Final Ferry Ride & Leavenworth Love
With every contract we only have a limited number of weekends at each site, which means we only have a certain number of adventures we can go on in any given area. We have done our best to fill in as much exploration in the PNW as we can! With only a few weekends left in the area we went back out for one more exploration around San Juan Island and Friday Harbor, as well as a weekend trip up to the Bavarian themed town, Leavenworth, Washington!
Mile: 24,377
Quote of the Blog: “Keep close to nature’s heart… and break away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” - John Muir
Song of the Blog: “Bayern, Des Samma Mia” - Bavarian Folk Song
Being in Anacortes, we have found that the ferry system is the life blood of the general area. They are celebrated and hated at the same time. We have found them to be quite enjoyable, and at times very comical experiences. Our trip out to Friday Harbor was all of this wrapped into one. When we showed up to the ferry landing in Anacortes, it was a brisk fall morning. The temperature outside was lingering around 36 degrees. Amity and I had prepared for a chilly boat ride with a puffy, gloves and a hat. I guess this looked like a little overkill to the woman working the terminal. She looked at me and said, “Are you guys from Arizona?” We laughed and informed her that we weren’t. This led to a great inside joke about every single person we saw on that boat ride and for the next couple weeks that was wearing any kind of warm jacket and a hat, which there was A LOT of them!
On the ferry ride, we spent some time soaking in the sights, knowing this was our last trip out to the islands while we were here. While we were on the back end of the ferry, we were pleasantly surprised by a passing pod of Orca Whales. We had been on the Pacific coast for three months, and we finally got our chance to see these beautiful animals! Watching them breach in the sound with Mount Baker in the backdrop will forever be burned into my memory!
Once we got onto the island, we headed out to do a short hike along the southwestern coast line of the island. We hiked along a beautiful bluff for a while, before getting to Cattle Point Lighthouse. After this, we explored around the Lime Kiln Point State Park and Light House. It was amazing to see the vast difference in the coast line with only a few dozen miles between them. Just north of Kiln Point is English Camp. Back before the boarders between the United States and Canada were formed, a dispute went down over a pig being killed. This brought out the English Army and the United States Army to the island. The U.S. got the territory without any fighting, but the English maintained their camp for some time as a trading post and symbolic/historical spot. It is now maintained to look as it did back when it was occupied. We then continued on to Roche Harbor. Driving into this town, Amity explained to me that she felt she had seen this town in her dreams. That is a great way to describe Roche Harbor. It’s a place that would exist in your dreams. It’s a quiet harbor town on the north end of San Juan Island. Its architecture reflects its rich colonial history, and the landscape keeps the views amazing from every vantage point. We finished out day on the island by meeting up with a college friend of mine who lives out on the island. His name is Scott Spaulding. Towering over everyone, he is the biggest redhead I know. It was great to catch up with him and have a couple beers at San Juan Island Brewery. Our ferry ride back to Anacortes, was less eventful than the ride out. I will say, that on this ride I was very grateful to have my puffy, hat and gloves!
The following weekend, we took the time to knock off a bucket list item that we have had since living in Montana. We have always wanted to go spend some time in Leavenworth, Washington. The entire town has been built to replicate a Bavarian Mountain Town. This makes for a super charming and unique experience in the Washington mountains. We drove up early Saturday morning. While going over Steven’s Pass, we encountered snow on the roads. Not a lot, but it has been since last February that we have had to do any driving in snowy or icy conditions. Amity was more stressed out about it than I was. Eventually, we safely pulled into Leavenworth. We found a cabin at the KOA just outside of town to stay in for the night. This was perfect for what we needed. We spent the afternoon and into the evening checking out all the shops. We spent a lot of time in the Nutcracker Museum. This place is home to over 500 Nutcrackers. They have antique nut crackers dating back to 17th Century France and beyond, as well as any other style Nutcracker your mind can come up with! This was a very cool place! We definitely hit the gift shop for a Nutcracker of our own!
While exploring Leavenworth, we definitely had some great food. We ate dinner at a place called, Andreas Keller Restaurant. This is a German style restaurant serving the finest schnitzel, bratwurst, sourcrout and bier!!! They had even done some great work with their space inside. Their booth’s looked like wine cellar holds, and we sat in a booth that only had one half of a side. In a place like Leavenworth, you have to find a way to squeeze them in. We loved everything there. The next morning we took the time to go into a restaurant that has been suggested to us ever since I started working for Whitefish Mountain Resort back in 2019. One of my boss’s family has a restaurant downtown Leavenworth. The place is called, Renaissance Café, and it is a great breakfast and lunch spot just off main street. Amity was lucky enough to get the “Princess Chair”!!! We spent the rest of our time going into shops and just soaking in the beauty, quirkiness and fun that Leavenworth has to offer. Two of my favorites were a gingerbread cookie shop called, the Gingerbread Factory, and a chocolate shop where they made all there chocolates in house called, Shocolat. I’m still drooling! Our warnings to anyone who plans to go, stay away from holidays as it is just busy on any given weekend (it aways looks like Christmas too so don’t worry), and parking SUCKS! Otherwise, this is an A+ mountain town that everyone should put on their list!
On our drive back to Anacortes, we stopped up at Stevens Pass Ski Area to check out their village and play in the snow. They do not open for a few more weeks, but it was fun to look at what their village area has to offer, and get an idea of their terrain. The skiing looks rad and we loved the simplicity of the village area. Definitely makes me want to do some skiing! Back on the road, and just like that we are out of the mountains and pressed up against the ocean. What a wild experience this is. This was a fun couple of weekend! With only one more weekend before we leave, we are now taking in every moment of this ocean life we can!