wa Archives • Weekend Walkabout

Must Visit Shops in Leavenworth

April 9, 2015January 5, 2017 by Don Wilson

First off, I’m a guy. Yes, I enjoy shopping, but my shopping is way different than my wife’s shopping. My wife can spend 2 hours in a children’s clothing store, touching every garment on every rack, putting together matching ensembles. She may, or may not buy anything. I walk through the store, look for something cute/funny/unique/exotic/interesting. If I happen to find a garment that says something cool about how much the child loves their Papa, I might buy it, but then I’m done. In and out in 2 minutes, and on to the next shop.

The last time I went to Leavenworth, we spent about 3 hours shopping on two different days. We walked and browsed through a lot of unique shops. I wait for my wife, while she tries to keep up with me.

I enjoy the kind of shopping (browsing) that we do in Leavenworth. Much of what I enjoy the most involves food. When we have the time, we’ll walk from shop to shop and explore each one. When time is limited, I seek out my favorites. Here are mine, in no particular order.

The Hat Shop is a regular stop, especially when we have the grandkids with us. Find the funniest hat…and…picture time!

Schocolat, Fine Handmade Chocolates is basically just one small counter in the back of Ganz Klasse, which is a home furnishings boutique. If you visit Schocolat, you will be offered samples of their artistry. You will find that their chocolates are absolutely heavenly.

Munchen Haus is an outdoor restaurant with several options of the best brats. They have dozens of different mustards and sauces to douse your brat with, along with their warm apple cider sauerkraut. For years, we have selected Munchen Haus as our first choice for dining in Leavenworth.

Fresh Burger Cafe is a new favorite on my list. We discovered it on our last trip to the city. It may be one of the best burger/sandwich/soup/salad cafes anywhere. They have a small inside dining area, but more seating outside on their patio.

The Kris Kringle Shop has more Christmas decorations that you ever imagined could be available. I’m not a decorator, so I’d probably never buy anything there. My wife is the decorator in our house. She buys stuff.

The Cheesemonger’s Shop offers samples of a number of interesting cheeses.

A Matter of Taste has samples of hot sauces, flavored honey spreads, mustards, dips, etc. I especially like the flavored honeys.

The Metal Waterfall Gallery is a shop that I’ve walked through many times, but I always go back. I just find the sculptures to be fascinating enough for another look. They catch my interest as I walk through the store.

When we stay at our Worldmark condos (and there is one in Leavenworth, which we utilize on occasion), we go through a lot of coffee. They used to provide us with all the coffee we needed for our stay, but they changed their policy, and now we have to purchase our own coffee. When in Leavenworth, we make Alpine Coffee Company one of our first stops so we can get a pound of coffee to get us started for our stay in the condo.

My wife and I spent a couple weeks in Russia, a few years ago. We bought a few souvenirs to bring home with us. Gifts From Russia is reminiscent of our souvenir shopping in Moscow.

Here’s a comprehensive list of the shops you’ll find in Leavenworth.

Save

A Weekend at Rainbow Beach Resort on Twin Lakes

August 26, 2014 by Don Wilson

A very close friend of mine has enjoyed an annual vacation at the Rainbow Beach Resort on Twin Lakes In northeastern Washington’s Ferry County for many years. In fact, when he was a child, his family spent annual vacations at the same resort.

For the past 15 years, or so, my friend has been sharing stories and pictures with me each year upon his return from vacation. He’s shared about the wakeboarding and tubing behind the boat with his kids. He’s described his fishing successes, including the best fishing holes on the lake. Over the years, I’ve come to feel almost like I’ve been there after seeing so many photos of the surrounding landscape, cabins, favorite fishing holes, etc.

Finally, this summer, it worked out that my wife and I were able to join our friends for a few days during the two weeks of their stay. We chose to make the 4-day weekend trip on our Goldwing. Travel time was about 4.5 hours each way, so a fair amount of our time was spent on the road. What better way to do that than on a motorcycle!

The drive from our house began with mostly flat, straight roads. We were prepared for it to be quite a warm day, so we left early enough that we wouldn’t be on the road when it got too hot. The last quarter of the trip, as we started climbing into the mountains and came closer to the lakes, we found some nice motorcycle roads – the kind with all the twisties and switchbacks. We arrived at the resort safely and in good time.

Due to a number of wild fires in northeastern Washington, there was a bit of a haze over the lake and throughout the area. It was smoky enough that someone with allergies or respiratory sensitivities might have had problems, but Leslie and I didn’t. A few times, I could feel a bit of a burning in my eyes, but not enough to make me feel that I didn’t want to be there. You’ll notice the haze in some of the photos on this page.

The cabins at Rainbow Beach Resort are small and modest, but when you are spending most of your time on the lake, you really don’t need much more than a comfy bed to sleep in. My friend brought a small window air conditioner with him and rigged it up in the window above the kitchen sink. That, along with a number of fans throughout the cabin kept it very comfortable. I can imagine that without the A/C, it could get nearly unbearable in those little dwellings during the heat of the summer. As I understand, the cabins used to be shaded a little better, but a number of trees have fallen over the past several years during some storms that came through and brought some very high winds.

Favorite fishing hole — Our favorite bass fishing hole on North Twin Lake.

Leslie and I each purchased a one-day fishing license and spent a good part of the day on Sunday out on the boat fishing for bass. We fished for a few hours in the morning and again in the evening. From my friends years of experience fishing at these lakes, he’s determined that those times of the day usually provide the most success for catching fish.

Leslie had the most success in catching the most fish. She caught 5 and I only caught 3, however, I can revel in the fact that I actually caught the biggest bass within our group.

On Monday, our second full day, we took a drive north to go through Kettle Falls and Colville. It was a fairly quick trip, but we had time to go through some antique stores and thrift shops. Like most of the shopping of that nature that I’m involved in, I do lots of looking but very little buying. I find it interesting and enjoyable.

We learned that the weather report for the next day (our departure day) was supposed to bring some afternoon thunder showers. We had planned to leave around noon, but decided instead to get on the road early so that we might get a jump on the stormy weather. We managed to catch some rain during the early part of our ride, but nothing severe. By the time we had made it about half way home, it was actually getting rather warm. In fact, by the time we got home, it was downright unbearable. We could have used some cloud cover and even a little moisture to keep things a little cooler. I’m glad we didn’t wait until noon to leave Twin Lakes. That’s not to say that I was anxious to get away from Twin. I’m just saying that an afternoon ride would not have been pleasant that day.

To summarize the time we had, I’d say that the lake and the area was very nice, the cabin was very adequate, but the time we were able to spend with our friends was priceless.

Narada Falls Near Mt Rainier

August 1, 2014July 31, 2014 by Don Wilson

Narada Falls is a very popular roadside attraction in the Mount Rainier National Park. It is evidenced by a turnoff along Paradise Road E that has the capacity for more than 100 vehicles. When we arrived to view the waterfall, it was maybe a quarter full, and there were only a handful of people there. When we returned after our hike to Comet Falls to use the restroom facilities at this site, the parking was packed full and there were people milling around everywhere. I’m glad we took the opportunity earlier to get our pictures of this gorgeous waterfall.

They have constructed a bridge that crosses the Paradise River that feeds Narada Falls, just above the waterfall. Off to the left of the path are the restroom facilities and to the right is a trail that leads down to a viewpoint of the waterfall. The trail is well groomed and only a couple hundred yards to the viewpoint. I forgot to turn on my gps app on my phone that records the time, distance, and elevation change, but I can say that it was a short, quick, easy hike. I even saw some people much older than I am, and some very small children with their families walking down this trail.

The waterfall drops about 159 feet over a rock wall and spreads out into a wide veil as it falls down the rock face. I’ve read that during heavy drainage, the veil can spread to as wide as 75 feet. It is also reported that during the winter, the waterfall freezes to form heavy icicles and this becomes a popular location for ice climbers.

Narada Falls is about a mile west of where you turn off to go to Paradise. We went to Narada Falls after we had been to Paradise and Myrtle Falls. We just followed the signs as if we were going to Longmire and easily found the Narada Falls Turnout.

Strawberry Bay Falls at Third Beach Near La Push

July 21, 2014 by Don Wilson

Strawberry Bay Falls was on the agenda for the day. After having to stop in Sequim for some supplies, then spending some time in Forks, WA to see the “Twilight” scenes, we were running a little late.

We had originally intended to travel all the way around to Lake Quinault and visit about 4 waterfalls near there. That part of the trip would have to be held off for another time.

We found the Third Beach trailhead by following our GPS instructions which took us from Highway 101 and onto Highway 110 at Forks, WA. We arrived at the trailhead about 2 miles before La Push. Come to think about it, we never actually ventured on into La Push on this trip. Oh well, something else for another day.

The hike from the trailhead to the beach is about 1 1/4 miles. It was obvious to me that Leslie was wishing she had brought her jacket. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and felt very comfortable.

We made sure that dad and mom didn’t feel like they had to complete every trek that Leslie and I were on, but they were determined to reach the destination.

The scenery along the trail was mostly very green – we were in a rainforest, after all.

Most of the trail was pretty smooth and level, but shortly before we came to the ocean, we began to descent down toward the beach and the trail got a little rugged with rocks and protruding roots.

We enjoyed a short walk of about 1/2 mile along a smooth, sandy beach. The weather was very pleasant. A friend of ours who was at First Beach the day after we were here said it was raining so hard, they didn’t get out of the car. I guess we were lucky.

The waterfall, itself, is rather unimpressive, however, it is unique and interesting as it drops off a cliff and into the ocean. It’s the first ocean falls that I’ve been to. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a waterfall that drops into any significant body of water.

I think what made this waterfall visit the most interesting was the diversity of landscape through the short hike to the waterfall. I really enjoyed the hike through a rainforest, descending down onto an ocean beach. Who doesn’t like a walk along the beach on a calm day?

Marymere Falls Near Crescent Lake

July 18, 2014 by Don Wilson

The last waterfall we visited while on our trip to Discovery Bay was Marymere Falls. It’s located in Clallum County in the north central part of the peninsula just to the south of Crescent Lake and about 20 miles west of Port Angeles. The trail head is next to the Storm King Ranger Station.

The trail is a round trip of about one and a half miles. It begins by taking you through a large culvert-like tunnel under the highway, then winds through a clean and well maintained path through the rainforest. the scenery is exotic and vivid green. I’ve heard that some describe it as like being in a Lord of the Rings setting. That might be an accurate description.

The first part of the hike is fairly flat and level. Along the way, you’ll notice an abundance of ferns and some rather large trees. You’ll come to two rustic bridges. The first crosses Barnes Creek, and the second is immediately following the first and it takes you across Falls Creek. Immediately following the the second bridge, you’ll start climbing stairs and ascending up about 200 feet to a moss covered ravine.

Along the way, the trail splits into a loop that will take you to two different view points for the waterfall. If you take the left fork, you will first enjoy the lower view point which is directly across from the base of the falls and looking up to the top. The upper view point provides you with a vantage point that is near the center-top of the 100 plus foot waterfall.

My mom and dad, who are in their late 70’s/early 80’s were traveling with us and were able to make the hike all the way to the lower viewing area. They elected not to continue the climb to the upper viewing area. Because the last part of the hike was mostly uphill with lots of stairs, I wasn’t sure that they would continue all the way in to where they could see the falls, but they were troopers – very tired troopers, but they made it.

I can’t begin to describe the feelings and enjoyment that I get from experiencing the beauty of the outdoors that God created for us. All I can say is that the experience is well worth the short distance to travel and the easy walk to these falls.

Rocky Brook Falls on the Olympic Peninsula

July 15, 2014July 16, 2014 by Don Wilson

After leaving Vincent Falls, we continued north on Highway 101 for about another 30 miles to Dosewallips Road, where we left the highway to find Rocky Brook Falls.

Before we turned off to visit Rocky Brook Falls, we made a failed attempt to locate Hamma Hamma Falls using roadsigns and our best guess, since we hadn’t acquired clear directions before the trip, and our GPS didn’t seem to know anything about the waterfall. I guess that was all right, because we really didn’t have enough time to visit more than two of the four waterfalls that we were knew of along this stretch of 101, so as soon as we realized we weren’t going to easily find Hamma Hamma Falls, we moved on.

Unlike Hamma Hamma Falls, our GPS was well aware of Rocky Brook Falls and we were able to drive directly to the trail head. I should mention that the Olympic Peninsula Waterfall Trail website gives clear directions for finding this waterfall, as well as all the others that we were interested in visiting. We just hadn’t spent enough time planning for our adventure as we should have.

For as nice a waterfall as Rocky Brook Falls is, there were surprisingly few visitors. When we arrived at the trailhead, we found that it was just a wide spot in the road with room for about a dozen cars to pull off and park. It was only about half full, so we knew that we wouldn’t encounter hoards of other people at this one.

It was a short, easy walk along a well groomed trail to get to the falls. We especially hoped to find waterfalls like this that were easily accessible for my parents who were with us on this trip. They get around pretty well, but long and rugged trails would definitely hold them back.

Signage along the way warns that water levels can change rapidly, so visitors should be aware of sudden stream flow changes. One old roughly made and obscure sign didn’t leave me with a seriously threatened feeling. I have to believe that if there were serious danger, the point would have been made much more boldly. We watched out, nonetheless.

There weren’t many people at the falls while we were there, but the few that were there were sure a disruptive bunch. Some were swimming and they had strewn out towels, backpacks, and clothing over the rocks at the base of the falls. For those of us who were there to get some photographs of the falls, it sure made things challenging. We had to maneuver ourselves to places where the people and all the junk were outside of the picture frame. We managed a few decent shots.

It’s estimated that this waterfall is about 150 feet tall. I wouldn’t call it “spectacular”, but very nice. It is a nice retreat for a hot summer day. Because it is so easy to get to, I can’t think of a reason to skip it if you have a little time and plan to be in the area.

Vincent Creek Falls and the High Steel Bridge

July 14, 2014July 16, 2014 by Don Wilson

While traveling to Discovery Bay with my Parents, we decided to check on a couple waterfalls that were along the way. There were four of them between Shelton and Port Townsend that we had identified and we had hoped to visit at least 2 or 3 of them. I hadn’t done a significant amount of research on any of these falls, but I had downloaded a brochure from olympicpeninsulawaterfalltrail.com before we left on the trip.

The first one we stopped at was Vincent Creek Falls. When we searched for Vincent Creek Falls on our GPS, we found no applicable result, but then we searched for High Steel Bridge and got a hit.

About 9 miles north of Shelton, we turned onto Skokomish Valley Road and drove west for about another 10 miles before making a right turn onto Govey Road. This road took us into the middle of nowhere. I know we were in the middle of nowhere, because the road name turned into a number. Govey Road become NF-23, and soon after that, we turned onto NF-3240 before parking on a wide spot in the road and walking out onto the High Steel Bridge.

The High Steel Bridge spans across a deep but narrow Skokomish River valley. From the bridge, you can see the river about 420 feet below. After walking about half way across the bridge, I looked back over my left shoulder and saw the narrow Vincent Creek Falls dropping about 125 feet over the side of the chasm and then winds down into the Skokomish River.

The word is that the falls are most spectacular in the spring and early summer. We were here in July, and so the water was not running very heavy. Even so, the height of the waterfall and the views from the High Steel Bridge made this trip very worthwhile.

Franklin Falls on Denny Creek

June 6, 2014June 6, 2014 by Don Wilson

We had to go to Seattle anyway, and had added plans to stop by Snoqualmie Falls along the way. Why not see if there are any other waterfalls nearby?

That’s what we did, and we found Franklin Falls. It’s on Denny Creek, several miles east of North Bend and just west of the Snoqualmie Pass summit. The freeway is split through that area, and has created a wide expanse of forest in between. Part of Denny Creek flows through that expanse. I’ve driven by there hundreds of times, and never even though about what all might be hiding in there.

We learned that there are forest roads through there that will take you to campgrounds and trail-heads. When we spoke with forest rangers in Cle Elum before we continued on to Snoqualmie Pass, they weren’t sure we would be able to access the trail-head due to the snow. Making time to stop by there was taking a chance, but we encountered no snow on the forest roads as we drove past the Denny Creek campground and parked at the Franklin Falls trail-head.

Click on the gallery photo below to see a slideshow of some of the pictures we took during our hike.

Kathy tested the water temperature of this recently melted mountain snowpack.

The trail turned out to be a fairly easy one-mile hike. The biggest challenges were a few short areas of remaining snow-pack covering the trail. There were also a couple sections of moderately steep grades. I think anyone, but the most feeble could easily make this hike, and small children may become weary and disinterested, but it wasn’t a great challenge.

I noticed that there is a place a couple hundred yards from the falls, where the trail winds very near the forest road. If you can find that spot on the road, the hike becomes extremely short and easy. That may be the best bet for families with very young children.

It was a little surprising that we had a good media connection on our cell phones and I was able to text with my Dad and Mom and upload images to Facebook while we were hiking. Dad really likes to stay informed on what us kids are all doing, especially when it’s something exciting, like hiking in the mountains to find beautiful waterfalls.

This turned out to be a beautiful waterfall adventure. Being an easy one-mile hike, we were in and out of there in a little over an hour. The trail followed Denny Creek, and we passed a number of smaller creeks that empty into Denny creek, as well as other waterfalls that drop in from the other side of the creek from the trail.

We noticed a number of patches of these pretty yellow trumpet looking flowers. I texted a picture to my Mom to see if she could identify it. She recognized the flower, but couldn’t remember what they were called. Later, we saw a sign at the Snoqualmie Falls trail-head that had a picture of these flowers. We learned that they are called “Skunk Cabbage”.

If you are ever on your way over Snoqualmie Pass, and have an hour or so to spared, I highly recommend stopping to hike in to see the beautiful Franklin Falls. Just take the Denny Creek exit and follow the signs to the Denny Creek campground and Franklin Falls.

Have you ever been to Franklin Falls? Have you been to, or are you aware of any other nice waterfalls near Franklin Falls, or the Snoqualmie Pass summit? Please let us know by leaving a comment below.

The Other Side of Leavenworth, WA

October 6, 2013 by Don Wilson

Leslie and I made the 2 hour drive from Yakima to Leavenworth a couple Saturdays ago for a family reunion. Our children were unable to attend the reunion with us this year, so we decided that we would at least take our 2 young grandsons (both are one and a half years old) with us.

We were only able to stay in Leavenworth for a few hours, with more than half that time spent enjoying dessert and visiting with our extended family in a banquet room at the Enzian Hotel. That left very little time to see the town and wander through the vast array of Bavarian shops that Leavenworth is known for.

We’ve been in Leavenworth at least once a year for as long as I can remember, and have visited the shops there every time. Skipping them this one time wouldn’t destroy the trip for us. Besides, we didn’t think the babies would be real content strolling through stores that are packed with pretty little gift items that they aren’t allowed to touch.

No, instead we decided to spend our spare minutes on the other side of Leavenworth. The side behind the town and down by the Wenatchee river. The side that I have only on rare occasions ventured into.

leavenworth-riverfront-park-trail — On the Riverfront Park Trail in Leavenworth, WA. *image by Don Wilson*

Leavenworth has a couple nice little nature parks with neat walking paths through them. The pathway criss-crosses the Wenatchee river over bridges to get from one park to the other.

Our walk took us through Waterfront Park, across a bridge to Blackbird Island, and across another bridge to Enchantment Park.

Our primary focus was on keeping the boys entertained while we hurriedly completed the walk through the nature trail, so we didn’t take time to fully enjoy the surroundings. I understand that Waterfront park is a popular bird-watching paradise and it is common to spot an osprey or a bald eagle there. We saw neither.

On Blackbird Island, we stopped to let the boys throw some rocks in the river. You have to let the boys be boys, you know. I’m sure this was one of the highlights of their day with Nana and Papa. The younger one gave us a bit of a surprise, as you’ll notice in the following video.

About this time, I received a phone call from my dad, who was with some family members at Krystall’s restaurant. They were sitting down for lunch and wanted us to join them. That led to a hurried walk through Enchantment Park without really noticing anything about it. Through research, I learned that they have a playground, baseball field, soccer field, and trails for hiking and biking.

It’s quite an asset for Leavenworth to have this nice little sanctuary so close, yet isolated from the busy traffic and tourism of downtown Leavenworth. Though the town was packed, as it always seems to be, the parks were quiet and peaceful with a limited number of people. It seems to me it’s a nice little getaway.

Leavenworth, Washington

7 Reasons to Visit the Yakima Valley

September 29, 2013October 9, 2013 by Don Wilson

Yakima may not be the first place that comes to mind while planning a trip, but they have so much to offer.

I’ve lived in the Yakima Valley my entire life. Most of what this valley has to offer, I take for granted. In fact, when we have guests from outside this area who ask about things they should see while here, I’ve had difficulty coming up with suggestions. I had to stop and think a bit to come up with my thoughts for this web page.

While researching the topic, I found this short video by the Chamber of Commerce. It a promo video that gives a quick overview of a number of things to see and do in the Yakima Valley.

Whenever I’ve taken week long vacations with my family to some of the Worldmark resorts, of which we are members, we try to balance our activities with some good old-fashioned relaxation. We want to see some sites and do some activities, but we don’t want to try to cram too much into a short period of time.

Typically we restrict ourselves to one activity per day, during our vacation. The rest of the time, we spend at our condo eating, swimming, playing board games, watching movies, and then eating some more. That way, we don’t return home from our vacation more worn out than when we left.

This list is what I might line up as our daily activities if I were a visitor to the area.

Water Recreation

One of the most popular activities for Yakima residents in the summer is to float the Yakima River Canyon. Every summer, thousands of people spend the day relaxing and partying as they casually drift down the river on their rafts.

For those who prefer excitement over relaxation, you may wish to try your hands at white water rafting on the Tieton River when the flows from the Rimrock reservoir begin to increase in the late summer and early fall months. During this time, this stretch becomes the fastest white water rafting in the state.

Capitol Theatre

The Capitol Theatre is a historic building that continues to offer concerts, broadway shows, and a variety of performances throughout the year. It may be hit-and-miss as to whether or not they have something playing during your trip to Yakima, but if they do, it would be one of the activities you should consider.

When I was young, the Capitol Theatre was being used as a movie theater. At one point, the building caught fire and was badly damaged. It sat vacant for quite some time before a group came in and renovated the building. They’ve done a fabulous job and the theater has continued to operate in it’s current fashion ever since. It is a great asset for the community of Yakima.

Wine Tours

I’m really not even a wine drinker, but I’ve added this to the list because the winery business plays such a strong role in the Central Washington agricultural scene. I’ve been to a number of the winery’s in the valley and find the business to be very fascinating.

The Yakima Wine Association provides a list of suggested wine tours that are recommended. I could probably get away with driving myself around to the various locations, but for some others, it may be recommended that you enlist a limo or a bus to assist you on your tour. Stay safe.

Museums

The Yakima Valley Museum is located in Franklin Park on Tieton Drive to the west of downtown Yakima.

I had driven by the museum probably a hundred times without ever stopping to go through it. Recently, I joined a group from my workplace that held a social event in one of the meeting rooms inside the museum. We were allowed to wander around the museum while we were there. I was completely surprised as to how much history they housed there.

The Yakima Valley Museum is the best and most interesting place to go for learning about the history and culture of the area.

Recreational Sports

All year round there are a number of sport tournaments and events being held in Yakima. From the high school district volleyball and basketball tournaments that are held in the Sun Dome in the fall and winter, to the baseball at Kiwanis Park, to the Hot Shots 3 on 3 basketball tournament held in the middle of Yakima Avenue in the summer, there are sporting events for everyone all year ’round.

As I write this post, the city is preparing for the Pirate’s Plunder Adventure Race. This obstacle course will require extreme strength and endurance in the contestants. This October 5, 2013 event is just one example of the quality recreational events held in this area.

Old West

Toppenish is a half an hour south of Yakima, along the I-82 corridor. It’s a small town where the west still lives. It also just happens to be the town that I was born in.

Shortly after I graduated from high school and moved away from this little town, they began a couple new initiatives. They adopted an “old west” theme, and they started painting murals around the town. In fact, every June, they hold an event that they call Mural in a Day where a number of artists band together to paint a new mural.

Today, nearly every business in town sports an old west look and as you walk around the town, you can find more than 70 spectacular murals painted in various locations.

On top of all that, they have a number of fascinating museums, including the Rail & Steam Museum, the American Hop Museum, and the Yakama Nation Cultural Center.

Produce

It hardly makes any sense at all to come to the Yakima Valley and not pick up some locally grown produce. Many people come to Yakima from around the state just to stock up on the local delights for canning or just eating good fresh fruits and vegetables.

The Yakima Farmer’s Market is open in downtown Yakima every Sunday from early May through late October is a great place to find your produce, local crafts, and much more.

Related articles