Today's blog is brought to you by Al and Jo Lynn! A recap of their second visit to the Pacific Northwest, during the coldest April since 2001! Sorry, not sorry for the the amount of Tulip photos and videos!
Tuesday ~ Billy got up bright and early and drove us to Madison and with a stop over in Minneapolis we got to Seattle in the afternoon where Erin picked us up and drove us to their cute house. After a tour of their new house and Erin finished working for the day we headed out to Magnus Brewing which overlooks Lake Washington. Then we went inward a bit to Ravena Brewing Company. Ordered Poke (a diced raw fish served either as an appetizer or a main course and is one of the main dishes of Native Hawaiian cuisine) The poke was very good and I tried using chop sticks! Let’s just say I need to work at that.
Wednesday-Thursday ~ We hopped on a train, scratch that, I’m mean bus from Everett to Leavenworth. We didn’t know that Amtrak partnered with bus lines, so to our surprise we were on a bus instead of a train. Leavenworth is a Bavarian-styled village in the Cascade Mountains, in central Washington. Touristy shops, brew pubs and restaurants with German faire line the streets. For dinner we treated ourselves at Andreas Kellner Restaurant where the wait staff is dressed in traditional German costume. We started with a light beer and shared the Andreas Kellner Sampler Platter, which included wiener, sausage, a pork chop, fried potatoes, Weinkraut and red cabbage. It was so good! We ended with an apple strudel dessert. What a treat! We stayed over at the LOGE hotel with outdoor-inspired rooms (our room had a hammock above our bed!), friendly staff, gear rentals, relaxed gathering areas (inside and out), and all the info you need to get outside and get after it.
On day two of our excursion to Leavenworth we woke to a brisk morning that turned into a beautiful day. We found our way to the Louis Cafe for breakfast and then a walk around Blackbird Island before we headed back to where the bus would pick us up. The town of Leavenworth in Chelan County occupies a spectacular location at the confluence of Wenatchee River and Icicle Creek, over which loom peaks of the North Cascade Mountains. The Wenatchee Valley was the traditional home of Native Americans, mainly the Wenatchi Tribe, for whom the Wenatchee River and Icicle Creek provided a limitless supply of salmon. Then opportunities for mining, logging, fruit growing, and railroad work drew settlers to the area. Although Leavenworth boomed for a time, it soon suffered from the unrealized promises of all of these ventures, and the Depression of the 1930s appeared to seal its fate. During the early 1960s two men from Seattle who had settled nearby inspired the local residents to revive Leavenworth as a tourist theme town. Leavenworth reminds me of a small scale version of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Across the road from where our bus picked us up they are now building an Adventure Park. Sigh.
Arriving back in Seattle was a beautiful 70 degree day we headed to Stoup Brewery in the Ballard neighborhood. Where we were the only ones upstairs and soaked in a few rays and a few pinks before grabbing pizza down the street.
Friday~ The month of April is tulip festival time in the Skagit Valley. We drove up to RoozenGaarde, which was tulip heaven. You get out of the car and just smile! Not only do they have fields of tulips, daffodils and hyacinth, but they also have beautifully designed gardens to wander through.
Check out more Tulip videos HERE!
From the tulip fields we meandered over to Whidbey Island, to the top of Mt. Erie, and then Deception Pass where Ted dropped us off and we walked across the bridge to the other side. It was very windy! We stopped at Deception Pass State Park and peered out at the Sound. We didn’t see any signs of whales nor sea glass so we made our way down to the ferry we stopped at Penn Cove Brewing Company in Coupeville, Washington.
Saturday ~ On this cloudy day we left Seattle to hike Franklin Falls. Our trail was two pair of foot prints in the snow. I’m just glad they seemed to know where they were going! When we crossed over bridges there was a mound of snow 3’ deep in the middle with just enough room to walk on the edge. Al and I purchased new shoes for this trip and my feet were every so thankful. Can’t say enough about having a good pair of shoes for hiking! When we got back to the car the rain/snow was really starting to come down, but as we got back to Seattle the precipitation quit, but later we heard that 14” of snow fell just north of Franklin Falls in the Snoqualmie Pass.
Sunday ~ Walked through Pikes Market, with every kind of vendor imaginable. We drove down to the pioneer square and went to National Parks Gold Rush Museum. The Museum has a short film on the Gold Rush and many displays on the the historic Gold Rush. Made a stop at the Ballard Farmer’s Market where we had an amazing hot dog and corn dog and checked out a cider bar before the rain moved in. Then back to Ted and Erin’s where we enjoyed old fashions and a Mediterranean dish using the shrimp bought at the market.
Monday~ Back to work for Erin & Ted, so we laid low as Al was under the weather with a bad cold. Later in the day Erin drove us up to REI in Lynwood where we found some nice PNW t-shirts for Al and we also purchased our Al & Jo Lynn Lego people!
P.S. One eagle sighting. Ted wins!
Tuesday ~ Another great trip ending to the Pacific Northwest! We visited many new places, hiked some new trails. Tried some new brew pubs and new cuisine. Rested and ready to go back to work? Not in the least! Until next time, thanks for the hospitality Ted & Erin!
Beautiful tulips! Enjoyed your trip!