Celtic Safari: Lunch in Roche Harbor

Roche Harbor

Visiting a popular destination preseason offers a unique experience both in terms of the visual splendor of the gardens and the oddly empty guest docks, to the quiet side of routine maintenance and the sounds of nature not having to compete with the vibe of modern life.

On the Wharf

Only the early visitor gets to enjoy the explosion of color and textures that Spring represents at Roche Harbor. While the thongs are still a couple of months off, there is still much to see and do. Attention to detail is is a hallmark of the resort. I love how even the signs are interesting. It reminds me of being at Disneyland.

Even the ordinary is extraordinary.

Our lunch destination after getting off the ferry from Anacortes.

After lunch, we wander around the complex enjoying the architecture, the docks, the boats, and the gardens. The gift shop in the Hotel De Haro is always worth a visit.

President Theodore Roosevelt slept here.

Whether by car or by boat, Roche Harbor is a special destination in the Pacific Northwest. We've come multiple times in our Catalina 22 sailboat and in our forty-five foot Bayliner 3870, and each visit was special. One year we got to see the resort decorated for the 4th of July.

A Grand Banks trawler arrives.

Anchor from the Star of Chile.

Grounded in History.

Visiting the gardens.

As avid gardeners, Laura and I enjoy the handiwork of others. While the gardens are beautiful in the summer, they are different in the Spring.

White Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart

White Daffodils.

Asian Bleeding Heart

Laura enjoying the gardens.

Hotel De Haro

Looking back at the harbor from the hotel.

Great day to be exploring with Laura.

One of the many pots around the property.

Flowers are everywhere.

A rocking Adirondack chair with a breathtaking price. Great chair though.

Move tubs of flowers.

Even the dogs have a drinking fountain.

Not the largest we've seen at Roche Harbor, but impressive all the same.

The narrow cut between Pearl Island and San Juan Island as seen from the marina.

Fuel dock and home of the evening "Retiring the Colors" ceremony.

The nearly empty guest docks. Swimming pool and tennis courts to the left, and cabin rentals up the hill.

The chapel and the gardens are popular for weddings.

The chapel.

Walking the docks at Roche Harbor is always likely to deliver a surprise. On this day I encountered the M/V Teal, which is a great story (https://www.facebook.com/MV-TEAL-1434866836790183/) about restoring a piece of history that was rotting away in Port Hadlock, WA. Teal is a 78' former Alaska fisheries patrol boat launched in 1927 by Kruse & Banks Shipbuilding, North Bend, Oregon.