Wintering on Lopez

Jerani and I have been spending a laid-back fall and winter on Lopez Island in the San Juan Island chain in Washington's northwest corner.

Many wealthy and famous people have owned homes on this gorgeous 30 square mile island including Microsoft's co-founder and Seattle Seahawk and Portland Trailblazer owner Paul Allen, the singer Jewell, and actor Tom Skerritt, just to name a few. We are not wealthy or famous. Hmmm...I know there's some kind of moral here, but I'm not sure what it is. The truth is, it's a lovely island and people like to live here.

Lopez is a pretty sleepy community with a population of just over 2000 that plummets with the onset of Fall and Winter.

Lopez resident

It's just beautiful here and my sister and her family were kind enough to let us stay in their cabin that is perched right on the edge of a hundred foot cliff with views over the San Juan's and to the Olympic Mountains.

Lopez Cabin looking towards Shaw Island

Looking south off the cabins deck towards the Olympic Mountains

Looking west off the cabin's deck towards San Juan Island

That's the positive side of things, the negative spin is that the cabin is heated with a wood stove only so Jerani and I are like two soot covered street urchins from the Medieval world scurrying about trying to come up with enough wood to get us through each day, groveling in front of the fire trying to warm our weary bones. Well it might not be that dramatic, but it's not as romantic as it sounds either. I'll tell you, it just isn't easy to heat a cabin with thirty foot high ceilings in the great room with just one wood stove and a 28 degree temperature outside with 25 mph winds! Got a little BBbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....cold sometimes.

One thing we've been concentrating on during our time on the Island is living a more healthy life style and working on losing weight. Lopez is great for this as it has a very health food oriented, granola, tree-huggy atmosphere which has served us well.

We have started eating much healthier with an eye towards non-GMO and organic foods. We have also cut out carbohydrates from our diet for the most part, and we are eating much smaller portions. All in all we are focusing on smaller quantities of  healthy food. That can't be a bad thing, right?

Blossom Grocery

Blossom Grocery on Lopez has been a great healthy food source for us with a great selection of organic and non-GMO items.

Iceburg Point

On top of eating right we have also been walking every day, averaging about two miles a day. Lopez has a litany of beautiful places to walk with different levels of difficulty, from flat road walks to steep hills.

We have pushed ourselves to walk in all types of weather too, not letting rain, sleet or snow deter us, sort of like healthy mailmen.

Spencer Spit State Park. Jerani and I got married right where this picture was taken 32 years ago!

Now that winter is winding down we are becoming anxious to spread our wings and take the ferry away from this small piece of paradise and head out into the real world. Although we will miss the quiet and solitude it will be nice to have a few more options available to us.

Friday Harbor Ferry Landing