Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Finger



           


             The ponderous green and white ferry crept slowly through gray fog that had covered us like a shroud since we'd driven aboard. Up on deck, chilly in windbreakers and scarves, my wife and I watched a seagull hover ahead of the bow, then disappear into the thick mist. We feared this would be a wet and dreary weekend. 
            Our goal was Lopez Island, one of the four in Washington state's San Juan Islands that are accessible via the state ferry system. The San Juans consist of four hundred islands (more or less, depending on the height of the tide), most of which are uninhabited and unnamed. They make up a gorgeous archipelago that lies in the Salish Sea between Washington and Vancouver Island. Granite scarps rise out of the sea, and evergreens, oaks and madrona trees climb down hillsides all the way to the water.
            Each of the four large islands is beautiful in its own way and has its own personality. Eponymous San Juan is the most populous; it boasts the picturesque town of Friday Harbor, the county seat. Despite summer crowds on busy streets and sidewalks, a visitor will look in vain for a stoplight.
            Orcas Island, larger by two square miles, considers itself a bit artier. It caters to folks who want to avoid tourists but who nonetheless don't mind frequenting fairly upscale shops and restaurants that only a healthy tourist trade can sustain.
            Shaw Island (population 240) is unique, too. For many years, Washington State Ferry passengers were charmed upon arrival by watching nuns (Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist) wearing bright reflective safety vests over their brown habits, operate the dock - hauling ropes, lowering the off-ramp, and directing cars onto the island. (No longer do they perform these tasks, nor do they run the deli and store which is located at the landing.  In 2004, the three remaining sisters sadly decided it was time to move on.)
            Lopez Island is a favorite of bicyclists - relatively flat and not terribly crowded. The only commercial center, Lopez Village, consists of a market, three bookstores, a couple of real estate offices, a bakery, a few assorted shops, a community center, a latté stand, and three restaurants. That's about it. There's a church here or there on the island, a library, a motel, a school, and not much else. Approaching Lopez that foggy day we were prepared for quiet, and also for a degree of clubbiness on the part of year-round residents since the ratio of tourists to natives there is low. As it happened, this trip to Lopez did indeed make the point. We were given . . . the finger.