Leavenworth, Washington (Not Kansas)

Leavenworth is on the eastern slope of Washington’s Cascade Range.   It is Washington's equivalent of Solvang, CA, only larger.  In the 1960s, when the local economy took a nose dive; locals felt the need to drum up tourist business beyond what came from the typically frugal backpackers heading up Icicle Creek.  So the logging town began its transformation into a little Bavaria!  The Cascades were a pretty good stand-in for the Alps, and the makeover was successful, even though it is obviously faux alpine, the half-timbered buildings, painted flower boxes, carved wooden beams, and gabled roofs are quite realistic, even charming.  You can even sometimes spot people in dirndl and lederhosen and hear polka music. Schnitzel and strudel are available in many places.  We are hoping to find some good sausage (there goes the diet!) and Mike is dreaming of a good dark beer.

We were fortunate in finding parking right in front of the Leavenworth Sausage Garten where they make a lot of Italian and Bavarian items, giving samples to taste.    

Cheers

Mike sampled two dark beers at Icicle Brewery and bought one that he liked best.  We sat outside in the shade to drink it. They don’t sell 6-packs, only a larger bottle, so he’ll have to remember the taste. 

For lunch we had Sauerbraten and Rouladen at King Ludwig’s Restaurant.  It was very disappointing as the sauerbraten didn’t have raisins and was pretty bland and the rouladen was dry and had very little pickle rolled inside.  Judy's Oma's and Mom’s were much better. 

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Preparing for a water drop

The sky was extremely smoky.  The staging area for fighting this forest fire is in Leavenworth right down the road from the campground we are calling ‘home’ for a few days!  We heard the firefighters were going to start a back-fire to help get a hold on the fire.  It is near here, but we don’t exactly know where.  We wish them luck. 

  

Pretty Smoky

            

It was a very hot day and we did our walking up and down the streets wearing our Tilley hats and sun-shirts to protect ourselves.

The next day we took a drive on Icicle Road. In 20 miles there were supposed to be several different sites that were worth seeing. The road curved and followed the river and we were able to stop and take pictures of a beautiful area where the water was rushing over rocks.  There was a big display board by the side of the road at one point with fire information, so we stopped to look at it.  It showed where the fire started, where they have bulldozed, where the helicopter areas were, and much, much more. After about 8 miles on the road (which wasn’t a county road!) it became a miserable single lane gravel road and we both decided we should just turn around and avoid damage to the truck and ‘who knows what else’!

Mt. Ranier & Mt. St. Helen

       Mt. Ranier

Our home for four nights is Packwood, WA, that is within six miles of the entrance to Mt. Ranier National Park, which was established in 1899.  The first day we spent on the Mount Rainier Loop.  We witnessed old-growth temperate rainforests, quite a few gorgeous waterfalls and impressive vistas.  The loop is 78 miles and they 
suggest allowing 4-5 hours.  We were gone from the rig 7 hours enjoying them all.  

Slumbering volcano Mt. Rainier is the highest and iciest volcano in the lower 48 states, standing at 14,410 feet and capped by 25 glaciers.  The most recent documented eruption occurred during the early to mid-1800s.  It is part of the Ring of Fire, a string of volcanic ranges that almost circles the Pacific Ocean.  It is also the tallest mountain in the Northwest.  It is very often shrouded in clouds but today was our lucky day as the sun was shining and the weather ranged anywhere from the mid- 50s to the mid-70s  (Thirty miles south as the crow flies is Mt. St. Helens at 8,363 feet, an active volcano). 

Christine Falls

First we enjoyed Christine Falls and then we hiked down to Narada Falls.  Both were beautiful and at Narada we could feel the mist.  Another tailgate lunch was enjoyed in the parking lot.  We then went to the Paradise parking area that unfortunately was full, but we still enjoyed the view.  Many stops at viewing points were made and many pictures were taken.  We stopped at Reflection Lake followed by driving through Stevens Canyon, then stopped at Box Canyon where the water flowing through the canyon was 180 feet below us.  Grove of the Patriarchs was our next hike.  It was a magical place where we saw towering Douglas firs, Western red cedars and many other types of trees, some more than 25 feet in circumference and over 1,000 years old.  It was a long, but very enjoyable day with perfect weather.

Narada Falls

Reflection Lake

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

Mt. Ranier starting to cloud over

Grove of the Patriarchs

Grove of the Patriarchs

Glad Mike had Wheaties for breakfast

Judy's favorite bridge crossing

Mt. St. Helen

The next day we headed to Windy Ridge Loop, taking state roads and forest roads.  These roads are in dire need of repair as there are many, many dips and in some places it looks like the road is ready to fall off the sides of the mountains.  Although the speed limit is 35 mph and, in some places it shows to slow down to 20 mph, these dips can really surprise you and do damage to your vehicle.  Many are by the edge of the road and it looks as though hitting one hard enough could throw you over the edge.  Not a pretty thought!

Mt. St. Helen

Our destination was Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.  It was another beautiful day of sunshine and we could see three mountains from Windy Ridge, (Mt. Jackson, Mt. Hood, and Mt. St. Helen) all being active volcanoes in the Cascades Mountains.  We experienced the contrast between the lush old-growth forest we saw yesterday and today saw the blown-down forest that the eruption of Mt. St. Helens caused in 1980.  This fall will mark the 10^th anniversary of Mt. St. Helens’ dramatic 2004 reawakening.  In September/October of that year, after an 18-year period of quiescence, the volcano rumbled to life producing thousands of earthquakes (more than 1,000 small ones a day) and small steam and ash eruptions that captured the attention of thousands of visitors and millions of TV viewers around the world.  The three and one-half year-long eruption piled up millions of cubic yards of lava in a 1,300 foot tall lava dome, growing continuously at a rate of more than a dump truck load of lava per second!

Blown Portion of Mt. St. Helen 

Over the past three decades, the blast-shattered forests north of the volcano have developed into one of the most diverse and productive ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest.  We saw unbelievable amounts of fallen trees that died from the heat of the eruption in 1980.  They lay there like toothpicks and one has to remind oneself that they are full sized trees.  We saw beautiful white, yellow, orange and purple wildflowers growing all over to make it even more dramatic and beautiful.  There are many trees growing in the area but they are not yet full grown and that will probably take another long time. 

We listened to an excellent talk a park ranger gave about eruption at 12:30 and we found it to be very interesting (some of the information is shared above!)  He had some pictures of the area of before and after the big eruption of 1980, which of course brought it all ‘to life!’ .

Burned trees among new growth

Trees lying like pick-up sticks from the blast

Trees lying like pick-up sticks from the blast

Trees lying like pick-up sticks from the blast

Spirit Lake Log Mat

We saw three helicopters going into the area over Spirit Lake from our lunch stop and later found out they are working on putting instruments down into Mt. St. Helens for learning about what’s happening more than a mile into the volcano.  Spirit Lake’s location is much higher than before 1980 and its surface is twice as large.  There are homes, etc., buried below the lake’s former location due to the mud slide from the mountain’s eruption. It was astonishing to see all the trees in Spirit Lake referred to as an immense log mat, resembling a giant logging operation.  On the hillsides the trees are all lying parallel to each other.  The force of the blast was estimated to be traveling about 500 miles per hour.  

Spirit Lake Log Mat

Spirit Lake Log Mat

Another fun day exploring nature and beauty.  We were gone four and a half hours today.  Now to unwind, relax and enjoy chicken Mike will be grilling.

Our last day here we headed to Mt. Ranier National Park again, taking a different ‘loop.’   We walked around a small lake and enjoyed the wildflowers and seeing tadpoles in the lake.  From one vantage point there was an opening in the trees and we could see Mt. Rainier.  After the walk by the lake (name unknown!) we tailgated again in the parking lot.

Another lucky day of gorgeous sites and wonderful weather…… this morning it was 65 when we left and it got as high as 83 during the day.  Today was a short day; we were only gone three and a half hours.  Back at the trailer we turned the air conditioner on and took short naps.  What a life! 

REMEMBER: CLICK ON A PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT!!

Port Townsend, WA

We moved to Port Townsend located right by  Port Townsend Bay.  We set up in our campsite and then walked into town and enjoyed seeing all the old buildings they have saved from destruction, most from the 1880s.  Many of those are quite ornate. The town is one of the best-preserved Victorian-era seaports in the western U.S. 

Our first jaunt the next day was to look at one of the most flamboyant mansions uptown along the bluff, the Ann Starrett Mansion which was built in 1889.  It was built by the town’s leading contractor as his wife’s wedding gift.  The Queen Anne Victorian home is now a restored hotel with lavish period appointments, a spiral staircase, and a four-story tower complete with frescoes.  Reading reviews written by people who have stayed in the hotel, it is in need of many repairs.  FYI:  it is for sale! 

The campground we are in looks across deep blue Admiralty Inlet, dotted with sailboats and ferries.  How nice to be able to walk in to town.  It is not unusual to see deer walking on people’s lawns.













Many homes have a railed in area on the roof known as a widow’s walk.  They were usually on the homes of sea captains.  When the wife expected her husband’s ship home, she would go on the roof searching for it on the horizon.















We had  dinner at a great restaurant recommended by the campground manager.  Mike fell asleep within 5 minutes of returning to the trailer after sitting down in the recliner.  Eating well makes one tired!









Fort Worden was our next stop.  In 1902 it was a military fortification which has been turned in to a state park.  The commanding officer’s quarters is open for tours and a barracks serves as the Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum, telling the story of early Pacific coastal fortifications.  While there we also drove to the Point Wilson Lighthouse which is ‘off limits since it has been automated. 


We are now in Gig Harbor, WA.  Gig Harbor is one of several cities and towns that claim to be "the gateway to the Olympic Peninsula".  Due to its close access to several state and city parks, and historic waterfront that includes boutiques and fine dining, it has become a popular tourist destination.

From here we move just outside of Mt. Ranier National Park, where there is no Wi-Fi. We'll relate our adventures to you once we again have service.

REMEMBER: CLICK ON A PICTURE TO ENLARGE IT!!

From The Heat to the Cold

Wednesday's travels took us to Willits, CA for an over-nighter.   On the road we saw many, many vineyards and tasting rooms as we traveled down the highway in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties.The road to our campground was the same road to Ridgewood Ranch, home of Seabiscuit.  Sleeping with the windows open during the night was delightful.  The temperature dropped to 56 degrees.

Thursday we stayed in Klamath, CA  for three days amongst the redwoods.

Traveling today we saw our first ‘Tsunami Hazard Zone’ signs. The aroma of the clean air is fresh and wonderful.  

Our first stop on Friday day was Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Visitor’s Center.  One teetering on the brink of extinction, the Roosevelt Elk now thrive here and we spotted three of them at a distance. 

We then hiked the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Trail located in Redwood National Park.  This historic walk winds through upland stands of old growth Redwood, Douglas fir, and tanoak.  On this site in 1969, Presidents Nixon and Johnson joined Governor Reagan in dedicating this 300 acre grove to Lady Bird Johnson and her campaign to preserve America’s natural beauty.  Saturday was a lazy day to rest and relax.

We crossed into Oregon and were surprised there was no ‘welcome sign’.  Maybe they do not want tourists in their state!!!.  Our next two days will be spent in Newport, OR.

An Exciting First Day of Vacation

We are glad you will be able to travel on the blog with us.  We just left home and Judy asked Mike where he put the computer.  He was red faced and said it's in the den waiting to hit the road with us. Thank goodness we were only two blocks from home.  

Getting near Harris Ranch, Judy said she was hungry.  They have a separate parking lot for trucks and rvs... After enjoying a delicious breakfast, we drove to the campground in Lodi, CA.
When we parked in our site at the campground, we discovered that apparently a truck parked next to us at Harris Ranch scraped the side of our rig, causing considerable damage.  At least everything works and we can get it fixed when we return home.
We hope that we don't have anymore exciting days ahead like this.