The Bicycle Adventure Club - Come Ride With Us!

Islands of the Pacific Northwest

June 24th to July 6th

Ride Director: Maria Nelson
Ride Co-Director: Doug Nelson
Ride Driver: Yvonne Starkey
Report by: Steve Saxe

Overview. The Pacific Northwest and San Juan Islands painted luscious backdrops for this tour, which included time to enjoy quiet roads, blue water, and lush flora. Riding was on well-paved minor roads, dedicated bike trails, and a small percentage on the wide shoulders of highways and main roads. Routes led us on a tour of farm, forest, bay, and ocean life in this semi-remote part of America. Nearly every mile of riding had us marveling at the beauty of the Northwest.

Tour. The tour started with one night near the SeaTac airport, followed the next day by a 3-hour Victoria Clipper ferry to Victoria, BC, Canada. We each took our luggage on the ferry while the bikes were safely trucked around Puget Sound. In Victoria, we reunited with our bikes and had a chance to scout Victoria before taking a stimulating coastal ride to Sidney. Sidney and Victoria have many attractions (Butchart Gardens & the Victoria Butterfly Gardens stand out).

After three nights in Sydney we followed a bike trail back to Victoria and ferried to Port Angeles. We picked up the fabulous and scenic Olympic Discovery Trail over two days to Port Townsend, where two nights in our hotel provided riding options, local entertainment in the form of a working boatyard, and access to a lively downtown rich in architecture and history. 

The next day was a bit complicated logistically with a short bike ride to our first ferry, an undulating 37-mile ride to catch a second ferry, followed by a final short bike ride to our hotel for four nights in Friday Harbor. Friday Harbor options included riding, swimming, and kayaking on the island, and free ferry connections to visit four nearby islands. The majority of the group enjoyed riding a loop around bucolic Lopez Island. Tour-mates were pleased that the tour stayed multiple days in three of four locations, minimizing packing/unpacking.

Cycling. This 2B tour offered plenty of rollers and a long climb or two on mandatory ride days. Optional ride days offered routes from easy to challenging, including the famous climb up Mount Constitution on Orcas Island for the ambitious. Each island has a similar beauty and at the same time each one offers a different personality in terrain, cycling routes, and small villages. Some riders felt that the largely-rural routes did not offer enough stops for rest and refreshment, but plenty of bike-ready snacks and food items were made available at Happy Hours.

Accommodations. The tour included two group dinners. Happy Hours were generous in food and beverage, and there were always local restaurants available close to hotels. Hotels were modest and comfortable, and most were close to commerce and included decent or better continental buffet breakfast.

Weather. The weather in late June and early July was spectacular, with cool nights, mild days, and light breezes. The crisp sea air in this heavily-forested, seaside part of the country is exhilarating.

Leadership. A tour with myriad moving parts is not easy to organize, but our fearless leader was on top of it, cheerful and helpful, and made everything work. Our driver was a local and a fount of insight and information.

Logistics Note: This tour includes a complex interplay of trucking, cycling, and fixed-schedule ferrying, which requires participants to be ready for early morning or time-limited rides to match a tight schedule.  This tour was also scheduled over the July 4 holiday which meant more traffic and hubbub than some might prefer. Keep these aspects in mind when considering this tour.