Islands Of Escape -- The San Juan Islands -- Washed By Sea Water And Perfumed By Salt Air, The San Juans Are The Place To Slip Into `Island Time' And Savor The Simple Pleasures Of Nature

Officially, it's the San Juan archipelago - the peaks of an underwater mountain ridge extending from the southeast tip of Vancouver Island east to the north part of Whidbey Island.

But to most of us who live in the Puget Sound area, they're just "the San Juans" - three words most often said with a sigh and a tone that smacks of fantasy and escape.

We're not talking about a few chunks of dirt and rock rising from an oversized pond, but about 750 islands, rocks and reefs at low tide, and about 450 at high tide, all clustered in the northwest corner of the state where they are washed by sea water and perfumed by salt air.

Only about 10 of the islands are inhabited; on most, seagulls far outnumber humans. About 10,000 people live here year round; two or three times that number in summer. Island time

The San Juans are a place to absorb a history lesson; do a little whale-watching; catch some fish; trap some crab; walk a beach; study the tidepools; scan the sky and trees for eagles; ride a bike; camp on a beach; or just do nothing. And, after a few days, start sneaking a look at real-estate prices.

But be forewarned, Southern Californians discovered the San Juans about the time the quality of life in the Golden State began a serious deterioration. And now, land prices in the islands show it.

Most visitors plan trips to one or several of the four islands served by Washington State ferries - Lopez, Shaw, Orcas and San Juan.

Access to the islands can also be by small airplanes and private vessels - but the vast majority of visitors walk or drive aboard one of the state's ferries at Anacortes - which is on its own island (Fidalgo), a 90-minute drive north of Seattle - and begin what some call "the most scenic ferry ride in the world."

As you ride the ferry, see how long it takes you to adapt to that laid-back way of life known as "island time."

In summer, there are more than a dozen daily ferry sailings from Anacortes to and among the San Juans. There are two runs a day from Anacortes through the San Juans to Vancouver Island at Sidney, B.C., about 20 miles north of Victoria (in winter, it's just once a day).

Once you leave the terminal near Anacortes, you're hardly settled in your seat before the ferry crosses Rosario Strait, slices between Blakely and Decatur islands and makes its first stop at Lopez Island.

Flat and open, Lopez (population 1,500) has the best bicycling in the islands, the best farmland, a popular marina resort - the Islander Lopez on Fisherman Bay - one state park and seven county parks. (Only Odlin, a county park, has camping.)

After unloading a few cars and foot passengers, the ferry moves quickly into Harney Channel and its second stop - the terminal at Shaw Island, just a couple miles west.

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks; that really is a Catholic nun, in her habit, lowering the ramp for foot passengers and vehicles. She's affiliated with the nearby Little Portion Store, operated for years by the Franciscans

Shaw, the smallest of the four major islands in the group - has narrow, empty roads, no motels or inns and only one small public campground, at South Beach. If you really want to get away from it all, this may be your island. Only 160 people live there.

Back aboard, it's only a mile or so across the channel to Orcas, the island shaped roughly like an upside-down "U."

Often called the "Gem of the San Juans," Orcas is the largest of the group, with 125 miles of saltwater coastline. It is home to 3,200 residents, 5,000-acre Moran State Park, and within the park, the 2,409-foot Mount Constitution - highest point in the San Juans - plus numerous lakes and trails.

Orcas also has more public campsites (almost 150) than all the other islands combined.

Mention Orcas Island to anyone who has grown up in the Seattle area and you'll probably hear, "Oh yeah, neat place. I went to Camp Orkila (YMCA of Seattle) when I was a kid," or "I've always wanted to spend a night at Rosario."

Camp Orkila is still on the west shore facing Waldron Island across President's Channel. Schools use it frequently for environmental studies.

A historic resort

The Rosario Resort is still on the island, too, in all its splendor. Indeed, no visit to Orcas Island is complete without seeing Rosario Resort & Spa, long ago named to the National Register of Historic Places.

It's a 17-mile drive from the ferry landing at the town of Orcas, north and around the top of East Sound and south to Rosario. The resort's focal point is the beam-ceilinged, white-plastered mansion built more than 80 years ago by Robert Moran, a Seattle shipbuilder.

Moran's mansion used to house guests. Now it's for dining, gift-buying and body-toning. But there's room for about 200 overnighters in modern, motel-type units near the mansion and scattered on the hillside above it. Each unit has a private balcony overlooking Cascade Bay, where at any minute a seaplane may swoop down out of the sky, land on the water like a giant mosquito and slowly taxi to Rosario's dock.

An equally good show are the island's deer - so tame they often browse below your balcony.

The mansion's main floor has a lounge and multi-tiered restaurant, both overlooking the bay and graced by live piano music in the evenings. The lower level offers weight rooms, aerobics classes, swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool, massages and facials.

In his later years, Moran gave the state enough land to create Moran State Park, which is less than two miles from Rosario. It's a steep 5 1/2-mile drive to the summit of Mount Constitution (not recommended for trailers); along the way several lookouts afford spectacular views of islands rising like killer whales out of the sea. A lookout tower at the top offers a 360-degree view of the Cascades, Olympics and assorted islands. Watch for deer, tame enough to beg for food and to pose for photographs.

Other things to do and see on Orcas Island:

Eastsound - The town near the top of the island has gift shops, the Orcas Historical Museum (four pioneer cabins contain an excellent collection of Indian artifacts and island relics; open Tuesday-Sunday), and the historic Landmark and Outlook Inns. The latter started as a settler's cabin in 1888 and was expanded to include a store, barbershop and jail before it was converted to an inn.

Deer Harbor - This fishing village on a bay on the island's southwest section has shops in structures dating to its founding in the 1890s. It's a popular stop for vacationing boaters.

Orcas (ferry landing) - The first thing that catches your eye as you drive off the ferry is the historic, very Victorian Orcas Hotel. While waiting for a ferry, visit the shops. You'll even find lattes.

It's a 30-minute ferry ride from Orcas Island to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, the second largest (72 miles of coastline) and most populated (5,000 people) island in the San Juans.

In 1859, San Juan was the site of what might have been a second war between Great Britain and the Americans had not cool heads prevailed. The "Pig War," as it became known, threatened to pit British warships against a small contingent of American troops.

On the protected east side of the island is Friday Harbor, the San Juans' only incorporated town. In summer, its marina is filled to overflowing with boats.

Friday Harbor's population (1,800) increases dramatically during the tourist season. The town has gift shops, quality restaurants and some fine galleries - everybody on the island seems to be weaving, painting, building or writing something.

A few Friday Harbor highlights:

Whale Museum - At the privately operated museum, just a block off the main street, you can hear recorded whale sounds and see the skeletons of whales, otters and dolphins ($3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors and students).

Marine Field Laboratories of the University of Washington has marine specimens on display on the north shore of the harbor. It's generally open to the public two afternoons a week during July and August.

Community Theater - Almost everyone on the island has participated at some time in the theater. It's worth the effort to catch a performance. Check posters in store window for plays, days and times.

Lodging - Friday Harbor has numerous accommodations that range from good to first-class.

Restaurants - Recommended ones include the Springtree Eating Establishment & Farm which has a 100-year-old elm in the courtyard; Cafe Bisset, Roberto's and The Downrigger. The Cannery House has a view of the harbor and offers a tasty corned beef-cheese-and-sauerkraut sandwich for the lunch crowd.

The war that wasn't

Nine miles northwest of Friday Harbor is Roche Harbor, a picturesque bay popular with boaters for decades.

It's named for Lt. Richard Roche, a member of the survey group that came to San Juan Island in 1864 to try to settle a boundary dispute between the Americans and the British, who both claimed the San Juan Islands.

In 1886, John S. McMillin bought the entire harbor area, including several stone lime kilns, and began the Roche Harbor Lime & Cement Co.

The little town soon had its own customs office as a port of entry to the U.S. For 80 years, the manufacture of limestone and its byproducts was the community's principal activity.

A year after he came to Roche Harbor, McMillin remodeled a log bunkhouse into a hotel, grandly named the Hotel de Haro. Two presidents - Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft - slept there. The hotel's lobby boasts Roosevelt's signature in the guest book, beneath his smiling portrait.

Roche Harbor Resort includes Hotel de Haro, quaint cottages that were a part of McMillin's old company town and a number of modern condominiums. The home once occupied by the McMillin's is now the resort's restaurant.

Lime kilns still line the bluff as you enter Roche Harbor. Equipment used in the glory days of limestone quarrying can be seen throughout the area.

A few miles southwest of Roche Harbor is English Camp, one of two San Juan Island National Historical Parks. The other, American Camp, is at the southern tip of the island.

Both camps commemorate the U.S.- Great Britain boundary dispute touched off in 1859 when an American homesteader shot an Englishman's pig on San Juan Island.

There were no hostilities; quite the opposite. Soldiers at each camp would entertain each other - the Americans the hosts on July 4, the British the hosts on Queen Victoria's birthday.

The issue was settled in 1872 by Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany who set the boundary in Haro Strait thus awarding the San Juan Islands to the Americans.

Other island attractions include:

Giannangelo Farms (on Limestone Point Road, east of Roche Harbor, about 10 miles northwest of Friday Harbor) - It specializes in organic and culinary herb gardens; herbal teas, vinegars, Japanese garlic and Egyptian onion.

Two aviaries, built around large cedars, provide an unusual home for white doves.

Lime Kiln Point (on the west side of the island, almost due west of Friday Harbor) - It offers excellent whale-watching opportunities after May 1; nearby Lime Kiln Lighthouse is a favorite of photographers. Bed-and-breakfast

There are a number of interesting B&B's and inns on the island. Just drive around; virtually all older homes on the island have a history and the architecture is one-of-kind. Among them is the Mariella Inn and Cottages, a newly restored turn-of-the-century inn on the seashore at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

The Mariella, which began life in 1902 as Kwan Lamah Resort, has been lovingly restored by Art and Alison Lohrey, who moved to Friday Harbor a few years ago from Gilroy, Calif.

The 8 1/2-acre spread includes the 11-unit inn, gardens, spacious lawns, brick paths and courtyard, hot-tub room, kayaks and several cozy cottages right on the water. There are no TVs at the inn. Lacking the Great Pacifier, we walked around the grounds and explored the cottages. In the evening, we curled up with our own books in one of several sitting rooms.

Art Lohrey says "Mariella" is the name of a beautiful boat he once saw. It was his dream to use the name someday on something he owned and loved. Perhaps, like him, you'll find your own special experience in the San Juans. ------------------------------------------------------------------- PART FOUR

Today's Seattle Times articles on the San Juan Islands are the fourth in a series featuring "Washington's Best" attractions. They're written by Don Duncan, a veteran Times reporter (now retired).

The series began on April 18 with a story about riding the Washington State Ferries, followed by stories about traveling the North Cascades Highway (May 16) and visiting Mount Rainier (June 20). Today, Duncan takes us to the San Juan Islands.

Watch for more in the "Washington's Best" series throughout the year in the Seattle Times Travel section.