Last fling of summer!

Hard to believe summer is almost over—and with summer’s last hurrah (i.e. Labor Day) just days away, it’s time to work in one last weekend adventure. I highly recommend a little outing to the San Juans. (Our May issue highlighted some wonderful adventures there; check ‘em out!). A couple of weekends ago, I headed to Lopez Island, bike in tow. I dread overly long waits at the ferry, which is why biking onto the ferry appeals to me (plus all that great exercise!). Lopez is known as the least hilly of the San Juans, and while that’s probably true—there’s no denying that there are still hills, and your legs will get a workout (just be prepared).  We stopped first at the Saturday Farmers Market, then had lunch on the patio of Love Dog Café before heading out to Shark Reef Park (gorgeous!), and making a loop back to the Village,  enjoying bucolic farm scenes all along the way.  Returning in time to catch the late afternoon ferry, we stopped for a minute in front of a small housing community with a massive number of solar panels in front of the homes. I later found out that this is a new net zero sustainable energy project called Common Ground operated by the Lopez Community Land Trust.

These are the kinds of unexpected discoveries that make travel—even to places you've visited before, and even those close-to-home—an unfolding adventure.