By Gail Wood
It’s a biking adventure I’ll never forget.
And it’s just a 17-minute ferry’s ride across the Puget Sound, taking you from Steilacoom to Anderson Island.
Not long ago, I pedaled across the tiny island that’s 8 miles long and 5 miles wide. The island, who is named after a man who was a friend of my great grandfather, is a beautiful country-like escape, with glimpses of the Puget Sound as you ride.
Once the ferry traffic unloads after reaching the island (the max load is 55 cars), the two-lane roads return to a country quiet. On my Saturday visit, traffic was light and courteous.
One island resident told me with a chuckle that there had been no “reported” hit-and-runs.
After a couple of miles of cruising along flat roads, make sure you stop at the island’s grocery store.
While you restore your supply of munches, Angel, the store’s clerk, who is a rare lifelong island resident now raising her kids on the island, can give you directions and the latest gossip. After a cheery farewell, I continued to pedal south down Johnson road, the eight-mile stretch of pavement that cuts the island in half.
Shortly after passing the old school house (built in the 1800s and now a museum), take a right onto Sandberg Road.
Riding through a stretch of wooded meadows, just follow the signs to Andy Park. It’s named after Andrew Anderson, one of the island’s original settlers who was also a friend of my great grandfather, Peter Peterson.
My suggestion is to park your bike at the small, rustic picnic area and walk the half mile along a narrow and at times steep trail. I took a spill, falling off my bike into the bushes. Follow the trail to the beach and Carlson Cove on the west side of the island. The walk along the beach is serene, a great getaway.
Returning to Johnson Road, I continued south and the island opens into picturesque farmland, with frequent glimpses of the Puget Sound. At the southern tip of the island, there’s a beautiful view of the Nisqually Delta and the rolling Black Hills mountain range.
For bird watchers, the island is an ideal place. For bird watchers on a bike, there are plenty of birds to see. If you can watch the road and the birds, you might see a Rufous Hummingbird, swallows, Cedar Waxwings, Robins and woodpeckers.
Back up on Johnson Road and at the end of Lake Josephine Boulevard is the Riviera Marina on the east side of the island. A three-mile ride through the island’s most populated area (year-around population is 1,037, but I still spotted three deer at that area) takes you to the marina’s entrance and the beginning of an incredibly steep hill, which is actually a paved cliff. It’s an 18 percent grade, which is just short of riding up a telephone pole. Going down isn’t the problem.
But after a walk along the rocky beach and after skipping a few rocks into the Puget Sound, I began the difficult ride back up. It’s four blocks of lung-aching pain going up, with first gear bringing little relief. But I made it. Without stopping. Even Lance Armstrong would have struggled. But the walk along that beach made the ride up the cliff worth it.
The ferry ride back across a choppy Puget Sound is fun, an excellent summary to a wonderful day.
It’s a fun way to spend a day and it’s so close. Just go north on I-5 and take exit 119. Turn left off the freeway and take a right onto DuPont-Steilacoom Road, driving about 7 miles to Steilacoom. The ferry terminal is at the end of the road.
There are 12 departures from Steilacoom every weekday to Anderson Island. Another two late trips are added for the weekends. Departures are nearly every hour starting at 7 a.m.
The ferry ride is an experience unique to the Northwest. For an adult walk-on passenger, a round-trip ticket is $4.60. That’s a lot cheaper than buying a boat.
For more information, check out the island’s website at andersonislandhs.com
