm staying, then attack the hills. The shuttle has set pickup/drop points, but they'll also veer off course if you call them.

Everywhere we stayed was nice. Doe Bay Resort & Retreat on Orcas gave us a $10 per person discount for being on bikes and therefore carbon neutral. (Guess the shuttle next time might negate that.) They also had the best dinner, and a hot tub and sauna (clothing optional )

Best roads were on San Juan, although all of them were very well maintained. SJ's had consistently large shoulders.

There were bike shops in the main towns too - Friday Harbor (SJ), East Sound (Orcas) and Lopez Village (Lopez).

Finally, this looks fun: http://www.wildlifecycles.com/wildlife100.html. We were leaving the 15th, but maybe next year!

[lauraelmore1033]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! I'm filing the info away for future reference...