We managed to find five days in a row with no commitments so decided to get away by ourselves and spend some time back in the San Juans. Since we did not have guests with us this time, we brought our trusty crew member, Barkley, with us. He has adapted well to the boat and makes himself at home.
As we were running along Camano Island we saw two replicas of old sailing ships that were very cool.
We had intended to get an early start this morning so that we could hit slack tide at Deception Pass around 11:30. Unfortunately, we were a little behind schedule so rather than go through the pass with a current of 6-1/2 knots, we decided to try a new route that took us up the Swinomish Channel past La Conner. The channel is very shallow - about 6' in places during the day's low tide but it was a beautiful trip and it was fun to see new scenery.
We made a quick stop in La Conner so that Barkley could have a break and take care of business. It was the perfect place - we pulled in alongside the guest dock, walked Barkley, then went on our way - all in a matter of 5-10 minutes.
We were in awe as we pulled in to Roche Harbor which is located on San Juan Island itself. We had heard it was the most popular place in the San Juans but we had no idea what that meant. The harbor was filled with beautiful mega-yachts, thousands of people, hotels, gift shops, and so much character. Roche Harbor was a lime mining town in the late 1800s and you can still see remnants of the industry around the harbor. Hotel DeHaro was surrounded by lush flower gardens and a firebrick path. The popular restaurant at the marina was originally the grand main residence of the mining company. We are planning to stay here two nights so will do our exploring tomorrow. This is definitely a must-see when visiting the San Juans.
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