Trip to Lake Chelan, Sept, 2016--On the Way

On September 25, Marsha, Nava, Havazelet and I set out on a 6 day adventure to Lake Chelan where Havazelet had arranged a time share swap for us.  Most of the time, it was 15 degrees warmer on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains than in Seattle, so we really enjoyed the weather.

We headed out in my Prius, which held a remarkable amount of luggage.  I drove north of I-t until we reached close to Everett and then traveled on Hwy 2 east.  We enjoyed seeing the red, orange, and yellow fall colors of the leaves as we passed through the Snohomish River Valley and forests  on the way.

  Our first major stop was in Skykomish, and town where Marsha worked twice a month as a visiting nurse when she first moved West years ago.

 She remembered giving shots at the local school, which still exists today.  Skykomish was a mining, logging and railroad town many years ago and in recent years is a center for outdoor recreation, especially skiing and hiking.  Forty years ago, ten students graduated from the high school each year.  Now they are lucky to have 4.  We drove quickly around the small town of about 200 people and then stopped at the local RR and town museum where they were offering free train rides.

We gladly gave a donation to maintain the rides and the local museum in the background above and learned more of the recent history of the town from  volunteers who keep the train and museum running, after we picnicked on tables near the train. Teens were hard at work digging and arranging a plot for a nearby bike track.

After passing the exit to the Stevens Pass Ski area, we drove on to Leavenworth, WA.  The central area is modeled on a Bavarian Village and attracts many tourists, especially to their Octoberfest which would start a week later.  We drove past the center and down to the River Park and had a lovely stroll.

The park was shady and beautifully marked with signs along the way. I enjoyed reading about the history of the area and the Wenatchee River as we walked along the way.

We crossed the river and walked around Blackbird Island.

Our next stop was Cashmere, the town where Applets and Cotlets originated so, of course, we had to stop there first and sample the products. 

The tour, however, was not available on Sunday.

Cashmere is located in the geographic center of Washington State.  It has about 3,000 residents year round.  Catholic missionaries lived in this area starting in the 1850s, living among the Wenatchi  people, and finally building a mission church in 1873.  As a result, the town that grew up in the area was named Mission.   In 1903, a local judge suggested renaming the town after Kashmir in India as to him it looked similar.  Another town nearby (which no longer exists) was already named Mission, so to avoid confusion, the town was renamed and eventually changed the spelling of the town to what it is today.  Today about 3,000 people live in Cashmere. 

I looked forward to our next stop, the Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village.  Unfortunately we got there just 45 minutes before it closed so we rushed to see as much as we could of this precious site..  It had been updated since Marsha and Marty had last been there.

Below are mammoth bones found in the area

Celia Ann Dick, the granddaughter of the last Wenatchi chief, was a well known artisan of the tribe.

Amazing beadwork

Moccasins

Photos of famous Chief Joseph

 There was a large display of dried herbs and plants used for treatment of medical problems such as:

 There was also a small but impressive rock and mineral collection.

 Indian fishing areas before the dams were built on the Columbia River

Petroglyphs

There was also a room of artifacts of the European settlers.

 Over a dozen buildings were brought in from surrounding areas and reside behind the museum.

The school above was built in the 1880s and moved to its current site in 1967 with the help of the local fire department and Explorer scouts.

 

Inside the general store

It was late and time to head on to our destination, Wapato Point Resort in the town of Manson, a bit up Lake Chelan.   Our two-bedroom two-bath rental had a spectacular view of the lake from the main area and the balcony.

Sunrises were spectacular.

Geese and ducks roamed the beach in the early morning until we got too close.

We took turns cooking dinner.  Havazelet specialized in salads.  Dina made Meetha, a chicken and chick pea dish the first night.  Nava cooked salmon and Marsha made a delicious chicken recipe another evening.

The next blogs will tell of our exploring the town of Chelan, hiking on Echo Ridge, traveling to Stehekin on the Lad of the Lake and other explorations.