Riding San Juan Island (part 2)

Spring Street - Friday Harbor's main drag,
and departure route for cars coming off the ferry

There is really no way to avoid hill-climbing on San Juan Island, but on most routes around the island the downhill runs balance out the climbs nicely. I'm not wild about hill-climbing, either, but I do enjoy long downhill stretches where I can lean in and fly. Over the summer we had two shop customers who had unhappy experiences only a mile or two away from the shop, both of them beginners who panicked on a downhill stretch and wiped out in the ditch. Neither was hurt badly, but the crashes spoiled their days, and it was distressing for us at the shop, too.

As I've mentioned before, wifi signals on the island are not reliable, so I strongly recommend taking along a paper map. Free tourist maps are pretty good, even though they don't show hills or mileage. Also, be sure to carry along food and drink because there are few shops or services outside of the town of Friday Harbor. Snack bars, restrooms and tourist centers in the parks are only open Memorial Day through Labor Day.

After my first ventures on Cattle Point Road to American Camp, I went for a ride around the island by way of Bailer Hill Road, to West Side Road, returning to town on Roche Harbor Road. This loop is only about 25-30 miles long and stronger riders can do it in only a few hours, but you'll pass many of the island's most scenic spots along the way. I brought along a sandwich and snacks and made it a day-trip. The rolling hills on West Side Road are tiring to ride, but there are wide-open views across Haro Strait to Vancouver Island. Lime Kiln Park, also known as Whale Watch Park, is a good view point for anyone who doesn't want to pay for a cruise or kayak adventure, but whales have been scarce recently. There is a little lighthouse, and historical exhibits about the lime kiln that operated there past WWII, burning up most of the old-growth trees on the island along with the rock itself. A little farther on is San Juan County Park, with a beach where kayak launching and camping space is available. West Side Road turns on to Mitchell Bay Road which passes an alpaca farm, where I saw two mild-eyed white alpacas munching grass while wading belly-deep in a pond. (Someone keeps a camel at another farm on the island, I forget which road.) English Camp Historic Park is situated at Westcott and Garrison Bays. This is the settlement established by British-Canadian forces that opposed the Americans who camped at the other end of the island during the Pig War. From there I rode as far as the Roche Harbor airfield then headed back to town on Roche Harbor Road, which has wide bike lanes on both sides and more gentle rolling hills. This is a popular out-and-back ride for tourists, about ten miles each way. The road passes by San Juan Vineyards, but some riders don't make it past the winery tours there.

Along False Bay Road

This loop is the main sight-seeing route around the island. But my off-work days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday gave me a whole summer of three-day "weekends" to explore the central roads on the island. My last post mentioned my favorite False Bay loop. Once I rode several miles along Roche Harbor Road, then turned off on Egg Lake Road, which runs past some little lakes or ponds, and a quarry on a steep bluff that looms up on the right. Egg Lake Road connects to Beaverton Valley Road, where you can turn left back to town, or right toward West Valley Road, or take a central route on Boyce Road.

Please Drive Slowly Lane, just off San Juan Valley Road

These smaller connector roads through the center of the island are where many year-round islanders live and operate small farms and businesses. There are some equestrian ranches, with lower-budget camping or "glamping" space. You'll see a lot of quirky island humor along with rustic homes and farm scenes and I really enjoyed rambling around at random, though I did get mixed up sometimes about which roads connected, and which one passed some spot I wanted to revisit. But that just gave me more opportunity to explore.

Near the end of the summer I finally visited Roche Harbor Resort, and the upscale community at the end of the road that branches off to the left from the little airfield. There were a lot of custom homes under construction here over the summer on the steep slopes above the resort, and some pricey shops and restaurants at the marina, catering to high-end tourists and owners of pricey homes and real estate nearby. I stopped here for coffee and a snack, but it seemed that bicycle shop workers are looked on with some suspicion here. Still, Roche Harbor people were some of the bike shop's best customers over the summer, even though they could be demanding at times.

Alternative transportation modes, along Schoolhouse Road No. 2

I'm sorry for the long delay between posts - I've had some trouble getting my wifi set up running since I got back to Ferndale. Also, I'm sorry for the poor quality of my photos. Now I regret not having brought along a better camera.