Day off; first of three. We considered taking the boat to Victoria... looking at the weather, I proposed an alternative: put the scoots on the Inter-Island ferry and ride around Orcas today; get our weekly work (laundry, boat pump out, shopping, etc) done tomorrow when the weather is supposed to be rainy and windy; more scootering on Wednesday. Joan was in.
We took our bikes to the Hungry Clam for breakfast; there is motorcycle parking just down the stairs from the restaurant. Bellies full, off to the gas station for some pricey island fuel ($4.45 for unleaded)... fortunately, it was less than $6 to top off the scoots. 100 miles per gallon for me, 106 for Joan. We drove the scoots to the ferry landing - motorcycles go to the front of the line. No need to get there an hour and a half early with the scoots!
The ferry came in, right on time...
The ferries here come and go to different destinations, so you need to know where you are going and time it. Right to the head of the line...
We watched a couple float planes come in while the other vehicles loaded...
Just before we were ready to leave, one of the ferry workers came up to us and said, "We have to get some big county trucks on here, so I need to move you two - put 'em right over there." (Pointing to the left) I moved mine where he said...
Being very independent, Joan moved to the other side of the ferry...
No, I don't question it... we're all going to the same place. Since this was our first time with the scoots on the ferry, we stayed with them for a few minutes to make sure they seemed solid on their centerstands. Yep. We went inside the passenger area for a comfortable seat...
The ferry turned north in San Juan Channel - nice, we're taking "the scenic route." (It's also the fastest route to Orcas Island.)
Look close - see the scoots on opposite sides of the ferry? We turned into the channel along the Wasp Islands (one of my favorite places in the San Juans)...
Before going to Orcas Island, this ferry stops at Shaw Island...
One of our favorite anchorages at Shaw Island is Blind Bay...
We were surprised to see very few boats in Blind Bay. Might be too early in the season?
There was an announcement over the PA on the ferry: "Due to a delay on the ferry that is currently at the landing on Orcas Island, we will be holding here for a few minutes."
We could see that ferry just getting to the landing. Then, another announcement: "It is taking longer than usual with the ferry that is at Orcas, so we will be delayed another 30 minutes or so." We went back to the passenger seating area; then back out on the deck to watch the other ferry...
When we finally pulled away from Shaw Island, we could see that the other ferry was still at the landing. It wasn't until we were almost on top of them that it began to move. The guy directing traffic off the ferry let Joan go first... then a few other vehicles... then me. It took us a few minutes to connect up. Off to explore the roads on Orcas Island...
The roads from the ferry landing to the community of East Sound reminded me a lot of those on San Juan Island. From there, the road took us through Moran State Park. That Moran name is very familiar to me, from our time in the Tetons; one of the mountains there is named for the painter Thomas Moran... this is not the same namesake. Moran State Park opened in 1921 when Robert Moran, shipbuilder and former mayor of Seattle, donated more than 2,700-acres to the state for a park. Most of the trails, roads, bridges, and buildings in the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. The builders used native materials on site to construct the many stone and wooden shelters and buildings.
The entrance...
More fine road...
We decided to stop in Olga. It has been about 7 years since we spent a couple nights at the dock here...
Joan had suggested ice cream at the Olga Store. Alas, it was closed...
We had read about a couple instances of arson in Olga a couple years ago. Not a lot of activity in that small community today. The artists' co-op along the road is in the process of being rebuilt. No sign of activity at the pottery studio.
Before leaving Olga, we were treated to a fly-over with about a half dozen bald eagles...
Best I could get without a telephoto lens.
We decided to make the trek to the top of Mount Constitution - REALLY great roads!
Beautiful views...
The temp dropped as we climbed the 2,400 feet to the top of Mount Constitution (the highest point in the San Juan Islands). On the way back down, I stopped to get a series of Joan coming through a corner...
And from above, through the trees...
We made our way back to the ferry landing in time to catch the only slightly late 4:25 back to Friday Harbor. Along the way, a sign you don't want to see...
There were also signs for "Fresh Oil" and "Loose Gravel"... the chip seal wasn't fresh, so it wasn't a problem.
Boarded on the ferry, the next one had to wait for us to vacate the dock...
Together on the ferry this time, and proof that I was on this trip...
Great way to spend a day off! :-)
6 comments:
Mary's contrariness must have worn off on Joan (she does things like putting her scooter on the other side of the boat all the time) ;) glad you had a great day off!
We went up to the top of Constitution one Thanksgiving a number of years ago, had to hike through snow ;)
Thanks for the writeup and photos. WE have scooted San Juan Island, Orcas Island, and Shaw Island. I think Orcas is my favorite. Just before we moved from Puyallup, Washington, to Keaau Hawaii, we did one last trip. This time I rode my 2006 Sportster, and my wife rode her SYM HD200. It was a heck of a last huttah. First, we i-5'd it to Olympia, where we took a back highway route to Port Townsend. Then we took the ferry to Coupville on Whidbey Island. Then we rode from Coupeville, over Deception Pass and on to Anacortses, where we took the ferry to Orcas and stayed at the Orcas Hotel for a few days. Coming home, we took the ferry back to Anacortes,Then back over Deception Pass to Coupeville. Took the ferry back to Port Townsend. We then rode to South Worth where we took a ferry from South Worth to Vashon Island. We rode to to the southern tip of Vashon where we took the ferry from Vashon to Tacoma, and then rode home to Puyallup. That's a 4 ferry boat return route. Then we sold our house, my Sportster, etc., and moved to the big island of Hawaii, where we still live today.
Hi Tim - apparently Mary doesn't read this, huh? ;-) Snow? Please refrain from the use of nasty 4-letter words. LOL
Hi Jon - Scootin' on the Big Island sounds good!
Great pictures! Looks like you guys had a blast! Been thinking about getting some scooters for the wife and I. What are the year and models that you have?
Hi Dave - These are Honda PCX 150s. Fuel injected, water cooled. 2013 models. Plenty of pep, comfortable, and they get around 100 mpg. We have been riding motorcycles since we were teenagers... the scooters were Joan's idea... turns out we are having more fun on two wheels these days than we have had in a long time. Who knew? Lots of scooter options out there.
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