Hi, I'm from Seattle and have been biking and camping in the San Juans for 30+ years. I go every Summer for at least a week.
Here are some random thoughts: I've never trained. Mount Vernon would definitely be a closer stop than Seattle assuming you can unload your bike. There are some bus/shuttle services from Mt Vernon to Anacortes also. Orcas is the most Californicated of the islands, then San Juan, then Lopez, then Shaw. I tend to avoid Orcas completely. I stay on Lopez. If you like wine and cheese and BMW X5s, Orcas might be fine for you. Whale watching on the West side of San Juan will make for the finest day of biking in your life if everything works out. It's a total crap shoot; sometimes the whales are there, sometimes not. When the whales are close in, it's magical. With the new rules for whale watching boats, I think you can see better from the shore than from a tour boat. Look for the web sites that list whale activity to get a rough idea before heading out. In any case the ride down the West side to Lime Kiln park is very pretty. Spencer Spit state park on Lopez is my fave camping. Good bike access and surprising how few folks hang out on the beach. The yachting types seem to stay on their boats except when they need to walk their dogs. Upright head has a nice sand beach and views of the Ferry lanes. Watmough Bight is a good day ride down to the south end and a beautiful setting. There's a good map from the chamber of commerce in Lopez Village. Public showers in Lopez village (24 hours?). Folks are impressed by the hills on San Juan and Orcas. Check the elevation profiles just to get an idea. 2 weeks would be a lot of time to spend in the San Juans. On islands like Lopez you can ride literally every road on the island in one day. I'd guess you'd be happy spending a week with time for PDX or Victoria supplements. Here's another way to do the San Juans, not my style, but interesting. http://janheine.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/an-impromptu-adventure/ Feel free to PM with questions. Ty Seattle 2000 Atlantis '69 Raleigh Professional On Monday, May 13, 2013 5:42:32 PM UTC-7, Adam wrote: > > Greetings All, > > Planning a tour this summer for my wife and I up to the San Juan Islands. > We have about two weeks to spend on my Hillborne and her Atlantis exploring > the area. We live in Berkeley and are planning to take the amtrak up and > then ferry and cycle around. > > I know there are a bunch of NorWesters on this list and wanted to ask some > advice. We'll likely try to spend at least a day or two in Portland on our > way back as well. > > Is the Seattle Amtrak the best station to get off? > If so, does this look like a good route to get to the ferry? > http://goo.gl/maps/uxOqM > Any campsites along that route that are recommended? > Any words of wisdom about the islands themselves (things we must > see/avoid)? > > Looking forward to sharing images with the list when we return and also > open to any recommendations as they emerge. > > Cheers, > Adam > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
