Our final night at Orcas was relaxing in our knotty-pine-panelled cabin as the rain fell steadily.
After another breakfast of pancakes, eggs and sausage cooked on the crazy stove, we packed up our stuff. Just as we were ready to leave, the camp repairman pulled up to our cabin in his cart with a brand-new electric stove on board. At least the next guests will have a more ‘balanced’ cooking experience.
The ferry loading area was pretty low-key at Orcas, and after a relatively short wait we were on our way to Lopez Island.
The first thing we noticed as we drove onto Lopez Island was that the drivers of every oncoming car we saw on the road would wave to us as we passed by. It was not a big obvious wave, just the raising of the fingers on the steering wheel hand in a casual acknowledgement. We don’t know how this custom got started, but it’s been consistent everywhere we’ve driven since we got here.
Our first stop on Thursday was Fisherman’s Bay Spit Preserve. Most of the land here is private, and the access to beaches is made possible by cooperation of private landowners and the County of San Juan. Small public easements allow trails into designated parks and preserves. The FB Spit is one of the few sand dune areas in any of the islands. It forms a protective barrier for the bay near the Village of Lopez. We had a picnic lunch and a short nature walk in between rain showers.
We checked into the Edenwild Inn later in the afternoon. It’s a vintage house in the village area and we have a cozy room with a fireplace. Edenwild boasts the ‘fastest wireless on the island’. That’s a good thing, since there’s virtually no cell service here.
It looks like we’re pushing the envelope as far as weather and the availability of tourist resources. As the season is winding down, there are not a lot of people around. Admittedly, Lopez Island is the most rural of the islands we’ve seen so far, but we found it to be pretty buttoned-up at this time of year. Many of the local business owners have chosen to take their own vacations now that summer has gone and the crab apples have laden the trees.
Friday morning saw us get off to a leisurely start after our in-room continental breakfast. With the wind blowing and the rain falling, we drove down to the south end of the island to visit Agate Beach and Iceberg Point.
The beaches here are made up of cobblestones and large (and some very large) pieces of driftwood logs. Apparently, there used to be agates at Agate Beach but all that remains now is the name. The permanent staircase down to the beach was washed away long ago, and the temporary metal stairs have been moved inland for the winter. I was able to slide down for a closer look and confirm there are now only cobblestones left for curious beachcombers.
The trail to Iceberg Point was definitely worth the drive. It is a hiking path that winds through various private properties in a thickly wooded forest until it comes out at the southern tip of the island.
Along the trail, we came upon a sign warning us that it is hunting season. Local trail volunteers left a container of high visibility vests for hikers to wear if they want to. It seems we just missed the archery hunting season, as well as the muzzleloader hunting season. However, we were very near the ‘general’ hunting season. Since Karen was wearing a bright pink raincoat, I decided not to wear a vest as long as I could stay close to her on our walk.
Iceberg Point is a rocky and windswept promontory with some stunning views of Canada to the southeast and the Cascades of the Washington mainland to the southwest.
There is a reference marker (circa 1927) at this spot indicating it as ‘turning point 7 of the U.S. and Canada boundary between the 49th parallel and the Pacific Ocean’. I don’t know what this means in terms of cartography, but if you look at a map, the international border seems to wind its way along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and throughout the San Juan Islands and Canada.
Our next stop was at Watmough Bay on the southeastern end of the island. After a short drive on an unpaved road, and then a short walk through a fern lined path, we came out to the small bay. The north edge of the bay is bordered by sheer rocky cliffs that rise several hundred feet right out of the water.
By this time, the rain and wind were beginning to increase, so we decided to stop by the local grocery store and get some food for dinner. We’ve been eating in restaurants for nearly three weeks, so this was a nice break from that. Tonight will be a quiet evening listening to the wind and rain outside. Tomorrow’s forecast is for less rain, but more wind. Maybe we’ll try some bicycling?
NEXT: Bicycle Ride
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