Pedaling Through Paradise
In the San Juan Islands, bikers find many rewards
by Barbranda Lumpkins, Travel Editor, USA Today
Copyright 1997 USA Today. Reprinted with permission.
To read about our San Juan Islands-4 Day tour, click here
SAN JUAN ISLANDS, Wash. — Sharon Unbewust of Aurora, Colo., pedals up a steep, curving hill on a loop through Washington Park on Fidalgo Island, admiring the thick, lush greenery along the way.
"Look at these ferns," she gasps. "Aren’t they awesome? I didn’t expect to see these up here in the Northwest."
The ferns are just one many treasures Unbewust, 50, gets to see up close during a four-day trip with Bicycle Adventures through the picturesque San Juans, a chain of more than 170 islands 90 minutes north of Seattle. Before trip’s end, she and nine other cyclists will hit four of the isles -- Guemes, San Juan and Lopez besides Fidalgo -- soaking up sun, scenery and wildlife.
This group -- including four teachers, a lawyer, a dentist and a philatelic clerk -- joins about 2 million Americans who take cycling tours every year, says Kevin Condit, spokesman for the Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes bicycle travel. And the number is growing by about 5% a year.
"There’s a huge proliferation of companies catering to people who have money and who want to get pampered and ride," says Geoff Drake of Bicycling Magazine. The pampered pedal pushers flock to these "credit card tours," he says, "the strongest growth area" of bicycle touring.
The 13-year-old [in 1997] Bicycle Adventures, based in Olympia, Wash., is one of many companies that offer personalized, inn-to-inn cycling trips. Bikers stay at charming places, dine at wonderful local restaurants and have their luggage carted from place to place. Tour guides are on hand to make sure every need is met, and a support van is ever ready to pick up the weary. Like many of its competitors, Bicycle Adventures specializes in tours of specific regions — in this case the bicycle-friendly Pacific Northwest.
Ray and Maggie Davis of Colorado City, Colo., are among the fun-loving, laid-back bikers on this relatively easy San Juans trip. "We were looking for something pretty cozy, where we’d be well taken care of," says Ray, 43. This is their first bike tour, as it is for most in the group.
"We’ve tried everything else," says Connie Faucher, 38, who’s along for the ride with husband Bob, 54. They have gone hiking, diving and rafting on previous getaways. "The key is not to stop and think about what you’re doing. Just sign up and go."
And they’re certainly on the go throughout this trip. The group heads out on 21-speed hybrid bikes -- a cross between road and mountain bicycles -- for a spin through the forest preserve of Washington Park at the western edge of the town of Anacortes. From there it’s on to Guemes Island via Washington State Ferry, the way most visitors hop from island to island.
Under overcast skies the cyclists pedal 16 miles along quiet, rolling country roads, through a canopy of evergreens and past wildflowers begging to be picked. They gape at sprawling vacation homes with serious water views (more modest trailer-like dwellings stand proudly among them) and spot cows grazing in open fields.
Everyone travels at his or her own pace. Marny Harris, 52, is a little spooked by going downhill too fast. Biking uphill is more difficult for her. Her husband, John, 56, an avid biker, tries not to leave her too far behind.
Back at the Majestic Hotel in Anacortes, bikers kick back and crack open cold beers from the cooler. "We dispelled any belief today that these islands are flat," says head tour guide Steve Pogge, 39.
The next day proves even more of a challenge -- a 33-mile route along the shoreline of San Juan Island. "Every day is a challenge. Every day is an adventure," tour guide Amy McGhee, 31, tells the group as they ferry to the island, passing between the majestic Cascade and Olympic mountains.
No kidding. Views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca are awe-inspiring. So are the hills, which are few but enough to give these first-time tour takers pause. Rain soaks some of the group, while others farther ahead escape it. Lunch is served at Cattle Point Interpretive Area as bald eagles soar overhead. Riders are damp and chilly but ready to push on after scarfing down bean burritos, turkey sandwiches, chips, salsa, fresh fruit and the ever-popular M&Ms.
Finally in the afternoon, the skies clear, and the sights of bright orange California poppies and the shimmering Haro Strait make a very steep climb worthwhile.
Bikers finally roll into the States Inn and Ranch, where they revisit the day over wine, antipasto and lasagna. The low point for Gayle Albrecht-Brickert, 41, of Tucson: "getting up Bailer Hill." The high point? "Getting up Bailer Hill."
At last, a day of rest, sort of. Bikers can choose to go sea kayaking, whale-watching, hiking or (heaven forbid) biking. But there’s no rest for the weary. Whale-watching is a big hit. The group is lucky enough to follow a pod of orcas for nearly two hours, marveling at the whales’ antics. "It was phenomenal," John Harris says.
Dinner is in the pretty town of Friday Harbor, where many in the group do some power shopping before stores close.
Finally, it’s back on the bikes for the last day of cycling. A short ferry ride takes the gang to Lopez, known as "the friendly island," home of scenic pastures and weathered barns.
Local drivers wave to cyclists on this picture-perfect day.
There’s a 15-mile ride to lunch for the trip’s end at Agate Beach, and food -- as is often the case -- is the carrot that dangles before the bikers, urging them onward.
Aboard the ferry to Anacortes, guides Pogge and McGhee give the cyclists certificates marking their successful completion of the tour.
"This feat involved braving the unknown with little more than a bicycle and a granola bar, scaling mountains frequently referred to by the guides as gently rolling hills, digesting thousands of calories…and experiencing the beauty and camaraderie of the outdoors as few armchair travelers will," it says.
"Half of my trip was a hiking trip," says Marny Harris, who pushed her bike up many a hill. "I didn’t know anything about (shifting) gears. But I learned a lot. I gained some confidence."
Would she do it again? No hesitation: "Oh, yes."