Three days, three islands, nearly perfect weather, beautiful riding, and, most importantly, a terrific group of people. Our September bike-camping trip to Lopez, Shaw and Orcas Islands turned out to be a great example of just how much fun a COGS bike-camping trip can be.

A lot of the credit goes to Wayne, who organized and led the trip. His decision to schedule it just after Labor Day proved to be a particularly good one. We had sunny days with temperatures around 72 degrees, and with the summer season winding down, Lopez and Shaw had very few cars and almost no crowds.

But what I appreciated most about Wayne’s leadership was the tone he set for the trip. He had done the planning—routes, ferries, campgrounds and logistics—but once we were underway, everyone was encouraged to have input. Decisions were made in real time, and people felt comfortable suggesting changes or taking the initiative when circumstances called for it. It made the trip feel like something we were doing together rather than simply following a prescribed itinerary.

Day 1 — Lopez Island

We began by parking in Anacortes, riding to the ferry and sailing to Lopez Island. The original itinerary called for dropping our camping gear and then enjoying an unloaded ride around the island, with dinner and groceries in Lopez Village.

Our campground on Lopez was only about 2½ miles from the ferry terminal and turned out to be a great find. The sites were nestled in the woods and the facilities were excellent—large showers and a central shelter with a sink, microwave and even an instant hot-water dispenser. We didn’t have to pull out our camping stoves just to make hot water.

They also offer glamping accommodations, which makes this campground worth remembering for future club trips, particularly if some people want to participate in the riding and camaraderie without necessarily sleeping in a tent.

We also had a welcome addition on Lopez. Louise, another COGS rider who happened to be camping at the same campground, joined us for part of the day’s ride and later for dinner.

Most of us finished our first day with dinner at the Blue Heron Bistro. The food and atmosphere were excellent, and it was a perfect ending to our first day on the islands.

Day 2 — Shaw and Orcas

The next morning we broke camp and caught the ferry to Shaw. The ferry schedule limited how much time we could spend there, so rather than riding the entire planned route, we explored for about an hour and a half.

That was enough to make an impression.

Shaw was quiet, scenic and nearly free of traffic. The little grocery store at the ferry terminal—with espresso, coffee and ice cream—was also a popular stop for some of us. By the time we left, there seemed to be general agreement that Shaw deserved more exploration on a future trip.

From Shaw we took the short ferry ride to Orcas, where the original plan took us toward Eastsound via lightly traveled Dolphin Bay Road and eventually to Midway Campground in Moran State Park.

We stopped in Eastsound for lunch. Some went for pizza, while others picked up sandwiches at the grocery store. Then it was on to Moran.

Orcas was noticeably different from Lopez and Shaw. It is unquestionably beautiful, but traffic was fairly continuous. By the time we reached Moran and got camp set up, most of us were tired.

The campsite also provided a good example of how well the group worked together. Wayne had reserved a site for us, but a couple of late additions to the trip raised questions about whether it would work well for everyone. Aaron and Joel arrived at Moran first, checked out the site and decided it wasn’t a good fit for the expanded group. They canceled the original reservation and secured two other campsites instead.

It was a great decision, and Wayne and the rest of us appreciated their initiative. To me, it also reflected the atmosphere Wayne had established: people felt comfortable making decisions that would benefit the group.

After setting up camp, Joel and Mark somehow still had enough energy left to tackle the climb up Mount Constitution. The rest of us had somewhat different ideas about how to spend what remained of the day! We made our own dinners at camp and enjoyed the evening together.

Day 3 — Mount Constitution and the Ride Home

The original plan was to climb Mount Constitution first thing in the morning before breaking camp.

Joel and Mark had already done it the previous evening, and Aaron headed up early on Day 3. The rest of us decided to pass on the climb.

We later regrouped at a coffee shop in Eastsound and talked about the planned route back to the ferry. Rather than automatically sticking with the original itinerary, we decided as a group to take a more direct route.

It proved to be exactly the right decision.

Crow Valley Road wasn’t too busy and gave us some beautiful riding. The change also left us enough time to explore Deer Harbor Road, another particularly scenic part of Orcas, before making our way to the ferry terminal for the trip back to Anacortes.

Orcas was beautiful, but the traffic led many of us to conclude that it probably wouldn’t be our first choice for a repeat bike-camping destination. Lopez and especially Shaw, on the other hand, left us wanting more.

More Than the Riding

For me personally, this trip was something of an experiment: it was my first bike-camping trip.

I came into it with plenty to learn, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group to learn from. Everyone was patient and supportive. I learned about how to outfit a bike for camping, what to pack, how people organize their gear—and even how to take a hot shower at a campground.

That last lesson came the hard way.

When I went to shower, a camper in the next stall told me there was no hot water. What I had somehow missed was Wayne’s earlier “memo” explaining that, in order to get the hot water to work, you had to push the button. I believed my fellow camper, didn’t push the button, and proceeded to take a very cold shower.

Apparently bike camping has a learning curve.

What impressed me most over the three days was how naturally the group took care of one another. We had cyclists with different abilities and riding styles, and people naturally found others who rode at compatible paces. At the same time, everyone checked on each other along the way.

Then we’d come back together at the campground, share stories, talk, eat and simply enjoy one another’s company.

That’s probably my biggest takeaway from the trip. Bike camping certainly adds another dimension to cycling—the gear, the ferries, carrying everything you need, waking up and getting back on the bike—but the best part wasn’t any particular road, climb or island.

It was the camaraderie.

Wayne deserves a big thank-you for putting the trip together and, just as importantly, for creating an environment in which everyone felt they were part of it. Aaron and Joel deserve a special nod for taking the initiative with the Moran campsites, and the entire group deserves credit for making a first-time bike camper feel completely welcome.

After three sunny days, three islands, ferry rides, campgrounds, coffee, pizza, ice cream, some terrific roads, one or two tired legs—and one unnecessarily cold shower—I came home thinking that COGS should definitely do more trips like this.

And next time, I’ll know to push the button.

New COGS member Amy G. is jumping straight into the COGS experience.  She rode strong on Wayne's Wednesday adventure then signed right up for Friday's gravel ride in North Bend.  Well done A.G.  

Thanks to Case of the Mondays Cycling Club of North Bend for showing me the route a few weeks ago.  COTM has gravel rides for every type of rider on their website's calendar.  They run "Femmes Friday" all summer.  Check em out but read the ride descriptions.  Some rides are social, others will rip your legs off. 

We took a chance on clearing smoke and were rewarded with great conditions.   It was a beautiful and fantastic ride through flowing loamy single and double track on the Bear Loop.   The trail is slightly overgrown in parts.  We were weaving through 6 inch tall grass and the perfect amount of little branches and bushes.  

We took the climb a bit easy to protect our lungs from the remaining light smoke layer.  We took N95 just in case but didn't need them. 

Amy is an experienced mountain biker and bombed the challenging, exposed, skinny and loose downhill single track with a racing full suspension rig.  I had to work to keep her in sight.   Fortunately, my gravel bike found its sweet spot on the pavement descent back into town.  

We will definitely be doing this ride again.   Watch for it.   

Approaching the weekend for the bike camping trip the weather forecast did not look very promising. As a ride leader it is hard to make the right call. Should I risk it or play it safe? I only go bike camping once or twice a year so I really wanted to go. I decided to take the plunge and go. Not wanting to put others in misery I emailed all the registrants and told them I would understand if they decided to cancel with the very questionable weather forecast. Well 6 brave souls joined me, 4 from COGS and two others from MBBC. Friday we launched from the Fairhaven Terminal. Things started well along Chuckanut Drive. We had a lunch stop at Old Edison Inn and when we were ready to depart it was raining pretty hard so we all just waited under cover in their patio for a half hour. When it started lightening up we left in light rain and pretty soon we were out of those conditions. Next stop was ice cream in Anacortes. We made it to the campground afterwards, got our tents set up and had dinner before the rain would come that night and it did rain pretty hard that night.

On Day 2 we woke up to a lot of moisture and some of us had some inside our tents. But everyone dealt with it well and were in good spirits for what this day would have in store. We had coffee or breakfast at Moka Joe’s along the way. As we pedaled towards Burlington the skies were very ominous. It looked like we were riding where the rains were falling with very dark clouds. I was a little worried of what lay before us. Surprisingly our route followed a narrow path where we skirted rain that was on both sides of us. We stopped at The Fairhaven for lunch and enjoyed some sunshine. The rest of the ride was mostly on Cascade Trail and it felt stormy but the rains held back. We seemed to have very good fortune of riding this day where rain seemed to be falling to the north or south of us but not along the trail. We got to camp at a good time where we had some sunshine and could dry out some of the moisture in our tents. Before long the rain did start again but not before having our dinner. That night it was mostly light rain continuing through the night.

Day 3 was again a wake up call to a lot of moisture and light rain. By the time of our departure the rain ceased but would catch us on the way to Sedro-Woolley. We avoided the Cascade Trail this day and stuck to pavement mostly on side streets to avoid Hwy 20. We had coffee or breakfast at The Local Shop there. As we approached Bellingham again the sun started shining with rising temperatures. While we had to have a little more climbing due to closed roads we took a very nice approach into Fairhaven that brought our trip to a delightful close.

What made this trip great were the group of cyclists who came. Some who came had little experience with bike camping but took the plunge in these conditions anyways. Everyone was very flexible and willing to help each other out. They always seemed to be in good spirits making the best of every situation even though it wasn’t always ideal. Having a good attitude goes a long ways. Things won’t always be ideal in bike camping or touring but being flexible and having a great attitude goes a long ways to enjoy the journey and accept whatever comes our way. I was very happy with how things turned out this weekend, yet knowing I still need to be careful when taking risks and putting others in these situations. There are still times when canceling a trip is the best course of action.

COGS did some drafting and group riding practice on Sunday.  The ride is based on an old Seattle Bike Discord ride on the quiet Sunday roads around the airport.  After a discussion on technique and safety we rolled three laps around while increasing speed and decreasing distance between riders.   Everyone learned a bit and got more comfortable with the nuance of tighter group riding.   Thanks to Joel W. for adding some expertise to the ride.   We will do it again.     (photo credit: Dave Walker Cartoons)

Threatening weather kept our group small this weekend.  Which was too bad because it turned into a great riding day.  We did the winter safe ride route through the Arboretum and over the picturesque boulevard above Leschi to the I90 tunnel.  Came home along the waterfront using the new "cruise ship bypass trail"  The casual conversational pace and a new rider to the group, Eric, made it a fun day.

Oh this was a hard one.  Five of us set out for 110 miles of hills on Easter Sunday.  Two finished the whole route while others opted for some part of the ride. (60 and 80 miles) This ride leader struggled to keep up with Thatcher and Tobin but managed to complete the ride with Thatcher. 

We warmed up to Alki then climbed over White Center.  Renton,  May Valley, Issaquah, Sammamish and back to 520.  Then....The toughest part of the ride is near the end, hitting Juanita Drive, Holmes Point, Simonds, Norway and Perkins all in the last 30 miles.    Thankfully a tailwind from Shoreline pushed my blown up legs to the finish.   Thanks to the hearty souls who were up to the challenge of (so far) the hardest COGS ride of 2026.

What a fantastic way to welcome SPRING.   Nine of us met at Petit Pierre french bakery for espresso and amazing treats.   A few new faces and some others not seen over the cold winter.  We took a lap through Magnolia for amazing views including a majestic bald eagle.  Our journey traversed the new waterfront trail out to Alki for more views of the Olympics and downtown.  

Nine riders, 65+ miles, Two "Mechanicals" and Four Flats.   I think we picked up all the glass on this route.    Sadly, we lost Heather on mile one to a bent derailleur hanger.  Her two gravel racer and cyclocross teammates, new to COGS, were more than up to the ride without her.  Thatcher, Noriko with Michael, Brant and Gus were all left behind (with permission) due to flats or some problem or another.  However, an extended stop at Coulon allowed most of them to work together and catch back on.  Good teamwork.  Brant wins the ingenuity prize for getting home via light rail and by strapping his broken down steed onto a Lime bike.  Crazy day.  In spite of threatening weather, it was actually mostly dry and fantastic for riding.  Four of us finished together and everyone else made it home safe.

  

20 miles of Christmas lights along Magnolia Bluff, Seattle Center, Lake Union and Olympic Manor.   Was a fun group but too much of the ride was crowded with people and cars.  Far more than expected.  We rode conservatively and everyone rode safely.  But a different route will be chosen next year. 

Looking forward to Wayne's Christmas Lights ride later this month.  

We met afterwards for snacks and to watch the Christmas movie, "Klaus" so it ended up being a good time. 

Wednesday night rides are always fun. Last night was another beautiful evening ride with low traffic, high comradery, invigorating hills and stunning views.