Seattle Folks-Orcas Island?

[Sodo]

Fun stuff. I hear ya on the organized campgrounds thing. Its better to be in the woods. But easy to "forget" the many many times where you're driving (...from dusk to dark:30) scouting for a place to camp. And how your passengers are "less than entertained" by your 6-9:00PM quest for camping Nirvana. And you end up in a "wide spot on the road" hoping its not private property. Ce la vie.

Yeah the San Juans are a special place, and crowded in the summer. I see the waitstaff tried to teach you that island life is not leisure for them in the summer.... I imagine it must be real hard to accommodate the summer influx. Anyway, enjoyed your story and hope to read more about your trip. I think you got something there about the Gypsy thing.... a Westy wants to hop around. And if you're hanging out somewhere, you need your tools & a project. Having no tools, loads of time, and a totally dialed Westy sorta "doesn't compute".
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'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[joetiger]

We're back from our trip to the PNW, and I gotta say, that's one of the most beautiful places we've been. We met a lot of nice folks and really enjoyed Orcas and San Juan.

However, we realized on this trip that we're gypsies...We prefer to get on the road, stop somewhere for a day or two, then on to the next place, so we learned that taking a trip where our destination was somewhat static is not what we prefer.

We flew from Denver to SeaTac and caught a Lyft straight to Peace Vans; what an impressive operation.

I knew we were in good hands when I saw my model proudly displayed in the office seating area:

We were then introduced to our van, Chilliwack. This is an '89 full Westy automatic.

Our host was happy that we were owners; he didn't have to go through most of the orientation stuff that most renters need. I told him, I can't imagine having to explain all of the in's and out's and idiosyncrasies of our machines; he agreed that it's a long process. He told us a funny story about a lady who asked, "where's the bathroom?"

The van was outfitted with pretty much everything you could need: linens, cups, plates, cookware, an LED lantern, headlamps, fire starters, basic tools, ARB awning, and even a french press and a brick of delicious local coffee. They thought of everything. The rental service is designed for renters to fly in and hit the road. It was all extremely well thought-out.

They wished us well and we headed for Anacortes. The van drove beautifully up I-5, with plenty of torque, low cabin noise, and a super soft suspension (which is good for highway cruising.) It was a very, very different experience from driving my van. I'm going to do a more comprehensive comparison in another thread.

We had a ferry reservation, but were 7 minutes late for the reservation time and got pushed to stand-by. Those of you who advised us are absolutely right; they are very strict with the times! After waiting in standby, we ended up being the 2nd to last vehicle loaded onto the ferry.

Ah, the bucolic splendor and solitude of West Beach Resort, Orcas Island.

The woods, the grass....and the view from the other side.

The large group across the way camps next to us every time we are at a big campground, regardless of location. It's the group that yells a lot and listens to "Livin' on a Prayer" until 9:59 PM (quiet time is 10 PM.) Everybody on the planet is sick of that song except for large groups that camp near me. I'm convinced of it. On the 4th, it was "Pour Some Sugar On Me."

I like this angle better.

West Beach is a nice place. Very sleepy and mellow for the most part, with cabins, a coffee shop, patio, and pier. They also had SUP and kayak rentals and a bonfire on the beach each night at sunset. If you're going to be stuck somewhere for a week, this is not a bad place to be.

My daughters were shocked that first morning that "...nobody here is bear aware." Campsite tables were packed with bottles, cups, and leftover food.

I explained that there are no bears on Orcas Island. There's nothing, really, to worry about. We're used to having at least an element of danger I guess. This was very much a Nerf camping experience.

Breakfast.

I got a kick out of this warning sticker near the engine bay. It reads:

"This engine requires several settings and adjustments for proper performance and longevity. Special equipment and experience are required to perform these tasks. Do not attempt to make any alterations without the equipment or experience!"

Truth!

The next several days all kind of ran together. We checked out the town of East Sound (where we never found a host or hostess at a restaurant that wasn't completely irritated that we had no reservation) and put-putted around the island quite a bit. We did a hike at Moran state Park and also drove to the top of Mt. Constitution:

Took my older daugher's girl scout troop to town:

French Toast on the 4th:

My wife drove some and liked the automatic:

Spent a day in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island (notice the tin top in the background):

Played UNO:

...and had a birthday party for my elder daughter on the final night. The troop leader was really into the van, as were lots of folks at the campground:

We also did a whale watching trip with Eclipse Charters and saw a pod of killer whales, scores of porpoises, harbor seals, and a humpback whale. Great experience on a really nice boat.

Back at Peace Vans for dropoff, we saw this beauty of a Syncro:

We saw a total of 13 vanagons on Orcas and San Juan. The thing that really stuck out to me was that except for one electric-blue Syncro on San Juan and one white tin top on Orcas, none of the vans we saw were modified in any way. They all looked bone stock, Westy's and tin tops alike. Maybe in their stock form they're perfectly suited to island life. Our van certainly was.

It was funny to have people come up and say "nice van!" as people do, and me explain that it's a rental, but I have one in Colorado, no really, I do. I gave many plugs to Peace Vans, though.

And I can't say enough nice things about Peace Vans. I highly recommend renting from them if you're headed to Seattle. In retrospect, we would have preferred to see more of the Cascades and Olympic, but we had a good time anyway.

I think I'm just not suited for full leisure. On most of our trips, we've been worried about covering huge distances, wildlife, or in the case of Baja, a host of other challenges; on this trip, I read two books and napped often.

I had nothing to worry about the whole time we were on this trip; I guess that's what leisure is. Someday I'll get it.

Now I'm thinking about our next trip...I only got a taste of the PNW so I'm thinking Portland north to Seattle and points between, this time in my van.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'91 Wolfsburg Carat "Barchetta"
'02 Baja-ish Beetle "Bubbles"

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Justice for Megan: https://linktr.ee/justiceformegantrussell

[IdahoDoug]

Just an update. We had to push our trip back to next weekend. Too bad - would have been fun to meet! Have fun, be safe and post pictures!
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[IdahoDoug]

I know - right? Or the Glock sticker, the Montana sticker, or the Canada sticker. I thought I was safe!

So I got a new disc/wheel bearing/rotor on and motored her around this evening. All's well mechanically.

Doug
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[Sodo]

Boy I don't know Doug, the Trump stickers should have protected you in Montana. Right out of the gate like that I'd suspect an inside job...
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'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[IdahoDoug]

Eh, heh, heh! So it's already back up on jackstands as of last night. Last weekend, some asshat loosened the lugnuts on the LF while we were out paddling at a remote Montana Lake. A mile and a half later it abruptly fell off and did some body damage as well as destroyed the alloy and rotor/hub. I'll have it mechanically ready to rock by mid afternoon today. I'll post a thread about it. No clue who or why it was done. Guessing out of state plates, and drunk rednecks who don't like seeing happy people. Unfortunately for them, we're still happy people!!

Doug
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[Sodo]

SB everyone wants a pic of Doug's van in the wild. It's been so long that some folks don't believe it exists.....
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'90 Westy EJ25, NEW oil rings (!) 2Peloquins, 3knobs, SyncroShop pressure-oiled pinion-bearing & GT mainshaft, filtered, cooled gearbox.
'87 Tintop w 47k 53k, '12 SmallCar EJ25, cooled filtered original gearbox
....KTMs, GasGas, SPOT mtb

[SyncroButter]

[IdahoDoug]

Grant - we're on the same boat! What are the odds? Party at our van the first half, your van the second half?

Doug
_________________
1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[SyncroButter]

[riceye]

My wife and I visited Orcas in July of 2015. We had a great stay at Moran State Park. The trails were beautiful, and the view of the San Juans from the tower was splendid.

There is a cool brewery/brewpub there - Island Hoppin' Brewery in Eastsound. A tasty Mexican restaurant, as well - Mijita's. There is even a dog park to (legally) let your four-legged friends get their ya-yas out. Doe Bay is worth a visit, but I'm too cheap to patronise the restaurant or shops there. Kinda pricey.

I did find a great photo-op on Orcas. We affectionately call out Westy "Olga", named after my stubborn Danish great aunt.

_________________
'87 Westy Weekender - daily driver on salt-free roads

There's gonna be some changes made.

“I find that things usually go well right up until the moment they don't.” - Ahwahnee

"Quality isn't method. It's the goal toward which the method is aimed." - Socrates, later quoted by R.M. Pirsig

[IdahoDoug]

Yeah, if you just show up for the early boat, you'll be sure to get on. Also, 48 hours prior, they open up extra vehicle space, though that might be full as well for this weekend.

So we are on the 7am ferry on Friday July 7th to Orcas. Jim, hope to see you. We are staying somewhere on the N. end on private land and will be in a bright yellow tintop.

Have fun!
_________________
1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[hanksjim1]

Your best best (maybe only option this time of year) is to get up there at O'Dark thirty ~5:30 AM on any day....good chance you'll get on...any later the reservations will be king...

The other option (works every time) is to park and walk on (never seem it over sold).

If you have family or friends the can pick you up.

Best regards,

Jim

15 years on Orcas

[theadventureneverends]

No reservations for us at this point. Things have just been way too busy for us to be able to plan anything that requires a reservation. Hoping to just wing it and if it fails have a backup plan. Have family on Orcas for years waiting to hear her thoughts.

I should know as I work for WSF but rarely in the islands.

[joetiger]

[Zeitgeist 13]

Have you made ferry reservations? I ask because we're currently planning a trip to Lopez and Orcas in August, and it's a bit nerve-wracking to plan out the logistics with all the moving pieces and necessity to make reservations for every leg and location of the trip. One slip up and the whole house of cards collapses.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[theadventureneverends]

Looking like my wife and I are headed to Orcas or San Juan this afternoon or early am tomorrow through Sunday. Nice sunny weekend. Any regulars that know if will be long waits on ferries or what a good time to avoid them would be. We have no set plans for camping just hoping all comes together!

suggestions?

Thank you

[IdahoDoug]

Hey, I'll be on Orcas around the 7th for a few days. PM me if you wanna swap cell phones..
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1993 Toyota LandCruiser, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader

[joetiger]

Well, we're all set for this trip, flying out Saturday morning and spending a week. Peace Vans has been great to work with. We booked a whale watching trip, rented some sea kayaks for one of the days, and also set up a zip lining tour on San Juan Island. Ferry reservations are set as well.

Very much looking forward to it, although part of me still wishes we were taking my van. She deserves a break after two 4000 mile trips in the past year, though. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures and tall tales to share when we get back.
_________________
Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'91 Wolfsburg Carat "Barchetta"
'02 Baja-ish Beetle "Bubbles"

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Justice for Megan: https://linktr.ee/justiceformegantrussell

[oldschool84]