Roche Harbor - Day 2

So, we went out for a walk today and ended up calling the marina office to make a reservation for a third night! There is just too much to see, too much fun to be had and too much activity to take in all in two days. We did some geocaching while on a few of the many trails. We learned a lot of the history of this harbor and have tried to include some pictures to pique your curiosity. As I said yesterday, you have got to come here and see it for yourself.

Just above the marina is The Chapel, built in 1892 as a Methodist Church. A "circuit rider" minister performed regular services here and during the week it was used as a schoolhouse for the children of Company Employees. Later a new schoolhouse was built that is now one of the cottages that can be rented by visitors.

These cottages were once homes for the Company Employees. They can now be rented by visitors who come to Roche Harbor.

While we were out walking we came across the a sculpture park where concerts, food and art exhibits are held every Sunday from 5:00-8:00pm.

A really fun activity would be to rent a moped or Super-Coupe and explore the island.

So far the highlight of our day, however, was a visit to the well-known Mausoleum. John S. McMillen built it as a memorial for his family and incorporated tangible things to represent all he believed in - Masonry, the Bible and the Sigma Chi fraternity. He also included his own view of family by creating a stone table with 6 chairs for each family member. Each chair contains the ashes of a family member. The columns were built to be exact replicas of those in King Solomon's temple. The unfinished column represents the idea that man dies before his work is completed. The mausoleum was begun in 1930 and was built to the point it is today by 1936. At that time, the cost was approximately $30,000. The Mausoleum is a fascinating structure to behold and well worth the walk to get there.

This evening we had dinner at the Madrona Bar and Grill that overlooks the marina. The food was great and reasonable. Fine dining is offered upstairs in the McMillen but I was told dinner begins at around $30 - two great options depending on what you are looking for.
We ended the evening with a walk through the woods looking for three more geocaches. The GPS led us to old lime quarries that were interesting to see and we also saw three deer in a clearing. Of course, I didn't have my camera with me!
On a humorous note, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the pump-out boat that works the marina. Very applicable name, I must say!