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San Juan/Vancouver Island Plans

S

Spindrift

Well Known Member
Hi all,

Planning a flying vacation with my wife around the San Juans and up into Canada (in a rented 152 or 172). Any recommendations on where to go, what to do, etc.? We've taken the ferry to Orcas and San Juan Islands on previous trips, but this will be the first time since I got my PPL.

Thanks in advance,
bill
tooled up and building tool box
aspiring 7A builder
 
Spindrift said:
Hi all,

Planning a flying vacation with my wife around the San Juans and up into Canada (in a rented 152 or 172). Any recommendations on where to go, what to do, etc.? We've taken the ferry to Orcas and San Juan Islands on previous trips, but this will be the first time since I got my PPL.
Click to expand...

For the 4th, we flew into Friday Harbor and stayed in a B&B. Had a great time, nice airport (and the fuel was only $4.30/gal - wow!). No need to rent car, because the airport is right in town. The B&B loaned us bikes and we rode all over the island. Not much in the way of hiking though.

Next time we'll check out Orcas.
 
Spindrift said:
Hi all,

Planning a flying vacation with my wife around the San Juans and up into Canada (in a rented 152 or 172). Any recommendations on where to go, what to do, etc.? We've taken the ferry to Orcas and San Juan Islands on previous trips, but this will be the first time since I got my PPL.

Thanks in advance,
bill
tooled up and building tool box
aspiring 7A builder
Click to expand...

I've flown to the following:

Washington:

Friday Harbor Nice stuff to see easy walk. When flying keep an
eye out for whales
Orcas Nice stuff to see (P51 on field last time I was there)

Canada:

Victoria Cool place... not my type of place though
Tofino Nice flight up the coast (desolate!) Tofino and the
surrounding area has great fishing and surfing.

If you go into Canada prepare well for the flight as far as customs. Coming home is always a bigger hassle. More questions, guys with steely looks etc. I liked clearing customers in Friday Harbor. They seemed more friendly. The last time through Bellingham they guy was in a bad mood...
 
Orcas Island rental car

My pilot's guide said there where no rental cars on Orcas Island... but the local airline (San Juan Airlines) had some cars.

The island is big enough to get a car and stay for a few days....

We drove for 5 hours - including 2 ferries - instead of a 15 minute flight from Sequim.... :(

It's a nice, relaxing place to stay....

gil in Tucson
 
az_gila said:
We drove for 5 hours - including 2 ferries - instead of a 15 minute flight from Sequim.... :(
Click to expand...

Yea, its almost 5 hours to the ferry in Anacortes from home in Portland, hence the plan to make this a flying vacation. I flew up to Arlington in 2 hours in a 152, so I figure Friday Harbor should be about 2.3 or so, faster if we take a 172, and no waiting for the ferry.

Anyone know if you can camp on the airport like in Oregon?

-- bill
 
Flying Vacation

Hi Bill

Suggestions:

There is a fly-in on Orcas Island (Eastsound) Aug 4-6th weekend.

Port Angeles has a great county bus service, phone and they will come right to the FBO on weekdays. Transferr downtown and you can ride all around the county for a few $$. (Forks for lunch).

If you visit us in Canada you will get stuck with the $25 US customs fee and a Nav Canada user fee.
 
Nav Canada user fee.
Click to expand...

What is 'Nav Canada' ??

A few years ago I spent a few days on a guided sea-kayaking trip among those islands. We left out of Friday Harbor and the idea was to find whales. Didn't see any, but really enjoyed camping on the smaller islands & spotting eagles, seals, etc...

The guy who led the kayaking trip was sort of a long-haired hippie type, but super smart and overeducated (Master's in marine biology or something). For those who don't know it, British Columbia is famous for their marijuana ("B.C. Bud" they call it, not that I'm into that) and is only a quick paddle across the shipping channel. So this guy looks at me with a completely straight face and says "you know these boats (the kayaks) will hold 350 pounds of B.C. Bud... "
 
mdredmond said:
What is 'Nav Canada' ??
"
Click to expand...

Nav Canada is what AOPA really hates! It's the canadian fligh service organaization. Every quarter that you call them up in for flight plans you get a bill in the mail. It is usually for about 17 bucks (don't have a bill handy). That works out to about 68 bucks if you flew year round....

I've always found Nav Canada to be very good.

Chuck
 
Orcas and Lopez

az_gila said:
My pilot's guide said there where no rental cars on Orcas Island... but the local airline (San Juan Airlines) had some cars.

The island is big enough to get a car and stay for a few days....
Click to expand...
IMHO, Orcas is a great place to stay - pretty and laid back. Lopez is even more so - fewer tourists. Haven't landed on either of the airstrips on those islands.

Yes, there are no rental cars on those islands. If you stay at one of the B&Bs there, they should come pick you up, and most have bikes to loan/rent. You need to be in decent shape to get around, due to some hills and moderate distances - 10 mi from one end to the other. Some B&Bs have kayaks, and as someone else mentioned, kayaking around there is prime - just make sure you have some experience in kayaking before you go.

You can also get to Orcas and Lopez from Friday Harbor via inter-island ferry (although mind the schedule - it used to be very confusing). I'd suggest renting a bike in Friday Harbor and going over on the ferry. It's much slower, but that's part of the point of being in the San Juans, at least for me.

And IIRC, September is the best time to visit. You should still get mostly VFR then.
 
B&B Recommendations?

the_other_dougreeves said:
Some B&Bs have kayaks, and as someone else mentioned, kayaking around there is prime - just make sure you have some experience in kayaking before you go.
Click to expand...

Kayaking is high on the list. We've done some paddling around up there, plus a big trip down in Baja. Any specific B&B's that anyone can recommend, especially if they have kayaks available?

Thanks to everyone for the comments.

-- bill
 
Spindrift said:
Any specific B&B's that anyone can recommend, especially if they have kayaks available?
Click to expand...
I had a good stay at the MacKaye Harbor Inn on Lopez although this was some years ago. Bikes and Kayaks were available. They made nice breadfast and had a very sweet black cat who would avail himself to your lap if you sat by the fire for long enough.
 
Orcas does have a taxi service, or I should say taxi. I've taken it before. The only problem is that the wait can be up to 2 hours, especially on a Sunday morning. I think there's camping on the Orcas strip, and the walk into town isn't super long.

I'll also echo the sentiment about enjoying the islands' slow pace. That's the one thing I enjoy the most. Everything slows way down up there. September is a great time to visit, especially right after school starts. The weather is just as good as summer, the rates are lower, and the number of people is about 1/10.

Someone mentioned Victoria. It's a great city, but it has no air strip right in town. The closest is about half hour north. I'm sure there's lots of transportation back and forth. The city is like a little slice of England. There's lots of shopping in town (if you or probably your spouse enjoy that kind of thing), a great museum, and the tour of the parliament building is interesting. I enjoy just watching the near constant float plane activity in the inner harbor in among all the boat traffic.

Check out the Pacific Northwest Flying forum. I've found lots of good advice there about flying into NW destinations.
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying
 
Go to Canada!

My wife and I flew our Archer from LA several years ago and it was a memorable trip. Don't let mundane things like user fees, customs fees rob you of this adventure. The airport on Victoria Island was first rate and we got a rental car there for our stay. Two awesome memories of the flight stick with me (1) flying over the Strait of Juan De Fuca (big and cold - not a casual observation) and (2) turning final over a lake to land at the airport (talk about tranquility base - it was beautiful). The large hotel in town was being remodeled when we were there but it is a place that should be visited. They had red double decker bus tours of the city that will give you an orientation and fill you in on places that you might miss on your own. Another big attaction is Buchart Gardens (I hope I spelled that right) I took a photo of my wife walking down the stairs into this abandoned limestone mine converted into a garden. That photo hangs on our little wall of travel fame along with the Matterhorn, Claude Monet's water garden, a camel ride in Marrikesh, the Parlament Building in London, the Grand Canal in Venice, etc.
After we left Victoria we flew over to the city of Vancouver and spent a few days there; that is also very worthwhile. We took a bus tour of the city there as well - much to see.

Bob Axsom
 
Victoria Flying Club

I live in Victoria and can give you some tips when you visit. Ask the tower for taxi to the Victoria flying club. They will be able to help you there with transportation to town. Victoria is very pitureque and has lots of flowers ....The world famous Butchard garden is worth a visit and if I know when you come I might even give you a tour.

Pete
 
You can camp next to your plane

At Eastsound on Orcas...AT least you could when we were up there.

There is a handy bathroom available with shower too...You have to ask for the key...It was $5 a night for everything...Can't beat that with a stick!

Frank
 
Thanks

Thanks for all the suggestions. Due to limited time and a rental airplane, we've decided to skip Victoria and stick just to the San Juans on this trip. I'm hoping to hit as many of the small airstrips as possible to scope out future return trips in the RV. We're also doing a 3 day, 2 night kayak trip with Outdoor Odysseys.

-- bill
RV7 (a?) -- just starting on the emp!
 
Trip Report

Just a quick trip report. We spent a fabulous 8 days around the San Juans. I would highly recommend it as a flying destination since an airplane offers amazing freedom compared to getting island to island via ferry. Here's a quick rundown of our trip.
Wed. 3.1 hrs hobbs Aurora State to Friday Harbor, @ 4 hrs total since we had to stop for fuel/bio break in Port Townsend. 2 nights at Kirk House B&B -- HIGHLY recommended. Amazing breakfasts, comfortable bed, very personable owners, walking distance from airport and free pickup on arrival.
Thur. .2 hr flight to Lopez Island, rented a tandem bike (delivered to airport) for a couple hours of riding. .4 hrs back to Friday Harbor including a bit of sightseeing. 1.0 hrs solo flight to Anacortes and Orcas Island while my wife was getting a massage. Nice chat with a couple flying an RV9a.
Fri-Sun -- sea kayaking/camping with Outdoor Odysseys -- HIGHLY recommended, great guide, fabulous food.
Sun -- .9 hrs 2 trips to fly my wife, then our gear, to Orcas Island. Can't wait to finish the RV so I can carry more stuff. We had to ship our camping gear up to avoid being WAY over gross in the 152. One night at Kangaroo House B&B adjacent to airport. Also Highly recommended for fly-ins. Great outdoor private hot tub, good food, friendly owners.
Mon -- .9 hrs scenic flight over our kayak route ending at Friday Harbor. Another .9 hr scenic flight with the owner of Kirk House for her first aerial view of the islands. .4 hrs back to Orcas.
Tues -- no flying, just exploring the island in a rental car. 2 nights at Turtleback Farm B&B -- very nice if you want to splurge! Since this was our 10 year anniversary trip, we went for it and it was wonderful.
Wed -- relaxing morning at the farm before the trip home. Weather briefing didn't look good due to low ceilings over Puget Sound. Delayed departure until 1:30PM, made it off the islands, but didn't want to try to scud run so we landed for an hour or so in Port Angeles where it was clear. Things seemed to be clearing so we took off, only to be stopped again -- landed at Port Townsend for fuel, food and hopefully better weather. Great food at the Spruce Goose Cafe. FSS indicated 3000' or better down the east side of the sound, so we took off again and successfully made it under the ceiling down south of Olympia where it was clear but very hazy from forest fires and the setting sun. Landed for fuel at Carlson since I didn't feel good about the crosswind at Chehalis. Thankfully the final leg back to Aurora was smooth! 4.1 hrs of flying, 7 hours total with some significant turbulence and a very stressed passenger!

All in all, a great trip, and once the RV is finished we could cruise back up there for just a weekend! With the exception of the stressful trip home, everything was near perfect, especially the flying around the islands.

Thanks again to those who made recommendations.

-- bill
RV7A -- riveting the HS tomorrow!
 
Spindrift said:
Can't wait to finish the RV so I can carry more stuff. We had to ship our camping gear up to avoid being WAY over gross in the 152.
Click to expand...

That explains it. I was wondering why it took 3 hours to get from Aurora State to Friday Harbor. It'll be much quicker in the RV. ;)

Glad to hear the trip went well, and thanks for the report. I'll have to try out some of those spots next summer in my RV.

Dave
 
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