Day 20: Little Bavaria and Bygone Byways

Sun July 14th

Miles: 0

Total:  ~163.4

Sent From:

http://maps.google.com/maps?z=12&t=k&q=loc:47.84093+-120.66571

V8 will be coming out at Stevens Pass tomorrow, so we had a day to kill before we hiked up to meet him.

We woke after a bass music filled night, where the uhnn tse uhnn tse could be heard through the soil 100 yards from the Yahoo Campers. Our plan was to do whatever happened.

After realizing we had sore feet and limited inspiration to do a serious hike, we aettled on being tourists in the town of Leavenworth, WA. This little town has made itself a tourist attraction by making everything bavarian themed. So we wandered in the foothills of the towering mountains of the northern(ish) Cascades through a town that appears to have been pulled from The Sound of Music.

My parents have often told us that we ought to visit the town. Also, Mittens said it was his favorite town. All the buildings have a Bavarian theme, carved balistrades and Olde English Font advertising. Beer Steins, Bratwurst, and other culinary delights one might expect poured out of all stores. Even the Starbucks maintained the theme of the town.

So we wandered the shops and the street art, enjoyed a beer and pretzel, and agreed to come back sometime without the dog so we could explore the shops more together.

After leaving Leavenworth, we went up toward Stevens Pass where we found a short trail called the Bygone Byways Interpretive Trail. All total, it was maybe a half mile loop. The three of us took turna acting like teachers reading from a brochure to a class of field trip students. At times we acted out like children, or authoritative teachers, or learning readers. Silliness, but fun silliness.

The trail had nine stops with information explaining the process and procedures that individuals went through to build a rail line, and eventually a roadway over the mountains to connect to Seattle over a century ago. I have always marveled at highways in mountains, so it was a fun, albeit minimal, look at the engineering feat.

After that, we wandered back to camp, stopping for milkshakes at The Squirrel Tree diner, where the server delivered  milkshakes singing "my milkshakes bring all the squirrels to the yard" with a cheesy grin on his face.

Back at camp, the loud crew had moved out, so we nabbed their superior site right next to the Chimewa River, where we nature cooled our evening beverages while taking a very cold bath. 

The evening wrapped up with some cards and a campfire. Tomorrow we will hike in to meet V8 as he finishes the arduous leg he wanted to tackle on his own.