Following 97 South to Lovely Leavenworth

It was the crash that pushed us south down highway 97. Effects of a whiplash just wouldn’t subside so instead of making everyone around me miserable, husband Jim and I set off on a camping trip earlier than we normally would. Traveling our favourite Highway 97 (Jim has written the definitive book on historic 97 a road that outshines Route 66 on every level except for having a song and a television show).       Our first stop was the town of Cashmere, Washington. I am always surprised at the number of travelers who never venture off the main road to visit it this charming settlement. On the drive into Cashmere you pass dozens of colourful, quaint cottages quite like the collection of Jellybean houses in St. Johns, Newfoundland. Never one colour quite the same. Downtown is a picture-perfect village centre with covered boardwalks, red brick and lots of authentic shops. The Applets and Cotlets factory has generous samples of their sugar-dusted jellies made from local fruit, as well as complimentary crackers to try the spreads and jams and really good chocolate. The matrons urge you to help yourself, but watch eagle-eyed to make sure no-one double dips. To do a free tour of the factory you are outfitted in gear to rival a surgeon’s. This diligence is very reassuring when you make a purchase. I always hope that Cashmere’s pioneer village will be open but not this time.     Our first night’s destination is Leavenworth. You are probably familiar with it as the “Christmas” town set with a Bavarian theme, complete with thousands of happy tourists arriving by bus and car. Being there in the off-season in late February and March was a pleasant surprise. All the quaintness, Swiss Alps décor and “um-pah-pah” music are still there, but there was room in all the shops and the keepers had time and energy to devote to you.  This ghost town bloomed when two locals with amazing foresight thought that it compared in beauty of situation to Bavaria and started recreating it in that style. While Gail Roberts was telling us all about local birding, school children were strapping on mini-snowshoes to hike with their teacher and volunteers along the river to identify footprints of local creatures. Out past the fish hatchery that is open to tourists is the Icicle Creek Music Center which has concerts year round. We were lucky to hear the gifted young women from the Icicle Creek Piano trio practice under the shadow of Sleeping Lady Mountain. Afterwards we had dinner at the Kingfisher Dining Hall at Sleeping Lady. The first course was Olive Oil Roasted Portabella Mushroom bitter greens and roasted garlic vinaigrette and each course just got better. The choice of restaurants was so varied in Leavenworth we made a list of the ones we have tried including Pavz, Alley Café, South, and Visconti’s. At each the Chamber of Commerce invited local business couples to join us. They had moved to Leavenworth to open elegant B&B’s and businesses like the wonderful Cheesemonger’s Shop.  The enthusiasm of the people of this town is very evident. Where else would you find a town where one of their elders hauls his four meter long alpine horn out onto the upper balcony of the Enzian Inn at 8:15 and 9:15 and to play rousing music every morning of the year?

 

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