There are few things that my husband loves as much as road trips. So when our hike to Melakwa Lake got rained out last Saturday morning, he jumped at the chance to take me on a sightseeing drive around the state.
It's important to note that I am from the mini (but mighty) state of Massachusetts. In New England, a road trip involves 3 hours and as many states. But the loop Ty had in mind involved an 8 hour drive, gnarly terrain changes, all in the same state. The twinkle in his eye describing the drive was enough to convince me. A quick cup of coffee and we hit the road!
The loop: Issaquah to Cle Ellum, through Wenatchee (where all the apples are from), to Lake Chelan for a lunch pit stop, through Pateros and Twisp, stopping in Winthrop for steering candy, over the Washington Pass through a foot of snow, then heading South to Concrete, Sedro-Woolley and back down to Seattle where we ended the evening with friends.
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| Autumn steals my heart. The clouds, the rain, the leaves... |
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| One of 3 rainbows we saw along the first leg of the drive around Wenatchee |
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| That's the Columbia River on the right :) |
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Our first stop was in Chelan, an adorable resort town in the summer, boating many local vineyards and this adorable cafe.
Ty got the chicken gyro wrap and I had the tuna salad sandwich - both were dynamite! |
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| Fox salt & pepper shakers, mugs, dishes...cuteness overload! |
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| Truth. |
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Following lunch, we stopped into Bear Foods Natural Market where I found this Alpaca Puppet.
Luckily, Ty was there to capture this moment for me.
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It was Halloween afterall, so a stop at the famous Sheri's Sweet Shop was necessary. We ordered SeaFoam (google it),
Rocky Road and a healthy does of Jelly Belly beans. yummmmm! |
Next up we headed over the Washington Pass on the North Cascades Highway. It was literally THE LAST day we were able to drive through. This is a 70 mile stretch of road that is considered the most remote in the contiguous United States. It closes for the winter after the first snow fall of the season, we got there just in time!
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Flash snow storms at the pass made me glad to have a pom-pom hat, gloves and parka with me. If there's one thing
I've learned living in the PNW, it is to always have a range of layer options with you. |
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| (this is what the view normally looks like at the Washington Pass Overlook) |
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This was our view...
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| 4 wheel drive came in real handy... |
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| He was so excited to see the snow. Visions of ski season dancing in his head... |
8 hours of windshield time sounds daunting. But with so many sights to see, adventurous stops, a tom of laughs and a great playlist, how could it not be a totally awesome day?
Happy trails!
xoxo, Bee
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