Visiting the San Juan Islands in Washington has been on my bucket list for some time. Something is appealing about riding a ferry from island to island.
Over the Memorial Day weekend this year we traveled to Anacortes, WA with another couple and waited in line to drive onto the ferry to Lopez Island. On the trip over we got a short glimpse of an Orca’s dorsal fin. Being on the water and passing green islands is worth the 30-minute trip by itself.
Lopez is a sleepy, rural island. The village of Lopez has a few shops and there is a well-stocked grocery store. We stayed at the Lopez Islander Resort on Fisherman Bay. The view from our room was outstanding with the various boats moored in the bay. On our last evening we were rewarded with an absolutely beautiful sunset. The atmosphere is very relaxing with minimal traffic and no signals. It’s the kind of place that forces you to slow down and enjoy nature.
On Saturday after attending to the local outdoor Farmer’s Market we took the free walk-on ferry to San Juan Island and Friday Harbor. The ferry dropped us off within a short city block of shopping and restaurants. A very friendly local recommended Haley’s Sports Bar and Grill only a block up the street. We were advised to have the shrimp scampi and Thai pizza that turned out to be possibly the tastiest pizza I have ever had. Next door was the theater and we watched Top Gun Maverick before boarding the ferry for our return trip to Lopez.
The Washington State Ferry system was efficient and reasonable. My truck with four passengers cost $84 for the round trip from Anacortes and the walk-on ferry system from island to island is free. Make sure to obtain an on-line reservation before you go.
Lopez is a small island (about 13 miles from tip to tip and 3-4 miles wide). There are numerous wonderful parks and beaches. Our favorites were Agate Beach and Watmough Head where we sat on a log and watched two sea otters doing the back stroke in the bay. One other person was sharing the beach with us.
One gets the impression of being very far away from the hustle and bustle of the likes of Seattle and Portland while being a short scenic ferry ride and back onto I-5 and into reality. We had a relaxing and wonderful weekend, and I can now check it off my bucket list.
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