Days 31 and 32 - Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor WA - Thursday and Friday, June 9 and 10, 2011

Friday Harbor is a great destination -- lots to see -- lots of shops -- and much walking.  No shortage of restaurants and Thursday's lunch is at Hungry Clam, where we have Alaskan cod (it just looks like halibut)!

Of interest is the jukebox in the corner, so I check it out for some song titles:  Debbie Reynolds singing "Tammy."  I am old enough to remember when it was popular.  We don't play any songs, just enjoy the food, conversation and decor.  Around the top of the walls are 'platters' -- 33 1/3 rpm, and 45s of various artists.  Yes, I remember those, also.

Friday morning we head for Roche Harbor, on the north side of San Juan Island, the closest we have come to Canada so far, this trip.  A ferry is just leaving Friday Harbor, also, and we give her plenty of room.

Along the way we go by Jones Island Marine State Park, where you can anchor out, catch a mooring buoy or tie at the small dock.  Services are limited, and the attraction is the peace and quiet, the wooded area and trails.  We see a couple of boats already here, and two sailboats coming in.  We leave it to them and plan to return soon for our stay.

Upon arriving at Roche Harbor, we are directed to our slip by the harbor master and are assisted in docking by two helpful employees.  We are doubly pleased as we have a view of the historic Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel, built by John S. McMilan in the 1800s as a Methodist church, but later dedicated Roman Catholic.  It is the only privately owned Catholic church in the United States, and now owned by the Tarte family.

We had to laugh when we saw the sign for the pump-out station:

I love the map showing some locations of where we have been -- Anacortes on the right on Fidalgo Island, Friday Harbor on the east side of San Juan Island, and now Roche Harbor on the north side of San Juan Island.  ........and the cool white boundary line separating the United States (and state of Washington) from Canada.  


Other destinations we plan are Stuart Island to the northwest and Sucia Island to the northeast above Orcas Island.  And of course Orcas to Rosario.  We have three more months to enjoy the islands.

In the afternoon we see a wedding party arrive at the chapel and hear its carillon bells giving us a beautiful concert.  We recognize "The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music," but are stumped on the title of another, whose melody we know.


A call for help on eMail by giving the notes we hear yields a quick response from daughter Patrice, who tells us it is "Born Free."    Of course!  Thank you, Patrice!

We miss seeing the bride and groom heading down the path to the elegant tent where the reception is held.


In the late afternoon we hear another bell concert.  At sundown the marina staff lowers and folds the Roche Harbor flag, followed by the British, Canadian and the US flags.  Then we hear Taps and a cannon fires about 9 PM, at dusk.

Willie of Willie's Tug,

    and Walldog, Willie and Jake