Secret Places, Roche Harbor

 

I can’t count the number of times we have been to Roche Harbor and never hiked the trails above the lime kilns; this was our year to discover the hidden back country.  We picked up a trail map from the Hotel which wasn’t all that accurate, but we still found our way through the forest trails which climb up into the hillsides where the rock quarries are located.  

Anchor Point for Holding Men or Buckets

The map we had showed a loop trail, but in fact there is a maze of trails.  Limestone was mined from as many as 15 quarries cut from the hills behind Roche Harbor.  

200ft Cliff Face

Cliff faces at some of the quarries are over 200 feet high.  When we broke through the trees at the top, we stood still in our tracks and crouched down from fright; we found ourselves on a narrow ledge with a sheer vertical drop on both sides of us – I think we found those 200 foot drops!  

A Frightful Drop!

No wonder quarry work is described as hot, dirty, and dangerous.  Men would bore holes in the side of a quarry using compressed air drills.  Dynamite was then placed in these holes and charges were fired at the end of the day, creating a large pile of loose limestone.  In the morning a different crew loaded the stone into ore carts to transport to the kilns.  

Cart/Rail Track 

The carts were first pulled by horses which were later replaced with a small 3’ gauge rail and steam locomotive.  We found what looked like the old path or rail line that gradually descended down the hillside.  

The Rope Swing

We also found a small clear lake with a rope swing over a perfect swimming hole.  It looked like great fun if you didn’t mind sharing it with the fish. 


A Clear Mountain Lake

Perhaps the men who worked the quarries cooled themselves off at this very spot.  Another crew of men would have been down at the kilns, processing the stones.  In order to process the limestone, rocks had to be at least 6 inches in diameter so air could escape up through the stones to distribute the heat.  Once mined and transported down the hillside, the stone was dumped into the top of the kilns.  The kilns were heated to over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit in order to convert the stone to lime.  

Hiking Through the Limestone Boulders

When cooled the lime was drawn off into barrels.  In order to keep the kilns at such intense heat, 32 cords of dry wood were consumed every day.  Together, the kilns produced approximately 1,500 barrels (200lbs each) of lime every day. At one time Roche Harbor was the largest producer of lime west of the Mississippi.  A large part of the production went to San Francisco to rebuild the city after the great fire of 1906.  Steel required high quality lime and Roche Harbor’s lime was 98.32% pure carbonate of lime.  John McMillin had the quarries worked in such a way as to produce stone that was easy and inexpensive.  Over the years this resulted in making the quarries inefficient to mine. 

The Lookout

Production ceased in 1956 with the sale of Roche Harbor to Rueben Tarte and family.  The adventure of hiking through the hills is well worth the effort to see these quarries now shrouded in silence.  On our hike back down the mountain, we discovered another side trail that took us up to a lookout where we had great views of Garrison Bay and Westcott Bay.           

Great Views from the Lookout

Heart of the San Juan’s

Cruising the San Juan Islands is not complete without a stop at Roche Harbor on the west end of San Juan Island.  It is the heart and soul of the islands with untold charm and historic significance.  We always make a point of visiting the Mausoleum, the Lime Kilns, the Company Store, and Hotel de Haro. 

Company Store

The Hotel was named after the Spanish explorer, Capt. Lopez de Haro who discovered and named the San Juan Islands in 1787.  The Hudson Bay Co. built a log structure on the site sometime between 1845 and 1850.  It was 1886 when John McMillin built the Hotel de Haro around the original log structure.  Several famous individuals have stayed at the Hotel, including President Theodore Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft, and actor John Wayne.  1886 is also when John McMillin purchased the lime kiln holdings from the Scurr brothers, who had previously purchased the lime kilns from Joe Ruff in 1881. 

Lime Kilns - Roche Harbor

The first two lime kilns were built by the British under the direction of Lt. Richard Roche stationed at English Camp on nearby Garrison Bay during the Pig War (1858-1872).  By 1890, Roche Harbor was a full blown company town. 

Lime Works - Roche Harbor

Limestone was quarried and transported to the kilns where it was burned down into industrial lime, a much needed ingredient in the production of steel, plaster, cement, and paper.  Bethlehem steel was a major customer. 

Company Town Generators

Diesel-fired generators, installed by McMillin, were used to power the lime plant, offices, hotel, and employee housing. 

The Chapel - Roche Harbor

In 1892 the Chapel was built as a Methodist Church, John McMillin’s denomination.  A “circuit rider” minister provided regular services, and during the week the church was used as a school for the children of company employees.  A schoolhouse was built later which now serves as a cottage for Roche Harbor Resort in addition to the company houses. 

School House and Company Homes

Next began the construction of a mausoleum in 1930 for the future internment of himself and his family.  It was completed in its present state by the spring of 1936. 

The "Afterglow Vista" Mausoleum

The structure incorporates symbols from the Bible, the Masons, and the Sigma Chi fraternity, all of which were important to McMillin as well as his own views of family unity.  

McMillin Family Mausoleum

The columns were created to be the same size as those of King Solomon’s temple and the broken column depicts the broken column of life.  Six stone and concrete chairs surround a round table made of limestone and concrete. 

Crypt Chairs, the Family Union

The chair bases are crypts for the family ashes while the set represents their union after death. 

Grave Sites in the Forest

We enjoyed our hike through the woods and paused at some of the company grave sites on our way to the mausoleum.  The trail begins just past the small airstrip, upland from the marina.  Of course the airstrip is another must see on our list; we landed our Mooney Airplane here in the early 1990’s, a special remembrance for us.  After seeing the airstrip again, I had to marvel how we landed such a fast airplane on such a short runway!

Roche Harbor Airstrip

A Country Road



West Sound Cafe

Today brought mild weather; time to stretch our legs, even Java seemed anxious to go for a walk.  We piled in the dinghy and motored over to the public pier in West Sound, providing easy access to the country roads and the country café located near the dock. 

Spring Flowers at West Sound

We had planned to have lunch before our walk but found that the café was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.  Someone should write a book about all the cute places to eat, where to tie-up, and the hours of service.  Oh, that’s right, I already wrote that book – Cleats & Eats.  Now that I am retired from writing guidebooks, I can just show up and have fun, no more working feverishly to gather information.  We can take lunch back at the boat after our walk; no more excuses, it was time to stretch our legs.  

Our Walk Down a Country Lane



The Smell of Fresh Cut Hay

Caution was required, however, as the paved roads in the area are rather narrow and winding with no shoulder.  Fortunately we found a side road, a beautiful gravel country lane just past the Orcas Island Yacht Club that meanders up a valley.  

Java Loves Her Walk

We followed the twists and turns through the forest with only the sounds of chirping birds, it was so very peaceful.  

An Old Log Cabin

The sweet aroma of the forest and fresh cut hay from the open fields were heaven sent.  Every bend and every rise beckoned us on until we came upon an old log cabin in the undergrowth, if only it could speak.  

What Stories Could be Told?

Here we found a fork in the road, most likely driveways for the local farms.  Not wanting to intrude upon the islanders’ privacy, we turned around at this point, having savored the best of this lovely country setting.

A Peaceful Country Setting

  

Massacre Bay



Massacre Bay and Turtleback Mountain

Approaching Skull Island by Kayak

Rope Swing - Skull Island

We departed Blind Bay after a fun weekend with friends and motored across Harney Channel to Massacre Bay in West Sound at Orcas Island.  Massacre Bay is very scenic with Turtleback Mountain rising as a backdrop over the bay and little Skull Island.  The Lummi used the small island and the surrounding land for seasonal camps which were raided in 1858 by a northern tribe from southeast Alaska, hence the foreboding place names.  We decided to explore this enchanting place by kayak.  While circling Skull Island, we spotted the beginnings of a sea cave and also spotted a rope swing, perhaps someone's secret swimming hole.

A Field of Flowers - Skull Island

Wild Flowers - Skull Island

The island appeared intriguing with its sparse growth of trees, open grassy areas, and fields of flowers.  We finally found a spot to go ashore along Skull Island’s rocky shoreline.  Tying off the kayaks to a log, we climbed up the steep bank and took in the lovely views. 

A Walk on Skull Island

We didn’t find any skulls but our imaginations were quick to fill in the missing pieces.  After spending the afternoon in Massacre Bay, we motored to nearby Double Island Cove to set the anchor for the night.  

Got d' Fever seen from Skull Island

This scenic cove also contains a small state park called Victim Island.   We made two or three attempts to set the anchor just off the shelf in about 21 feet of water but kept finding patches of rock; the anchor would grab and then lose its bite, jarring the bow of the boat.  I guess we were the next victims of Double Island Cove and its haunting islands.  We motored back to the northeast side of West Sound and anchored in front of the adorable West Sound Café near the public pier.    

Weekend of Festivities



Waterfront Festival - Anacortes

Today we spent the morning at the Waterfront Festival in Anacortes which included music, food, crafts, and a superb collection of Corvettes, both old and new.  Rob, our close and long-time friend arrived the night before to spend part of the weekend with us and take in the festivities.  We so much appreciated his company, he always comes with a smile on his face and a pocket full of humor. 

Checking out the 3D Wood Models

Strolling through the fair, we came upon some 3-D models depicting the ocean floor and land masses for various parts of Puget Sound, Island Groups, and the Coastline.  The models, created by routing out layers of wood to show depth contours had soft colors added to distinguish land and sea.  These eye-catching and intriguing models would make a beautiful collection for any home, boat, or cabin.  Not too much time was spent looking at the jewelry and scarves, however, since Leonard and Rob were making a bee-line for the Corvettes.  I must admit, I enjoyed the cars as well; just about every model, color, and year could be seen in this fine collection. 

Rob and Leonard checking out the Corvettes



Collection of Corvettes - Anacortes Waterfront Festival

 We stopped by the W.T. Preston Snagboat, described in the previous blog posting and Rob, too, found the boat and history to be fascinating. The Saturday Market, located next to the historic train station, was also in full swing at Anacortes.  We purchased some delicious cheese, an olive baguette, and some farm-fresh strawberries for lunch back at the boat; we added a bottle of wine and we were instantaneously transported to Europe, ah!  After we said our goodbye’s to Rob, we motored the boat to Blind Bay where we met our friends Bob and Shino who were out fishing again for the weekend.  They rafted up next to our boat for the evening and had arrived with a bountiful catch of shrimp – another delicious dinner aboard Got d’ Fever!  

Delicious BBQ Shrimp - Compliments of Bob & Shino

We were not lacking in conversation either, as Bob and Shino always come with interesting stories and are another couple that always find the humorous side of things.  We might not be making much progress northward, but we sure are having a good time trying!  With our new schedule, we are aiming for the Broughton Island Group and perhaps beyond for this summer’s cruising destination.

Maritime Heritage

The trip to Portland proved to be fruitful and with another appointment or two, we can make some serious progress northward.  In the meantime we will enjoy cruising the San Juan Islands until my next scheduled trip back to Portland. 

We spent a few days in Anacortes and enjoyed visiting the Maritime Heritage Center which includes the historic 1929/39 Snagboat, Preston.  The rivers of Puget Sound were served by hundreds of steam paddle-wheelers in the late 1800’s.  Because the hulls were easily punctured by submerged stumps and logs, Snag boats were needed to keep the tributaries cleared. 

Three steam powered sternwheelers served as Snag boats for the area, they were the Skagit (1885), the Swinomish (1914), and then the W.T. Preston (1929 and 1939).  The Preston used a 70-foot boom and a 1 ¼-cubic yard clamshell dredging bucket.  Steel “spuds”, fore and aft, were lowered through the hull to anchor her to the bottom.  

Helm Station W. T. Preston 

The crew would locate submerged hazards by sweeping the riverbed with a cable suspended between two skiffs. 

The Preston served the Puget Sound from Olympia to Blaine for more than forty years before she was retired in 1981 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. 

She had used the main reciprocating steam engines, as well as many pumps and other hardware from her 1914 predecessor; and then in 1939, the Army Corps of Engineers made some additions or modifications.  Her replacement, Puget, operates today out of W.T. Preston’s previous dock at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. 


Engine Room - W.T. Preston

We found the Preston Snagboat in Anacortes a worthwhile tour not to be missed.  We also discovered some interesting history, past and present, in the adjacent museum building which houses photos and artifacts. 

Auxiliary Donkey Boiler  - the Preston

We learned that the USA 17 BMW Oracle racing trimaran was built and launched in Anacortes.  Constructed of light durable carbon fiber composite, it reached up to three times that of the wind which powered it. 

Builders and Planners of USA 17

Builders of the craft chose Anacortes as a construction site because of its proximity to the small town of Sedro-Woolley where the firm Janicki Industries provided high-tech tooling or molds needed to create carbon fiber hulls with extremely precise specifications.  She was the fastest and most revolutionary craft for racing at that time.  After attracting worldwide attention for several days while conducting sea trials in Rosario Strait, USA 17 was shipped to San Diego and went on to win the 2010 America’s Cup at Valencia, Spain.               

A Short Respite



Parks Bay

We motored over to Parks Bay on Shaw Island and dropped the hook, a nice quiet place to give my hand some time to heal and wait for the swelling to go down.  Parks Bay is only 2 miles northeast of Friday Harbor but has a remote feel since very few boats come into the bay.  

Parks Bay and Biological Preserve

Most of the land surrounding the anchorage is a Biological Preserve, owned and operated by the University of Washington so going ashore is not allowed.  

Looking northwest from Parks Bay

Fishing in the bay is also restricted to preserve the underwater habitat.  These restrictions, however, make for a very peaceful setting and the bay provides a fabulous view of the sunset.  We spent a couple of nights in Parks Bay enjoying the solitude.  

A Beautiful Sunset, Parks Bay

My hand was nearly back to normal, minus the ring of course.  Then it became apparent that we needed to do some backtracking.  A trip to Portland to help my mother with some follow-up business was needed, so we motored back to Anacortes where I could rent a car for the drive south.  In the meantime Leonard could finish up his dinghy repairs.  Stay tuned for more adventures, both on and off the water.