BIRTHDAY VACATION
Last week, Linda and I took a couple of days around my birthday to take a quick vacation to Leavenworth, Washington. We went there last year on my vacation and had a good time, so we decided to go back. Last year, my back was hurting because I had tweaked it right before we left, so this year I was careful not to do that.
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| Our vacation spot |
We arrived in Leavenworth on the day before my birthday. The plan was to spend our two days enjoying ourselves with lots of shopping, eating, and drinking...beer (it is, after all, a Bavarian village, so = great beer) and coffee.
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| Our favorite brewery in Leavenworth, Icicle Brewing |
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| Our favorite coffee spot, Starbucks |
Our first day there began with lunch at our favorite brewery, Icicle Brewing. We ate outside because it was a beautiful day, although a bit chilly. It was several degrees cooler in Leavenworth since it is higher in elevation than Yakima, and also is right beside mountains.
Next, we walked around the shops and checked out all the restaurants to see where we wanted to have supper. About mid-afternoon we decided it was time to take a break from all the walking and looking, so we visited Viadolce, a gelato shop beside an Italian restaurant. I couldn't make up my mind on what flavor to choose, so I got one scoop each of Pistachio gelato and Mango Pineapple sorbetto. They were both excellent!
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| I would love some right now! |
We walked back to our motel and rested for a bit. One thing we love about Leavenworth is that everything is right downtown, so you can stay nearby and walk anywhere. Also, there are lots of nature trails that are only a few minutes drive away. This little town pretty much has everything you would want for a short vacation.
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| Vacation home base |
After resting we decided to head to our restaurant of choice for supper. They make the best artisan pizzas at Blewett Brewing, so that wasn't a hard decision to make. Before we had supper, though, we wanted to sample some of their beer. We ordered a flight and we got to choose which five beers we wanted on the flight. Here's what we thought of it...
All of their beers were IPA's except one, and that's not our preferred type of beer. Yet, we still drank all of the flight and then ordered another pint each to have with our pizza! We were on vacation, you know. By now we were pretty tired and headed back to the motel to turn in early. We had a nature hike planned for the next day so we wanted to be well-rested.
The next morning (my birthday) we set out for our nature hike, which was up the road just a little way to a place called Ski Hill. Leavenworth is a major destination for winter sports, but in the summer Ski Hill is open for walks along the many trails that crisscross the area. Just as we got out of the parking lot we were greeted by a cute little wren singing us a song.
The majority of our walk was in forest, which we love to do because we love the greenery. We were both amazed at how quiet it was. You could barely hear a sound. I was surprised there were not any birds chirping, but we soon found out that there were quite a few mountain bikers going along the trails and I am sure they were the reason the birds were so quiet.
Of course, there were many Ponderosa Pine trees along the trail. Linda and I both had to step off the trail to sniff one, just to make sure it smelled like vanilla. Yep, it did!
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| Too bad we don't have smell-o-vision |
There were a lot of pretty wild flowers along the trail. The temperature was very pleasant making this the perfect day and place for a walk in the forest.
We exited off the trail onto a road leading back to the parking lot. Across from where we were was a gorgeous view of the valley below.
When we got back to town it was getting close to lunch time, so we stopped by a Dan's Food Market and picked up a sandwich to split. They make the best deli sandwiches and they are huge. We headed to Waterfront Park to have a picnic lunch. We arrived at the park and were greeted by signs warning us that a mother bear and her cubs had been spotted in the area. We found a picnic table and had a nice lunch while watching some kids play football nearby. I was also busy watching the bushes for bears. We even spotted a couple of baby deer off in the distance. After lunch, we walked along the hiking trail which goes beside the Wenatchee River, then crossed over the river to Blackbird Island. Afterwards. we headed to Starbucks so I could get my birthday reward drink. It was still a bit chilly outside and there was quite a wind blowing, so I was glad to wrap my hands around a nice, hot coffee.
We did a bit more shopping that afternoon for presents for some upcoming birthdays. We found a kitchen store (always my favorite) that had some hilarious tea towels, pot holders, and such. I took a few pictures of them and this one below is the only one that is safe for posting.
By now it was time to head to our favorite brewery for a celebratory beer. I also bought a new beer mug, and upon telling the bartender that it was my birthday, I was treated to a free beer! There's nothing like getting a free coffee and a free beer all in the same day! I chose my favorite, the Colchuck Raspberry Wheat, and Linda had her favorite, Dark Persuasion. Dark Persuasion is a chocolate stout with coconut overtones, and tastes like you are drinking a slice of German Chocolate cake. If you ever get a chance to have one, give it a try.
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| The best kind of beer...free |
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| My birthday glass |
We walked to our restaurant on the other end of town for my birthday supper. We took it slow not because of the beer, but because we were so tired. I had chosen Los Camperos, a Mexican restaurant, because I was craving nachos. Typically when we go to Leavenworth we always wind up having German (Bavarian) food for meals. I wanted to try something different, thus the nachos. They did not disappoint. I was so full after all the indulgences of the last two days that I could not even finish my meal.
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| Los Camperos |
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| Whew! |
UPDATE ON THE KIDS
I am not happy to report that we have only seen one baby quail since we got back from vacation. I haven't seen the one with the bad foot, so I'm afraid he's no longer with us. The June family with the 10+ babies seem to have moved on to somewhere else. Perhaps they do not like visiting a yard where there is a cat. The one remaining May baby is now on his own as we have seen him foraging around in the front yard without the parents. Here is a picture of baby May that I took this morning. You have to look closely because his coloring is almost the same as the ground. It's still to soon to tell if it's a male or female.
PARTING SHOT
Yesterday Summer Girl and I were sitting under the tree in my lounge chair and I was explaining to her about the upcoming July 4th holiday and all the noise that she was likely to hear. I don't think she was listening to me.
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| What? |
Hopefully I will have more updates on the baby quail next week. Until then, I hope everyone has a relaxing and safe July 4th Holiday!
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