In our next few posts we're gonna profile our favorite island in Washington's San Juans - Lopez. It's the quieter one. The one where all passing cars wave at you as you drive by. It's a great place to cycle. We think it's the prettiest! Our first stop: Spencer Spit State Park.

   The entrance to the park is about 4 miles from the ferry terminal (10 minutes when you factor in all of the waiving to oncoming drivers). Ferries leave the mainland at the town of Anacortes.

  From the parking lot, there's a trail down to the spit/lagoon/beach/waterfront. Campsites are along the way -  near the water and in the woods. Reservations can be made in the summer months (info here) and the park is closed late Oct-Feb.

   The park is around 138 acres and there's plenty to explore. It has a great beach on one side of the spit, and a cool lagoon on the other. There's day use picnic tables near the beach, more trails through the woods, and a old cabin near the end of the spit. There's kayak rentals in the summer months - look for a small hut near the beginning of the beach.

   Definitely worth a stop if you're on the island and a great place to camp in the summer. Be sure to bring your WA state Discover Pass for parking. Stay tuned to the blog this week for more posts from Lopez!
   ~Paul & Amber   ETC

Links:
More ETC posts from the San Juans
Eating Seaweed

   Well, Autumn is officially here in the Northwest. October is usually a mix of gloomy and rain and perfect sunny days. If your day off happens to be on one of those sunny days (sometimes we get lucky and it's the weekend), a great way to spend the afternoon is at the Washington Park Arboretum. We've kayaked there many times but a hidden gem for a land adventure is the 3.5 acre Seattle Japanese Garden. These pics were taken in the Spring, but now is the time to catch the gorgeous Fall colors. Admission is low and plan to spend 30 mins to an hour to see everything. Head over and stroll the grounds!
   ~Paul & Amber   ETC

   Every time we drive south from Seattle we always pass by (and don't stop at) Saltwater State Park. We finally stopped to check it out! Lucky for us it was low tide and we got to explore some cool tide pools.

   The park has parking close to the beach, camping, & a nice little saltwater cafe that opens seasonally. Chill with a picnic at one of the many tables throughout the park or explore nearby beach and woods.

   Despite being a touch rocky at low tide, not a bad place to launch a kayak to head straight across the Sound to Point Robinson Lighthouse on Vashon Island (Maury). We also heard that it's a great diving spot.

    All & all, not a bad little park…that we finally stopped to check out. You should too!
   ~Paul & Amber   ETC

   Our exploration of the San Juan Islands continues with a little trek to the tallest point on the islands - Mount Constitution. Located on Orcas Island (Orcas is the mountain-y one), Mount Constitution sits in Moran State Park, a 5,000 acre or so state park with lakes, mountains, waterfalls, lots of hiking trails, camping & day use areas.

   Mt. Constitution sports an awesome stone lookout tower (built in 1936). The views are excellent, you can actually go inside and up in the tower (as opposed to it being locked up like some sites in the NW), and there are bathrooms in the parking lot. 
   Although you can park lower on the mountain and hike up (the popular trail is about 7 miles with a 1500 ft elevation gain), you can also just drive and park on the very top. Just know you'll need a Washington State Discover Pass ($10 a day or $30 a year) to park a vehicle at the park. We usually purchase ours each year at REI in Seattle and keep it in the glove box. 
   Also, if you are hiking up, know that sometimes there isn't portable drinking water at the top so plan ahead! We highly recommend heading to the top and checking out the view - it's amazing!
   ~Paul & Amber   ETC

Links: 
Nice map of Moran State Park
Check here at the State Park website for current info