san juan / lopez bike tour
man, it's been a week and i've not been able to find any time to write about our trip to the san juan islands. well, went to do a late 30th birthday celebration. there were six of us.
the plan was driving up after work on friday, convening at the ferry terminal with our bikes and gear to walk on to the ferry to lopez where we'd do the quick 4 mile ride to the state park where there was a campsite reserved for us.
M and i packed the night before. although my bag was about 30% bigger, hers was somehow 30% heavier. didn't find that out until after the dark ride from the ferry to the campsite. whoops! pretty tough duty to carry such a heavy back on a bike (carrying a moderate bag is hard enough). she managed, however and we enjoyed burritos and wine on our first night.
nice camping spot. the campground has about 10 or so sites that are accessed only by hiking or biking. it gives them a certain seclusion and have the added benefit of being on the beach.
saturday was a sweet 50 or so mile ride around san juan island. we went sufficiently slow to really enjoy it and fun was had by all. after the ride we went grocery shopping and hopped on the ferry to get back to lopez. dinner was rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and carrots and potatoes roasted over the fire. ah yeah! copious wine and beer was involved as well.
we also devised new and better ways to make s'mores. the best design award goes to seth who, after roasting the marshmallow, wrapped the whole thing in foil and returned the package to the fire, which beautifully melted the chocolate. notable mention goes to ian who tried the cedar plank method of finishing off the s'more. worked brilliantly unitl the plank burned up. peanut butter cups from trader joe's graced our s'mors to make them oh so tasty. damned good, actually.
sunday morning it was drizzling, which caused our morning mood to be less chipper than saturday. none the less, we managed to enjoy our oatmeal and get packed up. we rode to the local bakery to enjoy pastries and coffee. M and i got back to the 130 ferry while the others rode around the island and caught a later ferry.
i highly recommend lopez and spencer spit state park for anybody wanting to enjoy the islands. the ride from the ferry is short enough that anybody with a little determination, regardless of skill level, could ride with backpack to the campground (sites 43-50 are the best). the island itself is small and basically flat and features several parks. again, a person of any cycling ability could enjoy riding there and also do other activities to have a very enjoyable weekend.
