Saturday, July 14th. Wwe left Roche Harbor and headed to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island. Only 5.7 miles away from Roche, but completely different surroundings. No marina. No restaurant. No electricity. No cable TV. No ice cream. “Why in Heaven’s name are you there?” you’re asking.
Well, we’ve been here before. It’s quiet and relaxing. The harbor is a state park. The price is right: anchoring is free, a mooring ball is $10. As we made our way to the end of the harbor, we decided to splurge and picked up the last unoccupied mooring ball. It is a short dinghy ride to some nice hiking.
I took the dinghy ashore to register while Joan made lunch. When I got back a few minutes later, we enjoyed our meal and talked about which path we’d take. This is the place that has the “Treasure Chest”, a big wooden box in the middle of the woods with t-shirts, hats, and note cards for sale. You help yourself and then mail in the payment when you get back to civilization. We wanted to see if it was still there.
Instead of taking our dinghy to the dock, we motored west to a rocky beach; starting from here cut about a mile off the distance we’d walk. We carried the dinghy up on land (to keep from tearing it on the sharp rocks and shells) and tied it to a tree. And set off walking.
Starting from this place, the walk is on a steep one-lane gravel road. Along the way, we came to a tree swing; Joan took a turn swinging, I enjoyed the break from the steep incline. After our break, we continued uphill.
Yep, the Treasure Chest is still there. We looked through the items and decided what we wanted; we’ll pick them up on the way back.
From there, it’s a short walk to the one room school house and library. Last year there were only 5 kids in the school; this year the school will close because enrollment is down.
There is also a small muesum (about an 8x10’ building) where we learned more about life here: no utilities (you have to make your own electricity), a mail boat comes in a couple times a week, UPS flies in a small plane once a week.
Shopping at the Stuart Island Mall.
We turned back, stopped to get Joan a shirt and me some note cards, and started down the hill. Last year when we were here, we saw one woman and a dog while hiking; this time there were quite a few people... a bunch of kayakers had come in.
We took the dinghy to the dock and walked the short distance to view Prevost Harbor on the other side; another nice anchorage. Back at the boat, we relaxed in the cockpit and read; took a short nap; then a gentle rain started. It was a nice way to wind down the day.
Best wishes,
Jim B.
Well, we’ve been here before. It’s quiet and relaxing. The harbor is a state park. The price is right: anchoring is free, a mooring ball is $10. As we made our way to the end of the harbor, we decided to splurge and picked up the last unoccupied mooring ball. It is a short dinghy ride to some nice hiking.
I took the dinghy ashore to register while Joan made lunch. When I got back a few minutes later, we enjoyed our meal and talked about which path we’d take. This is the place that has the “Treasure Chest”, a big wooden box in the middle of the woods with t-shirts, hats, and note cards for sale. You help yourself and then mail in the payment when you get back to civilization. We wanted to see if it was still there.
Instead of taking our dinghy to the dock, we motored west to a rocky beach; starting from here cut about a mile off the distance we’d walk. We carried the dinghy up on land (to keep from tearing it on the sharp rocks and shells) and tied it to a tree. And set off walking.
Starting from this place, the walk is on a steep one-lane gravel road. Along the way, we came to a tree swing; Joan took a turn swinging, I enjoyed the break from the steep incline. After our break, we continued uphill.
Yep, the Treasure Chest is still there. We looked through the items and decided what we wanted; we’ll pick them up on the way back.
From there, it’s a short walk to the one room school house and library. Last year there were only 5 kids in the school; this year the school will close because enrollment is down.
There is also a small muesum (about an 8x10’ building) where we learned more about life here: no utilities (you have to make your own electricity), a mail boat comes in a couple times a week, UPS flies in a small plane once a week.
Shopping at the Stuart Island Mall.
We turned back, stopped to get Joan a shirt and me some note cards, and started down the hill. Last year when we were here, we saw one woman and a dog while hiking; this time there were quite a few people... a bunch of kayakers had come in.
We took the dinghy to the dock and walked the short distance to view Prevost Harbor on the other side; another nice anchorage. Back at the boat, we relaxed in the cockpit and read; took a short nap; then a gentle rain started. It was a nice way to wind down the day.
Best wishes,
Jim B.
