VW ADVENTURES

We arrive in Big Bend country.

This is dry land wheat farming with massive fields that are 360+ acres each–an incredible site to see! As we drive along in our little ’61 Westy Camper we feel really small!

Some of the farmsteads look like small towns. The Grain Storage Elevators are the size seen in most farm towns that are commercial enterprises. It is strange how the house and barn areas seem crammed together as if trying to conserve ground so there is as much for farming as possible.

We drive past miles and miles of huge fields, eventually working our way back down into an area where there are some dry land mixed with some irrigated farming.

We awake to a pretty morning with the sound of the Columbia River flowing past the campground. It is cool but not uncomfortable with warmer temperatures compared to the past few days and NO WIND!  It is quiet.  The campground is just beginning to stir. A few kids are starting to get out and about (there are a lot of families camping here).

As has been our habit, we take a leisurely start to the day, not rushing, not being pokey, just doing what we need to do without any pressure to go. NOW there’s no pressure? What happened to that schedule??

It is easy to break camp. The Westy packs up efficiently, though again, it is difficult to leave this pleasant campground and scenery.  We are making mental notes of places to return to for longer visits–this is one of them!

Heading up river, our first stop is for gas and ice just a few miles up the road. We always seem to forget the ice. The ice box in the camper is efficient but still needs to be replenished regularly!  With that done and the fuel tank full, we head for Coulee Dam.

Driving away from the river and starting a slight climb. it is only 6 miles to the summit but  it seems straight UP!. Starting at a 7oo+’ elevation, it is a steep climb to the 1300’ summit. A Volkswagen bus is slow but steady and our trusty westy  camper bus seems quite capable, especially in the early morning coolness (and minimal traffic!).

And there on top – only 6 miles later – we are in a totally different world! We have arrived in Big Bend Country.

We really don’t have a schedule, however, now we are ‘behind schedule’ as Tommy did have a destination in mind for today which now has to change.  He has been calculating how far we should be able to manage in a VW Bus each day in order to arrive in time for his class reunion in Spokane, so he is a bit anxious to reach certain destinations and now it is time to get move on!

Leaving Leavenworth, the camper bus rolls along happily as we head on down the mountain.  The further down the hill we drive, the more the mountain pine and fir trees begin to intermingle with orchards, finally giving way to bare hills, fields and more orchards.

Such a contrast from the high mountain scenery to striking rock formations and orchards scattered throughout the valleys, along the river, and up the sides of the hills!

We tootle along in the Westy, passing by “Applet Lane” and “Cotlets Way” in Cashmere,

the home of the ‘Candy’ from our youth (Applets and Cotlets).

And on into Wenatchee where we see a lot more orchards and many packing plants including the Tree Top Apple facility before crossing the Columbia River again.

Easily cresting Stevens Pass, we enjoy the downhill ride in our trusty ‘Westy’. We come to the town of Levenworth and pull in to check it out. A Bavarian Alp Village in the Cascades! ….what a surprise!

ALL the buildings and advertising signs are alpine-style, designed to look like the Bavarian Alps. Even the chain stores and hotels (McDonalds, Safeway, Napa Auto Parts, Howard Johnson, Comfort Inn, Starbucks) have complied with the Bavarian alpine theme. Flowers abound in hanging baskets and flower boxes all over town!

First, we drive through, amazed at this little Bavarian ‘Burg’; then decide to park our VW bus (it fits right in!) and go explore the town on foot. We stop at Starbucks for a cup of tea and a ginger cookie, sitting outside enjoying the setting, the scenery and the weather. The town is buzzing with tourists…probably more in this one place than all the tourists from the rest of our trip put together! We have fun wandering through a few of the shops..unique and different than we have seen before. We purchase a few post cards, then stop at “Viadolce” and sample ginger/lemoncello and ginger/almond gelato — tasty!

We’ve been strolling around for a couple of hours as if a spell has been cast on us. This is a delightful surprise and worth the time spent, but time that we have not planned on and now we are behind schedule. Schedule??? What schedule??!! Are we on a schedule??