Leavenworth, WA.

There is a long, winding road (sing it with me) into the Cascade mountains. It is affectionately called the Cascade Loop. To get on that loop, you have to drive through parts of Seattle and a few surrounding towns. So when Mapquest tells you it will take 2 1/2 hours to drive from your downtown apartment in Seattle to Leavenworth, WA., Mapquest lies. Just in case anyone reading this wants to make this drive. You have been warned.

Leavenworth is a very popular destination, and justly so. The town is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains. It was cool when we left Seattle. It was downright hot in Leavenworth. The town exists for tourism in all seasons. Very quaint, picturesque, and clean. Pat and I don't eat German food (we're both of German ancestry), so we settled for a hamburger.  There are restaurants with beer gardens everywhere if that is to your liking. I don't drink beer either. What a rotten half-German I am!

We didn't make the drive to see Leavenworth. Both of us were eager to see the country leading into the town, and it was breathtaking. Unfortunately, there were no warning signs for the pull-offs, and when you're driving in a string of traffic at 60mph on winding curves, you don't dare slam on your brakes. So a lot of photo ops were missed. But trust me, it was beautiful.

And so ends the Seattle vacation photos. I'm already looking into the state of Maine. How cool would that be?
Linda