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Lopez Island, WA Fourth of July 2015

July 9, 2015 whitney 1 Comment

Fourth of July weekend on Lopez Island, WA: A relaxing getaway in the San Juan Islands without the tourist crowds, and some of the best fireworks in the state.

Growing up on San Juan Island, I always thought Lopez Island was boring. There is barely a town, and it’s mostly flat. This trip as an adult made me appreciate Lopez Island for exactly that–quiet, peaceful, not much going on. A friend of mine from San Juan Island inherited her grandparents’ property on Lopez Island and has been spending Fourth of July there with friends every year, while renting it out to tourists the rest of the summer. We had no Fourth of July weekend plans this year, and when she invited us to join her and her husband and friends, we figured why not?

Prior to the new ferry reservation system for the San Juan Islands that began this year, we would never have considered going up to visit the San Juans over Fourth of July weekend. Fourth of July weekend (especially for Friday Harbor/San Juan Island) is kind of like Black Friday is for shopping malls. It is insanely busy. I’ve heard stories of past ferry lines stretching miles away from the ferry terminal all the way into Anacortes town. Having grown up in Friday Harbor and worked many Fourth of July weekends in various tourist industry jobs, it is hell week for Friday Harborites, but also the weekend the tourist industry people make the most money.

But now we can make reservations. There is much controversy over this new policy with the locals, and I think they still have a few things to iron out. For us however, we made our reservation a couple months in advance, arrived an hour before the 12:35 boat to Lopez Island, and sailed right on with no problem. You can make reservation here up to three months before you head up to the islands. They release 1/3 of the reservations three months ahead, 1/3 a couple weeks ahead, and the remaining 1/3 two days ahead. If you can’t get your reservation, keep checking back.

Day 1:

Our friend Brooke joined Paddy and I for the weekend on Lopez. We had a smooth sail on the ferry with much fewer crowds than the Friday Harbor sailing. We watched a never-ending line of walk-on tourists board the ramp for the Friday Harbor ferry before the Lopez/Orcas ferry departed. We were on the brand new ferry boat, which had a nice sun deck up top for viewing.

Mt Baker, viewed from the Lopez Island ferry

San Juan Island ferry — Passing another ferry

Lopez Island Ferry in summer — Arriving Lopez Island, walk-on passengers departing. Photo by Brooke Richard

There is no town at the Lopez Island ferry terminal, not much of anything there at all. We drove off the ferry with little traffic, and headed towards Lopez Village.

Our friends’ house is a short ways past Lopez Village, with a gorgeous view of Fisherman Bay. We spent the afternoon relaxing on the deck and making food for dinner. I made a cherry cobbler with some cherries I’d picked from another friend’s cherry tree and it turned out great.

**Note: You can rent this house June through August through VRBO.com (except Fourth of July weekend, that weekend is always reserved for the owners).

Lopez Island house — Our friends’ house on Lopez Island

Fisherman's Bay, Lopez Island — Fisherman’s Bay, Lopez Island

Relaxing and watching the sunset

We went into the Lopez Village Market to pick up some ice cream to go with the cobbler. Lopez Island Creamery makes some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had. Be sure to try some while visiting Lopez. You can also buy it by the cone at the market or in town at the Just Heavenly Fudge Factory in Lopez Village. I highly recommend the raspberry lemon if you can find it.

**Note: This isn’t the mainland. The Lopez Village Market is the only game in town for groceries, wine, beer, and booze and it closes at 7:00 PM every day. Make sure you get all your beer and supplies before then. There is a store on the south end of Lopez as well called the South End General Store, which is open until 7:30 and also serves food.

The rest of the evening we hung out and had drinks on the deck, BBQ’ed, and played some cards. The sunset was phenomenal.

Sunset over Fisherman's Bay — Sunset over Fisherman’s Bay Lopez Island

Sunset Lopez Island — Watching the sunset

Day 2:

The next morning was the Fourth of July. Every year, the Lopez Library has an annual book sale to raise money for the library. We ate breakfast and headed into the village early to get there before it got too picked over. We were handed a red sack at the front door which we could fill up as full as we wanted to for $20.00. Five of us filled it to the brim with lots of interesting books. You can also buy books individually.

Saturdays in the summer (mid May through mid September) are also the day for the Lopez Farmers Market from 10:00 to 2:00. It’s a great place to get locally grown veggies, but there are also many other booths selling local crafts, baked goods, tacos and tamales, jewelry, and other items.

Lopez Island Farmer's Market — Lopez Island Farmer’s Market

One thing I love about Lopez Island is how accepting everyone is. There are a lot of hippies, artists, and free spirits on Lopez and they welcome diversity. I was wearing some funky sunglasses and a vintage-style sundress showing off my tattoos and got lots of random compliments from strangers– as opposed to judgemental “you folks ain’t from around here” looks common in many small towns across America. People from foreign countries and gay and lesbian travelers will feel welcome on Lopez Island as well.

After the Farmer’s Market, it was almost time for the Fourth of July Parade. We drove back towards the house on Fisherman Bay Road and were able to pull over and park near the start of the parade. We easily found a spot on the front of someone’s lawn on the side of the road.

The parade wasn’t much to write home about, but it was full of heart. It seems all anyone really needs to be a part of it is an interesting car or a funky outfit. My favorite part was the lack of crowds and low-key, low-stress vibe. That, and the random giant paper-mache Oscar Meyer Weiner float.

The parade wasn’t very long, and afterwards Paddy and I explored some of the south end of Lopez Island. We drove to Watmough Bay, but took a wrong turn along the way and ended up on a private road (I think to Paul Allen’s property). We turned around and found our way to the parking area for Watmough at the end of Watmough Head Rd.

Lopez Island --End of Sperry Rd — Lopez Island –End of Sperry Rd

Watmough Bay is touted by locals to be the best beach on the island. It is often very busy on summer weekends. I think we lucked out because everyone was at the Fourth of July BBQ in the village–there was a parking space and only a few people at the beach.

The bay reminded me a little of Maya Bay in the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand. No white sand–a little rocky and lots of seaweed in the water but still beautiful and very Northwest.

Watmough Bay Lopez Island — Watmough Bay

I found a beached lion’s mane jellyfish on the sand. If you see one of these, don’t touch it or step on it. The bell of the jellyfish is harmless but the tentacles will give a painful sting even when it is dead.

lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) — lion’s mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata)

We hung out at Watmough for a few and then decided to move on. Next we went to Shark Reef Sanctuary, which is accessed by a short trail through the woods to the rocky coast of the southwest part of the island. You can often see seals basking on the rocks here. We didn’t see any seals, but the views are still stunning. You can see Cape San Juan on San Juan Island across the channel, and kelp forests in the water below. There were a few kayakers out enjoying the coast.

We were starting to get hungry, so we ventured back into the village. Our friend Brooke joined us and we decided on Bucky’s Lopez Island Grill, which has a nice deck out back. Paddy and I both had the cajun ahi tuna taco special, which was great. Brooke and I each tried a glass of the Madeline Angevine from Lopez Island Vineyards.

Ahi tacos at Bucky's Lopez Island Grill — Ahi tacos at Bucky’s Lopez Island Grill

Lunch at Bucky's Lopez Island Grill — Lunch at Bucky’s Lopez Island Grill

There isn’t a lot to Lopez Island Village, but there are a few shops to explore. After lunch we walked over to the Lopez Island Vineyards tasting room to taste their wines.

You could taste three wines for $5 or six for $10–we each opted for three. We all tasted the Siegerebbe (pronounced zee-ger-eh-beh) which is a very fruity and refreshing white wine grown on Lopez Island. The white grapes for the Madeline Angevine are also grown on island. The other grapes are imported from other drier, sunnier parts of Washington in the Yakima Valley, but all the wine is made on Lopez Island.

Paddy and I also tried the Sangiovese and the Malbec which he loved. I liked them (I like most wine, really) but the Malbec was a little tart for me (I’m more of a Syrah and Cabernet person). Brooke tried the Dry Rose and the Raspberry dessert wine. She said the Raspberry wine was very sweet and tasted just like raspberry juice. She bought a bottle of the rose so I tried a little later that evening. I didn’t think it was that dry, it was kind of sweet. Not super sweet though. We bought a bottle of the Siegerebbe to take home for later this summer. Most wines are $25 a bottle.

The vineyard itself is located on the way to the ferry from the village, you can see the grapes growing from the side of the road. There were signs in the tasting room for a summer Shakespeare play in the vineyard in the evening–it looked like fun.

We checked out a few of the other little shops in the village. There is a cute little consignment shop (mostly women’s clothing) next to the coffee shop that is worth a peek. Brooke found an awesome lime green vintage 60’s go-go dress.

Lopez Village doesn’t have a lot of restaurants, but there are a few options. I’ve only eaten at a couple of them other than Bucky’s, and that was 10 or more years ago, but I remember them being pretty good. Bucky’s and The Galley have burgers and salads and are a couple of the more inexpensive places to eat in town. The Bay Cafe is probably the nicest dinner restaurant. For breakfast I highly recommend Holly B’s Bakery–their bread and pastries are outstanding. Isabel’s Espresso is the local coffee joint, featuring organic coffee and organic milk. You can find a list and short description of all the restaurants on Lopez Island on the Lopez Island Chamber of Commerce website.

We spent the rest of the afternoon making food for dinner and relaxing. Near sunset people began setting up on the side of Fisherman Bay for the fireworks show, and more and more boats showed up to anchor out in the bay. I took a walk down the road to catch some views of the sunset, which was amazing.

Sunset over Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island

Lopez Island is renowned for it’s Fourth of July fireworks display. They have always had the best fireworks in the San Juan Islands, and I’d go so far to say that they may be the best in the whole state of Washington. Our friends told us that this year they raised $80,000 for the show, which was twice Friday Harbor’s budget. It’s pretty impressive for such a small island. Lopezians take a lot of pride in their fireworks and always have.

Once the sun was set, Friday Harbor began their fireworks at dusk and you could see them across the sound in the distance. Lopez patiently waited until their show was done.

Once Friday Harbor wrapped it up, Lopez gave a 10 minute firework warning, and then a 5 minute warning. Then the show began. It was hands down the best fireworks display I’ve seen. It wasn’t only the volume of fireworks, but the types they had. Some of them I hadn’t even seen before. The show lasted about 30 minutes. I took some photos, but they really don’t do it justice.

Day 3:

Lopez voted no last year to the ferry reservations, so you can make a reservation going to Lopez but not to leave Lopez Island. The day after Fourth of July can be very crazy with long lines for the ferries, and because it was also a Sunday, we figured we were best off getting up early and trying to make the 7:15 AM boat. We got in line at 6:30 or so, and the line was already backed up down the road. Fortunately, the boat was large and only loading cars from Lopez to Anacortes, and we made it on. We were tired, but also beat the holiday weekend traffic and made it back to Seattle by 9:45 AM. It was well worth it.

Paddy and I fell in love with Lopez island a little this trip. After growing up with the insanity of the tourist season in Friday Harbor, it was so nice to be able to have an island summer getaway that was laid back and crowd-free. We will be back for sure. There is more of Lopez we’d like to explore–other hiking trails, etc. If you are in the mood for a lazy, low-key San Juan Islands vacation– Lopez Island is perfect.

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CULINARY AND CRAFTY ADVENTURES

Culinary Adventures: Chocolate Cherry Cobbler

June 25, 2015 whitney Leave a comment

Culinary Adventures: Chocolate Cherry Cobbler recipe. Cherries and chocolate, together in harmony.

I was trying to decide on a dessert recipe to bring to our friends’ BBQ the other week and the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine showed up in the mail with a really good looking chocolate cherry cobbler recipe on the cover. I realize that last sentence makes me sound like a Minnesota housewife, but hey–don’t knock BHG. They do have good recipes and landscaping ideas.

I decided to give it a try. I made a few adjustments–I couldn’t find ground chipotle chili powder so I used regular chili powder, and I couldn’t find frozen tart pie cherries at the grocery store I was at, so I got sweet black cherries and some fresh rainier cherries and mixed them together.

Better Homes and Gardens’ Firecracker Chocolate Cherry Cobbler recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
1 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
7 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart red cherries
Milk
1 tablespoon coarse sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2-quart round baking dish.
For the biscuits, in a medium bowl combine 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground chipotle. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate. Add the 1/4 cup milk and stir until just moistened. Knead the dough 3 to 4 times in the bowl until it holds together. Form the dough into a disk.
In a large saucepan combine the 3/4 cup sugar and 1/3 cup flour; stir in cherries. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cover to keep warm.
On a floured surface roll biscuit dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut dough with assorted 2- to 3-inch star-shaped cutters, rerolling dough as necessary. Spoon hot filling into prepared dish. Arrange dough cutouts over filling. Brush cutouts with milk and sprinkle the tops with the coarse sugar.
Bake 30 minutes or until filling is thick and bubbly and biscuits are baked through. Remove and let stand 30 minutes before serving.

Honestly, I didn’t purposely plan on doing star shaped cobbler biscuits like the recipe said to, but I happened to find a star shaped cookie cutter in my baking drawer that I didn’t know I had, so I did. You can do any shape, or use a small drinking glass to cut rounds.

Pitting the fresh rainier cherries was kind of a pain in the butt but not too bad, since I was mixing them in with the already pitted frozen black cherries. Do make sure you stir the cherry mixture, it will start burning on the bottom and sticking. Keep the heat on medium, don’t turn it up too high.

I also deviated from the recipe a bit by adding chocolate chips to the cherry mixture after I poured it into the pan. I think next time I would even add a few more.

I had exactly enough stars to cover the cherries in the pan (including the last gimpy one in the corner). I just has to taste good, right?

chocolate cherry cobbler — Chocolate cherry cobbler ready to bake

The cobbler turned out pretty good and everyone seemed to like it. We ate it with vanilla ice cream. I do think that not using tart pie cherries made a difference though, and if I make this chocolate cherry cobbler again I will make sure I can get tart cherries. I would also do salted butter instead of unsalted. I usually use salted butter in all baking projects, the extra salt brings out the flavor a bit more–especially with chocolate. I’d also like to try it with the chipotle pepper instead of regular chili powder–that sounds delicious.

If you have a star-shaped cookie cutter and can get some good tart pie cherries, this chocolate cherry cobbler recipe would be a good one for the Fourth of July.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases from product links on this site.

ADVENTURES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, ADVENTURES IN THE UNITED STATES, Main menu

Lake Chelan, WA: Fourth of July 2013

May 6, 2014 whitney 5 Comments

Lake Chelan, WA: Fourth of July 2013: Swimming, paddle boarding, wine tasting, and BBQ

If you live in Seattle and are looking for a hot and sunny, summer fun time weekend on the lake, Eastern Washington is your best bet. There are several lakes to choose from, and Lake Chelan, WA is the most popular for sure. The town of Chelan lies at the southern tip of the lake, and has a lot to offer: hotels, rental houses, a waterpark, wineries, jet ski rentals, restaurants, boat ramps, and other activities.

The downside is that Chelan can be expensive. After reviewing our options, we decided to stay at the Grandview on the Lake–a place we had stayed at two summers before for a weekend with friends. We booked well in advance for the Fourth of July weekend, and it was a four night minimum over the holiday. We had two couples (we had hoped for a third couple to join us but they couldn’t make it this year) and reserved a one bedroom lakeview condo with a murphy bed and pull-out couch in the living room for $350/night. While it was pretty pricey, the saving grace here was the full kitchen which allowed us to cook all our own meals.

The Grandview always seems to be “changing management.” A few weeks before we arrived, they sent me a new confirmation with a new higher price. Not cool. I called and was told that they were under “new management” and that they would fix it and honor the previous rate. It was fixed, and we had no further issues. It didn’t leave the best taste in my mouth, however. Chelan is also quite a party place. Don’t come here for a romantic getaway in the summer. Also, don’t stay on the ground floor. The ground floor is always full of drunk half-naked twentysomethings guzzling Fireball whiskey with hormones a-twitter. Luckily, there are quiet hours at the resort, fairly soundproof rooms, and plenty of bars in town that draw the youngsters away from the resort into the wee hours. The upside of The Grandview for the childfree set, is that it is right on the lake but without a beach. There is a dock with deep water–easy swimming, jumping, and floating right at the resort–but way too deep for small children. The kids are pretty much confined to the swimming pool area, and there are less of them than at the more family-friendly Campbell’s Resort right across the lake.

Grandview on the Lake Chelan pool — Pool and hot tub area

Grandview on the Lake Chelan waterslide — Main deck and waterslide at The Grandview

Day 1:

Paddy and I arrived in the afternoon and found a primo parking spot right near our room. Check in was easy, and we unpacked. Our friends Cass and Devin weren’t going to make it until later that evening, so we walked around town a bit. The resort is in walking distance from everything in town, which is super convenient. We looked at some restaurant menus, but ended up just picking up a frozen pizza at the nearby Safeway along with some other items we forgot, and relaxed in the room. Cass and Devin showed up later on, and we made it an early night.

Day 2:

Thursday was the Fourth of July. The weather was perfect and in the high 80’s, and I was anxious to get Large Marge the Party Barge (our 10 ft diameter inflatable raft) out on the water. In the covered parking lot on the base level (around the corner from the pool) there is an air pump for guest use for floaty toys. We got Marge blown up quickly, and rolled her out to the dock and set sail. The anchor wasn’t working so well, but we found a free bouy and tied Marge up. The water was cold but refreshing in the heat. We had an inflatable cooler full of beer in tow, which was awesome.

After a good float and some lunch, we deflated Marge and spent some time by the pool with some cleverly disguised (maybe not so cleverly, but no one cared) beers and screwdrivers in patriotic sippy straw cups. The cool thing about the Grandview is that as long as you’re not being a dumbass and blatantly walking around with booze, no one seems to care.

For dinner, what would Fourth of July be without a BBQ? The Grandview has a couple community BBQs down on the main deck, but we brought a small travel BBQ with us to use on the deck. Below us some of the Seattle Seahawks and a gaggle of bikini-clad ladies were using the community BBQ. Richard Sherman was running the grill, and I think he cooked piles of meat for three straight hours. Paddy had to get a photo with him.

Poor Sherman was being hassled for photos all day while BBQing, and I don’t think he was super stoked to pose for another one, but he was a good sport and turned around and smiled for a quick shot. We made hot dogs, potato salad, Asian watermelon salad, and lemon drop martinis.

That night we heard that nearby Manson has fireworks at night on the Fourth, and we were hoping we could see them from the deck as we didn’t want to drive anywhere. We waited until dark, playing cards on the deck. But alas, we couldn’t see them over the big hill blocking the view.

Day 3:

On Friday morning we slept in, and then Paddy made eggs benedicts.

Cass and Devin decided to go paddle boarding. We skipped it and went walking around town. They rented them from Lake Rider Sports, and they had a good time.

Paddy and I explored downtown Chelan a bit more. Lots of boutique shops, little restaurants, etc. When Cass and Devin returned, we set sail again on Large Marge for the afternoon.

That evening it was taco night. Tacos, drinks, and a fabulous sunset to end another fun summer day

Later that night after a few drinks, Cass and I decided we were tipsy enough to head out to Señor Frog’s for some dancing. This is the place that all the Fireball whiskey guzzling 22 year olds go, along with hoards of tourist bachelorette parties. Paddy and Devin were not interested in the least. Normally this isn’t our type of place, but we wanted to get our dance on and just went with it. A group of people in various patriotic costumes showed up, providing some good entertainment. We talked to one of the girls and she said that they do this every Fourth of July–have a contest to see who can be the most “patriotic” and then get wasted and go out dancing. I think this guy wins:

Day 4:

Saturday was our last day, and we thought we’d take a break from the lake for a little while and go wine tasting. If you like wine, you won’t find a shortage of vineyards and tasting rooms to visit. Chelan has a ton of wineries. Our first stop was Vin du Lac, a beautiful vineyard on top of a hill with stunning views of Lake Chelan. They also had a restaurant that had a very nice outdoor patio and an enticing menu. The parking lot had plenty of apricot trees and pear trees, and there were trails up through the vineyards that most likely lead to even more stunning views. Given the heat and the uphill climb through the vineyards, we didn’t attempt the hike. I’d like to go back to eat there someday, and maybe catch a sunset from one of the vineyard trail viewpoints.

Next we visited the Lake Chelan Winery, which had very good wine but not a great spot to sit and taste. The tasting room is in a store that sells gourmet foods and locally made items. It is a great stop off to buy some things for a nice picnic, however.

Our last stop was Wine Girl Wines in the nearby town of Manson, owned by a former Seattle Rat City Rollergirl. Cass was also a Rat City Rollergirl, and she was excited to see her former league-mate’s winery. We both purchased a bottle of the 2013 My Derby Wife rose, which was a nice rose that wasn’t too sweet.

We then headed back to Chelan, taking in views of the lake and local vineyards along the way.

Lake Chelan Fourth of July — The Grandview as seen from the other side of the lake

The rest of the afternoon we did some more sunbathing and swimming on the swim dock at The Grandview. That evening Chelan had it’s fireworks show, so we didn’t miss out. We had a great view of the show right from our deck.

The next morning when we checked out, we were supposed to do all the dishes (dishwasher provided) and take out the trash. We had separated out our recycling and I went out to find a recycling bin, but found none. I went to the front desk and asked where their recycling bin was, and the lady told me they didn’t have one. I was appalled. I gave her a long, quiet, judgemental stare and then left. It is sickening to think of how much beer and soda are consumed at that hotel with no recycling. I later learned that Eastern Washington in general doesn’t have much of a recycling program, which is ridiculous. However, according to the Washington State Department of Ecology, there is a recycling drop-off station in Chelan and in Manson. So The Grandview has access to recycling centers, they just don’t recycle. Hopefully they will catch up with the rest of the state someday……very sad.

I think if we return to Chelan, it will be to rent a rental property instead of a condo. The Grandview keeps “changing management” and raising it’s prices, and it would be nice to have our own space. Unfortunately, most of the properties I looked at have a one week minimum in July and August, and are pretty expensive. We shall see. Chelan is a great summer destination though and I think we will be back someday for sure.

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