I’m on a posting roll here, I can’t post my end of year wrap-up with any outstanding posts to do, so let’s get this done!

Orcas Island. In the San Juan Islands and accessible only by boat. We rented a house way up on a hill with Rebecca’s mother and step-father to get away from town and fireworks for the 4th of July. Lovely place to visit and relax. At first felt too similar to home, but that wore off quickly. Great road riding. I can’t remember all the details, but we had some friends go just after us and I provided them some healthy notes so the following is those unedited (I hope I didn’t say anything too terrible!).

General
  • You can drive from one end of the island to the other in less than an hour.
  • There isn’t much on either end so most drives will be 10-20 minutes depending on where you’re staying.
  • EVERYTHING is in Eastsound with very few exceptions.
  • The other “towns” you see on the map are place names only… Maybe an art gallery, but usually just a clump of homes.
  • Locals are hit or miss. Some are the happiest people in the world, others would be a lot happier without us there.
  • Everything is 25% more expensive.
  • Get gas and groceries prior to getting to the island. Anacortes has good options for both.
  • Load up on your seasonal berries before you get to Anacortes – roadside stands through Skagit have $1.50 blueberries and other such deals.
  • There is a medical center just north of town. They saw Mia the same day with some heavy prodding (pneumonia concerns, but she’s fine).

Ferry

  • It stops at Lopez Island prior to Orcas. That makes the way there fairly long; maybe 1.5 hours?
  • Ferry service is very interrupted due to boat issues and staffing shortages. We almost had to wait 4+ hours at the ferry terminal on our return because our boat was cancelled. Luckily, we were early enough we were able to be one of a handful of cars to sneak on the boat prior to ours.
  • The ferry back goes straight to Anacortes so much shorter. 50 minutes.
  • Don’t count on there being food on the boat. Again, staff shortages. There are food options at the terminals, but if you want lunch I’d suggest you grab it before getting there. We grabbed some sandwiches at a place called Gere-a-Deli real near the terminal on the Anacortes side.
Places to eat
  • Island Pie is the pizza place recommended to us. It’s on the far west side of town. One of you should bike there as it is a great roller with smooth pavement. The pizza was alright, the service was kind of rough, but PIZZA. And it’s likely the only reason you’d see Deer Harbor unless you’re staying there.
  • There’s an ice cream shop in Eastsound. Approved.
  • The co-op sells good pre-made sandwiches. In Eastsound.
  • Buck’s Bay is a shellfish farm that we didn’t get to, but heard amazing things. Good outdoor eating. It’s pretty far east.
  • Mijitas is mexican and it was outstanding. You NEED reservations days in advance so plan ahead. They reserve through Yelp. In Eastsound.
  • New Leaf is a cute cafe/brunch spot. We didn’t get to it, but it looks nice. Right as you enter Eastsound.
  • The general grocery store stocks everything you’d see at a regular old grocer. Prices are high on odd things, but not bank breaking. The co-op supplements this well. They’re both right in Eastsound… across the street from one another.
  • The brewery (Island Hoppin’) is “in” Eastsound, but not walking distance from downtown. It’s in an industrial park just northwest by the airport. The beer and atmosphere were good.
  • You’ll see signs for a New Mexican place. We were told to skip it.
  • Wild Island is a little house right as you leave Eastsound. We were told it’s great for lunch. Closes pretty early.
  • We were told the thai place is good, but very “white american.”
Things to do
  • You could go to Cascade Lake every day and not get bored. Beach, swim area, warm water, tons of picnic and parking space, ice cream shop and deli, boats for rent, playground.
  • Mt. Constitution is driveable/hikable/bikeable. Great views from the lookout. Do it
  • Downtown can be fully walked in an hour. There are pretty much 2 streets north/south and 1 east/west. Most of the food, groceries, and gift shops are here.
  • Obstruction Pass is a very cool short hike that puts you out on a beautiful pebble beach. It’s a 1.5 mile loop with .6 and .9mi sections. The .6 is fairly flat, while the .9 has some elevation.
  • Mountain Lake is awesome. You can rent boats, run around it, hike around it, rope swing is .4mi north of the parking area), there is a neat island in the middle. Also very warm water. Great swimming. Beautiful 4mi path around it. Add in the loop of Twin Lakes just north and it’s a 7mi hike. There was one part around Twin Lakes that was a little difficult to navigate so maybe not kid friendly.
  • If you follow the main town drag north you’ll hit the ocean. There’s a 50ft wide swath of public beach that’s pretty. A lot of the island is private so we didn’t do too much outside of the park.
  • The farmers market didn’t have much farming, but was a good time. Crafts, baked goods.
  • Kayak can be rented long-term. We didn’t get one, but it seems like a great thing to do.
  • Of all the other islands in the San Juans to visit, friends told us to do Friday Harbor. We didn’t get there, but they said don’t bring the car.
Biking
  • The whole island is hills. There is little to no mountain biking after May 15 (they limit the trails to hikers). Any gravel you’ll want to do is fine on a road bike. I would only bring a road bike. Most of the gravel is one-way uphill driveways. A lot of roads are private, but I only ran into one that didn’t look inviting, which was trying to go north of the airport through a marina. Strava heatmaps say ignore the “private” bit when you’re on a bike.
  • Mt. Constitution! I granny geared it in Z2 in 37 minutes. A good ride. Rick Metz has gone sub-30. That’s mental. I was going to give it an effort, but after he was a minute up after .5mi, I phoned it in.
  • Enchanted Forest is a good road for riding. West of town. Rolling hills, big trees, no cars.
  • Camp Orkwila connects some good roads. It’s gravel, about a mile, says “private,” but just ride on through.
  • Crow Valley is a great alternative to the main drag (Orcas Rd). Few cars, rolling hills, grassy valley.
  • I think I named all the roads west of town above. East of town it’s just the mountain and the park road all the way to a place called Sea Acres. Again, very little traffic, lots of bikes (mostly campers in the park so you’ll be a welcome change since you’ll be going faster than 3mph), and very friendly.
  • The following routes pretty much capture all the good riding roads: