Tourists...

You may be thinking I am going to say something about the tourists on San Juan Island... au contrare.

"Thanks!  Have a good trip."  That's what the young man in the grocery store said to me.

It was a beautiful day in the San Juan Islands - delightfully sunny when we got up.  No work schedule today (other than a staff meeting this evening); our plan: scootering around the island.  We walked to the bikes, carrying our jackets.  Didn't need them for the uphill walk to the scoots.  Looking back at the marina...

It is easy to see why we like it here; especially when Mother Nature blesses us with weather like this.

No real destination in mind, just wanted to ride some of the great roads on this small island; about 16 miles north to south, 10 miles across.  We rode south to the end of the island: Cattle Pass.  I go through here regularly on the whale watch boat.  It looks way different from land...

In the water in the background, you can see Whale Rocks, Long Island, and the southern tip of Lopez Island.  Heading back north, we stopped at a turn out to view the Strait of Juan de Fuca...

The water was gloriously calm today.  In the distance, you can barely see the Olympic Mountains at the horizon.  Then, on to South Beach...

Not what we think of when you mention "beach."  Mostly small rocks.  The land that you can just start to see through the haze is Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada).  From a higher vantage point, we had a great view of Haro Strait...

Look really close, and you might be able to make out a couple small whale watch boats out there... yes, we could see the whales, but I only brought the wide angle lens - didn't plan on doing any whale watching from the scooters.  ;-)

Heading eas, there is a nice view of Griffin Bay...

On to American Camp.  This is where American Troops were stationed during the Pig War - a 12 year "skirmish" between the US and England, with each side claiming ownership of this island.  Only one shot was fired... and the only casualty: a pig.  Look it up sometime - it is an interesting bit of history.

We turned north again, and drove along the west side of the island.  Great roads, perfect for the scooter!

The fastest speed limit on the island is 45 mph; other sections of road (like the above) are slower than that.  The blacktop is decent, ideal for the scooters.  The summer tourist season hasn't started, yet, and the roads were blissfully traffic-free.

Next stop: False Bay...

From Haro Strait, this looks like a safe harbor when the tide is up.  When the tide is out, it is a rocky mud flats.  You can see the steam rising, where the sun is baking the mud.  I can only imagine how many boats this bay captured over the years.

Back on the road...

The terrain on this small island is varied - the land slopes up from the Salish Sea around it, so the roads are twisty and hilly.  The riding is great!

Another great vista, looking west across Haro Strait...

The haze in the distance has dissipated, you can see Vancouver Island and some of the smaller islands on its east side better... and the whale watch boats.  Joan did her "happy dance;" glad to see the whales out there, glad to be playing on our scoots...

North past Lime Kiln State Park.  Some traffic on the road here...

Oh, deer!  We drove down a steep road, into Snug Harbor.  Plenty of new development since the last time we were here.  Back to the scootin'...

Densely wooded to open farmland.  Every corner holds a new view.  Having the scoots here has given me a completely different perspective on this beautiful island.

We rode back into Friday Harbor - Joan said those words I love to hear: "How about some ice cream?"  The woman can see into my heart.  ;-)  We rode south along the water, catching views of Turn Island, then came back north into town.  A stop at the grocery store before we had to get back to the boat.

It was at the grocery store where the young man checking us out said, "Have a good trip."

I thought to myself, "Am I going somewhere?"  Then realized: on this beautiful day, the locals are all wearing shorts and tank tops.  We drove by a woman and a small child on Jackson Beach (yeah, rocks) wearing swimsuits.  It is about 70º.  We are wearing jackets.  (Hey, it's cooler on the scoots!)  I have a camera around my neck.  Yeah, I look like a tourist.  Well, not just any old tourist: a scooter tourist!  ;-)