Rosario Village to Lopez Islander Resort

June 12, 2025

Big climb out of the gate; more ups and downs; ferry tender yells at us

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Remember all those pics from yesterday with the nice blue sky? This is what it looked like this morning.

We awoke to overcast, wind and a definite temperature drop. Jim checked the weather for East Sound and it was “54, feels like 45”, not too cold by northern WA standards but cold to us weather weenie Californians. So we dressed accordingly.

Here we are at the start. Jim and I have on long-sleeved jerseys and tights.

First we had to climb the 1.2 mile driveway up to the main road. Up means 8-10% grades for much of the way. Starting cold like this, we all switched on our e-assist immediately. At the top we stopped to compare how much battery we had used-Jim, being the heaviest, used 12%, Amber used 8% and I used 7%.

We turned left to ride back to the ferry terminal in order to catch the ferry to Lopez Island. Essential it was the same route we did yesterday but backwards but it looked and felt different. It was colder and windier for starters. And doing a ride backwards, especially the first time, seems like a whole new ride. The traffic seems less heavy as well.

We made good time and arrived at the terminal early so we got some sandwiches at a pretty well-stocked store right on the dock and had lunch while we waited.

When we boarded, we were asked where we were going, so I told her “Lopez” and she directed us to tie our bikes right there on the side wall at the back of the ferry. But then she couldn’t board cars on that side until we were out of the way so she started yelling at us to “get off the deck”. We barely had time to secure the bikes, much less remove our handlebar bags and cameras from them as we were shoo’d off to the passenger deck.

The ferry ride was short, less than 20 minutes, and soon we disembarked at Lopez Island.

Of course we had to climb up and away from the terminal, then we headed to our home for the night, the Lopez Islander Resort, about a 5 mile ride. Right away I noticed that this island had less traffic and seemed less hilly than Orcas. Looking around, there were quite a few ranches growing hay and raising livestock, as well as many forested areas. We rode past Lopez village, which is very small and not particularly commercial.

The Islander Resort is, of course, built for tourists. We have a nice 2nd story room right on the corner of the building with a fantastic view of the bay. The bikes are out on the balcony. We spent a bit of time walking around Lopez village-the “downtown”is tiny with a few bakeries, restaurants and other businesses. Really it seems more geared for the residents, not so much for tourists. We had an excellent dinner at the Blue Heron, recommended to us by our host in Friday Harbor.

Tomorrow I am driving while Jim, Amber and Rich ride a loop around Lopez. We will catch an afternoon ferry to Anacortes.