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.
