When I mentioned to John Yeager that I was planning to lead a ride on Lopez Island, he suggested that I do it as one of the Tuesday rides.
I’ll be deviating from previous trips to the Lopez Island in that instead of using the Washington State Ferry, we’ll be going over on San Juan Safari’s free passenger ferry. You heard that right, free!
"San Juan Safaris (SJS) is excited to be part of San Juan County's pilot project to offer a twice-daily passenger boat service between downtown Anacortes and the San Juan Islands! We will be providing regular passenger-only [and bicycles] transportation seven days a week between Friday Harbor, Orcas, Lopez, and Anacortes regardless of Washington State Ferry service. Services run at no cost to the passenger."
Since I was only able to make a reservation for myself plus 12, so, if this trip fills up, and there is enough interest, I’m hoping to find a leader that will be willing to take another group over around the same time on the Washington State Ferry. Standby for another quick alert for that second trip.
If you haven't ridden on Lopez, it's a cyclist's haven. Beautiful scenery at every pedal of the way. Most of the cycling will be on roads that are not very busy, where the drivers tend to be considerate and quite friendly. Get this, it's not uncommon that as they pass, they'll give you the "Lopez Wave" by lifting a finger or two off the steering wheel (who wants to give me a nickel every time that happens?). There should be enough time to have a quick lunch in The Village towards the end of the ride. Most days there's a couple of food trucks about town and a deli in the market. Of course, there'll always be one or two riders that decide to have dessert first and get an ice cream at the Lopez Creamery.
Westbound logistics: San Juan Safari wants us to meet at Slip B-40 in the Cap Sante Marina, 1019 Q Ave, Anacortes, at 0920 AM to catch the 0945 ferry. We should be arriving at the dock at Odlin County Park at about 11:00.
The ride is 36 miles long with 2100 feet of elevation gain. We'll be maintaining a 12-14 mph pace, possibly breaking into a couple of groups to accommodate both the faster and slower riders. There are a few options to shorten the ride a bit if the group is leaning in that direction. Despite the perimeter roads being relatively free of cars, Center Rd. and Mud Bay Rd. can be quite a bit busier, so let's be mindful to stay safe by riding single file where necessary.
Eastbound logistics: We’ll plan to catch the 3:45 PM boat at Odlin, arriving back at Cap Sante at 5:00. The Washington State ferry gives us a backup plan to return either on the 2:40, or the 4:25 ferry, but that would mean we’d be stowaways, right?
Guests of members are welcome, as well as prospective new members, but please, if you have previously joined us on a ride, you'll need to become a member by signing up on the website--thank you. Let's go have some fun!
LOPEZ ISLAND- SBC SOCIAL RIDE- 36 MILES-2100 FT
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44064420