This Friday we begin our trek to our new home for the next two years on the San Juan Islands. We're very excited and have so much to do. Truthfully, I've gotten used to having my family around and the idea of moving somewhere I've never been so far away from family is a bit daunting at the moment. But I know this is the opportunity of our lifetime and I won't let that escape me.
Bob is incredibly giddy about the move and sent me this YouTube video he found today.
This is where we're headed:
A question for any readers who have lived on an island: What advice would you give to newbie islanders like us?
3 Comments
Ron said:
Greetings from Orcas Island. Don't know which island you are going to. They are all beautiful but amazingly different in both look and feel and sometimes even in climate. Hopefully you are on one of the ferry served islands (Lopez, Shaw, Orcas or San Juan).
You will be getting here just as the weather begins to change to the winter pattern. Grey skies and frequent drizzle. Don't get discouraged. It really makes up for it in the summer. Snow is rare tho so at least you probably won't be shoveling a lot of it and temps will be about 10-15 degrees above freezing most of the time. Not as nice as Los Angeles in the winter but lot's better than Chicago.
Most islanders are fans of Costco and make a trip every week or three to the mainland to stock up on food and staples. They have just opened a Super Wal-Mart in Mount Vernon which we prefer to Costco. Most everything you need is available on the big three islands (minus Shaw) but sometimes at a considerable markup. (Exception: Beer at the local stores is very reasonable at least here on Orcas and not worth bringing from the mainland.) If you buy a multi-ride ticket (5 trips within 3 months) it's about $25 per trip and if your car has a lot of cargo space you can easily save enough to pay for the trip.
There is a Chevron gas station on an Indian reservation on state road 20 just west of the bridge to Fidalgo Island. Cheapest gas for miles around and about $1 per gallon cheaper than on the islands. We always fill up there. It's about 15 miles from the Anacortes ferry.
The ferries can handle any size truck but longer and taller trucks cost more so if you are bringing your furniture in on a U-haul you might keep that in mind. Try and get in line at least 30 minutes prior to the sailing you want. That should be OK during the off-season though 60 minutes is better for the season and just avoid the ferries to the islands on Fridays and to the mainland on Sundays.
I see you have a dog. Both San Juan and Orcas have dog parks (don't know about the other islands) and they are a great place to meet people (and the dogs love playing with other dogs). We're from Florida and just moved here in July but the people on Orcas are super friendly and we already have more friends here than we had in Florida after 10 years.
Your blog got picked up by desticam.com which is how I found yours. It's a site that offers webcam views of the islands plus it searches for any blogs which talk about the islands.
If you have any specific questions (or would just like a tour of Orcas Island) email me. If I don't know the answer I know people who should know.
Ron
Stephanie Walker said:
Hi Ron,
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! This is all extremely helpful information. We are definitely in for a big lifestyle change and I'm so excited about it. Yes, a bit nervous too.
Our dog loves dog parks. We'll definitely be there. Oh- and we'll be on San Juan Island. Do people visit between the islands much? How easy or hard is that?
Thanks for letting me know how you found the blog. And for kindly writing in. Based on the communication I've had with people who live on the islands, everyone seems so friendly!
Best,
Stephanie
Ron said:
Visiting between the islands is common tho it is easier for us to go to Friday Harbor than it is for you to come to Orcas since your ferry stops right in town whereas the Orcas ferry dock is about 15 miles from Eastsound and there is not much to do at the Orcas ferry dock. It's usually about 35 minutes I think but you have to pay attention to the ferry schedule. There is one ferry that goes to Friday from Orcas by way of Lopez and Shaw so it takes about 90 minutes.
During the season there is a shuttle from Orcas ferry dock that will take you into Eastsound but I think it costs $5 each way.
Dogs are allowed on the ferry but have to stay on the car deck which might be a bit chilly during the winter.
We've been twice on foot to Friday Harbor in the last two months. Once to get a driver's license and once to visit the fair. It's free if you walk on the ferry but about $18 if you take a car (you only pay to go west so going east from Friday to Orcas is free).
We met some new friends via the internet
http://denver.yourhub.com/Golden/Stories/Opinion/General/Story~653176.aspx
who had just moved to Friday Harbor (San Juan Island) about the same time we came to Orcas and they walked on the inter-island ferry and we met them at the Orcas Hotel (which is at the ferry dock) and drove them up to our house on Buck Mountain. We could do the same with you once you get settled (and my wife gets back from Florida Dec 2). Since this is your first time to the islands we would love to show you around. Hopefully we can pick a day when Mt Constitution is not covered with clouds. It's the highest point in the islands and you can drive to the top for a really spectacular view.
The inter-island ferry is more fun than the one from Anacortes. Most tables have a jigsaw puzzle on them and passengers often work on them for a while then the next passenger will do some more so that they are usually done by the end of the day.
One of the ways people can tell that you are new is if you are asked for your telephone number and you give the area code and prefix along with the last four digits. Since the first part is the same for each island (Orcas is 360-376-xxxx San Juan (AKA Friday Harbor) is 360-378-xxxx) no one ever bothers with more than the last four digits unless it's a cell phone which doesn't follow the pattern.
You might enjoy reading Princess Max's blog of her one year stay on Orcas.
http://princessmax.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_archive.html
Gives a good feel for the island tho our experiences with the ferry have not been quite as chaotic. Seems she got a divorce and left Chicago to live on Orcas for a time of healing. I guess it worked since she went back to Chicago, got her Master's and just recently got married.
Another blog from our friend Loreen who lives here on Orcas tells about a dance on Orcas and how it was different from a mainland dance:
http://loreenarnold.wordpress.com/2007/04/29/thats-entertainment/
Desticam.com has links on their home page to three really interesting San Juan Island bloggers:
Wolf Hollow The BitterEnd Alex Shapiro
Wolf Hollow is the blog of a volunteer at the wildlife rescue facility, The Bitterend is the blog of a boat captain whose job it is to rescue boaters that breakdown or run out of gas and my favorite Alex Shapiro is that of a composer who moved here from California.
Desticam also has a forum (Message Board) where you can ask questions about visiting the islands.
Ron
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