The price of gas, pushing $4.50 a gallon, is now officially impacting our summer travel. I imagine it is yours, too.
We’re now brainstorming places we can go for relaxing summer weekend excursions that require minimal mileage. As residents of West Seattle, the closest getaway we could come up with is only a short ferry ride away – lovely Vashon Island.
Getting to Vashon is a cinch. Arrive on the north side of Vashon Island by car ferry, either from Southworth on the Kitsap Peninsula or the Fauntleroy terminal in West Seattle. On weekdays, you can come via the passenger-only ferry from downtown (take your bike or rent one from Vashon Island Bicycles for $20 per day – just take the bus from the ferry to the bike shop). You can also arrive on the south end of Vashon Island from Tacoma via a ferry from Point Defiance. However you arrive, leaving your car on the mainland will save you ferry fare and some gas money as well, but bring a bike. Biking on Vashon is not only economical and healthy; its fun. Without a bike, you’ll need to be quite creative and patient getting around by bus.
Vashon isn’t a big destination for overnight travelers, or even day trippers, but it has so much to offer that it could be. The fact that you aren’t among throngs of tourists is part of its allure. Browse through the locally-grown chard and loganberries at Vashon’s Saturday Farmers Market or sip organic, shade-grown coffee at the Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie (incidentally, the building where Seattle’s Best Coffee first began), and you’re far more likely to bump elbows with an island resident than a tourist. Several waterfront parks on Vashon tempt you to pass a lazy weekend beachcombing or reading in a beachfront lawn chair. (My favorite waterfront spot for solitude is Lisabeula on the west side, and for everything else I head to Maury Island Marine Park).
For eating downtown Vashon, you’ll have more good choices than you might expect. The Homegrown Cafe is a top pick for a hearty breakfast with lots of vegetarian options. Head to Gusto Girls for a great happy hour or dinner with bites like fresh oysters, homemade mac and cheese, or bourbon pecan chicken. The Monkey Tree serves up great wine and vegetarian fare, with fantastic soups, salads, entrees and baked goods.
Want to soak up a lot of local flavor? This weekend is the annual Vashon Island Strawberry Festival, July 11 – 13, downtown Vashon. It features a carnival, two parades, beer garden, wine tasting, street dancing, lots of live music and art, and of course, plenty of food. Later in the season, Vashon’s annual Harvest Festival comes September 22, putting Vashon’s agricultural roots on full display.
There are a few solid choices for cheap sleeps on Vashon Island. Two of them are run by the same folks.
The Lavender Duck Inn (16503 Vashon Hwy SW, 206.463.2592) offers three rooms with queen beds and a full guest kitchen in an 1896 farm house just a short walk from town. All rooms have private baths, and run about $85/night. The AYH Ranch Hostel (12119 SW Cove Road, 206.463.2592) associated with Hostelling International, will put you up in a traditional teepee or private room in the log lodge, both $65 / night double occupancy in the summer. Go cheap in a standard teepee, covered wagon, or dorm bed for just $17 – $20 per person. Pancake breakfast served. Got a vacation home of your own? You can trade nights with the folks that run Alpacas at Winterbrook Farm (206.463.0515) to stay at their two-story, cozy log cabin and commune with the 20+ alpacas, Pygora goats, chickens and ducks and their ancient and rare breed Jacob sheep. Otherwise, this fabulous place is $135 a night for a 3-night stay. Oh, If you buy alpacas, your stay is free.
