What a difference a day makes! We woke up\to a very calm day, and the water was like a mirror reflecting the sunrise which cast a mellow glow over the area.
Last night we decided to wrap up our trip and immediately head home to be with family. Rick and Evelyn have been so gracious to accomodate the change in schedule. We took off early for Antecortes, a 3 hour boat ride.
Before we entered the harbor, Rick baited and dropped crab pots. The bait was chicken legs which are tied and put in a small cage inside the wire pot. Each pot has a long rope and a buoy attached, marked with your name and address to say "hands off" to anyone else!
Wish we could have stayed around to enjoy the catch..Rick sent this picture of one pot that had 20 crabs..he said it was the biggest catch ever!
As we entered the harbor, it was like rush hour--boats coming and going everywhere. It was low tide, so some areas were shallow and we had to watch the depth as well as the other boats as we approached.
Captain Rick was a master at maneuvering and landed the Journey spot on!
The Carters had arranged to have a car waiting for us at the dock so that we could return to their place, pick up our car, meet up with our motorhome and begin our 2500 mile trek home. It's been a wonderful journey on Journey. What an unbelieveable experience, and an incredible way to see a new part of the country and experience the world of boating with wonderful friends.
We woke up to a bright morning, and did a walking tour of the island. It's surprising there is so much to see in a relatively small area of Roche Harbor.
This beautiful house looks like a castle and sits high on the hill overlooking the harbor. The owner was out and waved, but we didn't get an invitation to join for coffee (darn!)
One frequent mode of transportation to the island is by plane. We watched this guy at the airport "gate" waiting for his ride, which pulled up, he got in and they took off! No TSA check, no baggage, no lines!
Another interesting island landmark is "The Mausoleum" built in the 1930's as a memorial to one of the landowner's family. It's hidden deep in the trees, and you hike along a trail to get to it. The structure incorporates all kinds of symbolism in stairs, columns and, and a round table surrounded by concrete "chairs" which are crypts for the ashes of family members. The inscription on each chair includes info on the family member, their sorority or fraternity (Sigma Chi and SAE) and political affiliation--interesting!
We kept seeing these huge beautiful trees with a rich orange-red bark. I had to "google-lens" the picture to figure out what kind of tree it is--found it is a Madrona, found in the Pacific northwest coastal areas It is a broadleaf evergreen tree. which can live for over 300 years!
These cottages on the island were built around 1890 to house workers on the island. Eight of the cottages remain and have been restored and are rented as vacation accomodations. Wouldn't this be a great place for a family reunion?
Our Lady of Good Voyage chapel sits on a hill towering over the harbor. It was construted in 1892 as a Methodist church, and was also used as a school for the children. It was renovated in 1960's and consecrated as a Catholic church. Then, in 2014 it was deconsecated and made available for services of all faiths. (I've never heard of a church being deconsecrated). When the carillon bells rang, it echoed over the water and created a beautiful peaceful melody.
After a pretty good hike around the island, we rewarded ourselves with a donut from the famous donut shop on the dock! Yummy!
This guy brought his own transportation along. I guess they don't make bike racks for a boat!
We left Roche Harbor headed through Mosquito Pass (yes that's really the name) looking for a nice cozy cove. The weather quickly changed; it became overcast, the wind picked up and let us know it was in charge! At one point there were small craft warnings out and we got a bit of rain. We found a great spot in a cove with some protection from the wind and dropped anchor to spend the night "on the hook". (Yes, I'm learning "boat talk" )
We had a great dinner on the boat, compliments of Evelyn.
And, then settled in for the night.
Today was also the day our hearts got heavier when we received news that we lost our brother in law Noaman in a car accident in Indiana. It's another reminder to live life to the fullest while you can. We are so fortunate to have spent time with him just a short time ago at the wedding in Jackson Hole.
Journey is a 53.3 ft. boat (no..,it's really a yacht). It is an Ocean Alexander (a brand of boat) with exquisite features and layout. It is powered by twin 450 hp engines, with 38" propellors and has both a flybridge and steering deck. When they told us we would have our own stateroom and bathroom, I figured we were on a cruise ship! We almost got lost figuring out how to get to all of the different levels of this boat! It's amazing, and comfortable, and awesome! We were presented with our Journey-designated attire (Jim a hat, me a shirt) and christened as matey's aboard the Journey.
Jim took a tour of the engine room (you can almost stand up in there!) and it was as clean as a whistle! This baby carries 700 gallons of diesel fuel and 200 gallons of water.
We stayed on the boat overnight to get an early start on Tuesday morning. Other than the party boat moored next door, it was quiet and peaceful in the marina. (The partiers finally went home, thank goodness. It reminded us of being at the racetrack the night before a race!)
We took off at 6:30 am, on Tuesday morning and I was so impressed that Captain Rick didn't even have to touch the steering wheel to maneuver the boat from the slip out into the open water. He used the engine throttles and thrusters to turn and direct the boat.
We watched the sun come up, and we were the only boat on the water for quite a while! It was a beautiful cool morning, and so exciting to sit up top and watch our journey unfold, as we sipped on our coffee and talked about what a blessing it is to be able to experience this!
You could also lounge in the back on a comfy couch and watch the wake created by the dual engines.
Although the day started with sunshine, soon the clouds and fog rolled in and added some excitement to the trip! The water became rough; add to that the rip tides coming in, and it gave Captain Rick some extra challenges to work through. He managed quite well, thanks to his skills, radar (and good first mates!).
Navigation through the area includes charting a course, watching for other boats, ferries and debris in the water, as well as staying on course. Basic tools are maps, binoculars, GPS, radar and good ol eyes!
Our route took us around several small islands with some turns to follow the water passages that wind through the islands. As we passed under the Deception Bay bridge, it was almost eerie, but beautiful, as the fog surrounded us. Here's a front and rear view.
After 7 hourse of travel, we made it to our destination...Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands. It's a stone's throw from the Canadian border--in fact they have a customs office on the dock! By the time we arrived, the fog had lifted and the sun was out. It's interesting how things work with taking a boat into a marina. You must call in on the radio to let them know you're approaching, and whether you have a reservation. The radio operator responds, providing information on your mooring assignment, and which way you will tie up. i.e. Stern in, port tie up, or bow in, starboard tie up. It was quite busy, a little hectic, and very interesting to hear the operator handle the boat traffic coming in, while working to get everyone in the proper place.
The Harbor is beautiful, and there are lots and lots of boats here. Lots of big boats and really big boats!
Roche Harbor was once an area where lime was quarried and transported to kilns where it was processed. At one time Roche Harbor was the largest producer of lime west of the Mississippi! The old kilns (built by the British in the 1800's) are still on the property.
The area is a great vacation spot for families--there is a pool, and even a pickleball court! The old hotel overlooks the harbor. It seems to be a great setting for weddings and family reunions.
Another interesting sight was the Phecal Phreak! (check out their motto on the sign!) This specially equipped boat provides a "service" for boats who need it. We frequently see these "honey dippers" at the race tracks to service motorhomes, but I have never seen it for boats! I guess everybody needs a little help sometimes!
We took the dinghy out and putted through the marina to look at the boats, We had fun seeing the different boat names: Playbook, Phantom of the Sea, Playpen, Longshot, Whale Tale, Spin Cycle, Show me the Money, Job Site, Take Five, Second Thought, Dawg Gone, Coupon Clipper are just a few. Think of the fun the owners had coming up with the names and christening their boat. There are no two boats alike..each has her own special character...including Journey.
We had dinner at the waterside restaurant, enjoying the good food, great atmosphere and views of the harbor.
In Roche Harbor, there is a 61 year old tradition to retire the colors at sunset. Young employees form the color guard to perform the colorful ceremony, as boaters and tourists gather around. We watched it from the dinghy--quite impressive! They lowered the Canadian flag to "Oh Canada", the British flag to "God Save our Queen" and the American flag to taps. At the end, all the boats blew their horn and applauded.
We witnessed a beautiful sunset to close out a journey full of adventure on Journey!
This is the first time we've been able to spend time in this area of the country. We've talked about coming here since 2013. It took an invitation from our dear friends Rick and Evelyn to make it happen! We've been planning this trip for over two years. Covid delayed our initial plans, and almost did again! We were lucky to find that this rv park offers a "storage" option for the nights we will be away. For $10 per day you can park your rv and plug it in to keep the refrigerator going...not a bad deal! Jim even set the satellite so we won't miss recording any of our shows! (how spoiled is that?)
Rick and Evelyn invited us to their lovely home in Edmonds just ouside of Seattle. They have a beautiful view of the water and you can sit on their patio and watch the cruise ships roll by! Edmonds is a neat small town, with a quant downtown, lots of fun shops and a warm and cozy neighborhood feel.
Rick & Ev took us into Seattle to see the sights, and sights we did see! Seattle is the largest city in the northwest...the city population is about 750,000, but the metropoitan area is about 4 million people; we learned that 50,000 people move to Seattle earch year! There are a number of large corporations headquartered here...Microsoft, Amazon, Nordstrom, Boeing, Starbucks, etc. We visited the Pier where there is a giant ferris wheel overlooking Puget Sound.
We took a "ride" on the Wings of Washington which is a "flying theater" 3-d movie that took us around the city. We actually had to buckle in, even though we really didn't leave the seat. We felt like we were flying over Mt. Ranier, and felt the mist in our face as we swept across the water. We "flew" over the Huskies stadiium during a football game. The movie was very well done. It took us all over the city and we were able to see various landmarks up close and personal. It was so realistic, and provided a perfect teaser to the some of the things we will see with our own eyes.
We then boarded a boat to take a tour of the city from the water. This area of Puget Sound is called the Salish Sea. The tour was great and provided all kinds of fun facts and interesting info about the area.
It was a fabulous day with bright sunny skies that added a perfect backdrop for the city skyline. There were two cruise ships in port on the day we toured.
The football and baseball stadiums are side by side, smack dab in the middle of town. I bet it's wild on game days! You can even get to the stadium by boat! That adds a whole new meaning to tailgating!
Seattle is also a huge port for cargo ships. We passed one overloaded with containers. It's kind of fun to imagine what is in all those containers, where they're going and where they came from!
The tall black building is the Columbia Center which is the tallest building west of the Mississippi, at 76 stories high! The white ships at the pier are coast guard vessels that are used to break up ice in the wintertime along the coast up to Alaska. We learned so much from the tour,, and had a great time experiencing the city from the water.
But....we weren't done! We then checked out the famous Pike Place Market--a public market, filled to the brim with eateries, specialty shops, crafts market, a farmers market and about anything you could want in the world! It is a maze of shops and people. It was Monday afternoon, and filled with shoppers and tourists...can't imagine what it's like on a weekend! We looked twice at the seafood market...pretty tempting!
There were several interesting tidbits to take in, like the sideways sculpture which served as a lampost,
.....and the famouns gum wall, which has become quite a tourist attraction! Rick and Jim were very tempted to leave a souvenir, but refrained. I didn't even want to get close enough to get my picture taken in front of it!
We had lunch overlooking the market, which was lined with beautiful flower baskets.
We stopped by the oldest Starbucks in the world, but the line to get in was around the block, so the best we could do was get our picture taken in front of the sign!
We travelled down to the Space Needle, the iconic Seattle structure built for the 1962 World's Fair. It is quite impressive, at 605 ft tall, and towers over the area, as if pointing the way for tourists.
Adjacent to the needle is the Dale Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition. Chihuly is a well-know glass blower from the area, whose works are on display around the world...even in Indianapolis, in the entrance to the Children's Museum!
His works are breathtaking! Some take in an explosion of color, while others are a monochome which have a equal impact. Inside, the works were highlighted by the lighting and glass. Outside, the sculptures blended into the landscape with interesting shapes and colors.
We were able to watch a glass-blowing demonstration, along with short movies about Chihuly and his works. It is so impressive to see his works of art, and hear the inspiration behind them.
On the drive back through the city, we saw the Nordstrom headquarters and flagship store--quite impressive. (Evelyn worked here in the corporate offices before retiring a few years ago!) An interesting tidbit I learned was that JW Nordstrom initially made his money with the Klondike gold rush! We didn't have time to stop in for a shopping spree--probably a good thing, because I haven't hit the gold rush yet!
After a very full day, we arrived at Hotel Journey, our accomodations for the next several days. You'll hear much more later about Journey....
We settled in with a beautiful sunset to cap off a wonderful day!
