There is some really good advice here. Generally, each island is unlikely to keep you occupied cycling for more than 1-2 days. Orcas indeed is best avoided in the summer.
A nice route would be to go from Seattle via Bainbridge Island to Pt. Townsend. The town is worth a trip by itself. From there, head over to Whidbey Island, which means you avoid the busy southern part. Then Anacortes and the islands. On the way back, go inland and take the old RSVP (an organized ride by the Cascade Bike Club) back to Seattle. Seattle - Pt. Townsend is 60 miles or a day - it's quite hilly if you take back roads. Pt. Townsend to Anacortes is half a day. Anacortes - Seattle via the inland route is 100 miles, but not very hilly. That round-trip might occupy you for 10-14 days if you take your time and take in the sights. Plan a day in Pt. Townsend. If you run out of stuff to do, consider checking out the Canadian Gulf Islands. I found them lovely, and much less crowded. Make sure you seek out good backroads on the legs off the San Juan islands. The main roads aren't much fun for cycling. Final note: WA State Parks cannot turn you away if you arrive non-motorized, so they'll let you camp somewhere even if the campground is full and you have no reservation. Final note 2: Ferries can be seriously behind schedule in the summer, but at least you'll get on with your bike, where cars may have to wait for a ferry or two until they get to the front of the line. Jan Heine Editor Bicycle Quarterly http://www.bikequarterly.com Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en-US. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
