Long road ahead

Preparing for a 3 day trip south. Easton has been on my heels all day as I pack and prep. This will be our second long road trip together. He's a very good passenger.

Destination?

Way warmer than it is here.

First stop: The statehouse is geothermally heated by underground hotsprings.

Second stop: The goldmine has reopened. Think I'll stop by for a free sample.

Something's going on.....

This is all new to Easton. He's not sure what all this activity is.... suitcases being packed, car fussed over and a general elevation of energy and excitement. He has been glued to my heals all day long. Easton has been on one 3 hour trip with me, but that's it. He'll be a veteran traveler in no time. Don't worry buddy, you get to go!!

Destination revealed soon! (Like you didn't already know)

Leavenworth 2011 - Garden Haus

We had such a great time last year in Leavenworth, WA <see where it is> - It was worth an encore. This year we were right in the middle of October Fest! For an imitation Bavarian town, this is a big deal. Weekdays are much tamer than the weekends, but it's always lively this time of year. A Fall Northwest storm came through and kept the weather ugly until the afternoon of the third day. Caught up on our reading and enjoyed our time with Easton. This was his first long car trip and being away from home. He was a very good boy with only one surprise. Off leash on our first walk, he bolted down to the Wenatchee river and would not stop. I wasn't too worried because the current is not swift and we were in the park with many inlets used for swimming. When I caught up with him, he was just standing in two feet of water, still as a statue, looking at me. He was visiting a place in his mind that he has been before. It was like Easton was in a trance. He would not come when I call to him, nor did he even stir. Finally when I held the leash up, he snapped out of it and splish-splashed out of the water, wagging his tail, ready to continue his walk.

He found a tennis ball and officially adopted it. I think its name is Wilson.
BTW, keeping our paws crossed for my pal Bubba at Golden Pines.

We rented this cool one bedroom house right in town.
Very nice - highly recommended + this particular property is pet friendly.

Front yard - the sun finally came out the third day.

The hot tub got a lot of use, especially on those cool, rainy days.

The back side of Garden Hause - lots of off-street parking.
Quite valuable during Octoberfest in Leavenworth.

Last year when we took this trip, Lady was with us. We took a picture of her in the town gazebo. Here is Lady from 2010 and Easton from 2011. I've said it many times: they would have been a great pair. "SIGH"

Lady September 2010

Easton October 2011

There are always "hits and misses" when ever you visit a place known for attracting tourists. Leavenworth is no exception. THE HITS: ~ we discovered one new (to us) place worth mentioning: King Ludwig, a traditional German restaurant and beer hall! Surprisingly good food and the staff was excellent. ~ Spent many lunches and snack times at the Munchen Haus - outdoor dining, dog friendly and wonderful sausages, German potato salad and kraut. ~ Our friend Klaus <Klaus and Lady> we met last year may be losing his lease. What a shame. He is such a nice man and knows how to make a quality espresso. ~ Our favorite breakfast place, Renaissance Cafe was still good. We had breakfast there every morning. ~ The Accidental Bavarian website was were we found our Garden Hause. It's still the best website for learning what's up in Leavenworth. ~ Thumbs up for Rudloof's Pizza. Excellent salad, friendly staff and decent pizza (OK, I'm a pizza snob, but for a small town joint, a fine effort).

The MISSES: Just one this trip, Tumwater Inn. The food was not good. Quaint bar, nice staff, but local entertainers were there playing guitars in the evening. Since they were locals, a group of their friends were sitting at the front tables and it was obvious anyone else in attendance was intruding. Kind of weird.

So, this is two years in a row for Leavenworth. It is really a wonderful place. I think next year we may pick somewhere different. I'm voting for Portland. We spent some time there last Christmas and loved it, despite the horrible weather. Many friends and my brother live down there, so we always have places to go and people to visit.

Sorry I have been so sparse with my blog postings the last 6 months. I'm hoping to be more prolific very soon. Best to all.

Cascade Loop, Winthrop and Leavenworth

What a wonderful, scenic trip. Weather was decent and the scenery was fantastic. Lady had a blast and was as good as gold. Here are the Lady pictures I took. For a more in-depth pictorial, go to my SmugMug gallery at the link below:

Cascade Loop pictures at SmugMug

First stop in the park

Excellent State park on the Columbia River just outside Chelan

Lady on stage in Leavenworth - waiting for her accordion!

Hanging out at one of the MANY dog friendly establishments in Leavenworth.
I'll drop the names of all of them at the end of this post.

During the two days we were in Leavenworth, Lady must have charmed at least 100 humans and a couple of fellow Goldens. She got a ton of attention no matter where we went. Here she is at the art show in the park.

Our new friend Klaus. Runs a nice little espresso and food shop with outdoor seating. Klaus and his wife Ulmke run a first class kennel just outside of town. See their website listing at the end of this post and permanently on my sidebar.

Now, a few travel and leisure recommendations based on my experiences during this trip:

DOG FRIENDLY
-Twisp River Pub, Twisp, WA - good food and service too! They brew their own beer.....yummy.

-Winthrop Inn - Super nice people and very accommodating when we hated our room. Made it right.....thanks.

-Munchen Haus, Leavenworth, WA - Outdoor casual restaurant with great sausages, killer kraut, regal relish, BEER, BEER and more BEER, plus a terrific staff.

-Klaus' little place called Haus Dog Kaffee and Tea - I live in Seattle, I love coffee, I know what's good and what ain't - Klaus knows his stuff. I hear from a local Golden owner we met that the food is good too. Located on the far west end of Front Street.

-Good Mood Food Cafe - on Hwy 2 close to town - free WIFI, nice people, good coffee

-Gypsy Cafe - right across the street from our hotel

-Obertal Inn - decent place right downtown, great staff, price is right.

-A Paw Above - Susie's dog store on front street. Good food selection, toys, treats etc.

-Uncle Ulis - little restaurant in the same building with Susie. Didn't eat there, but saw that it was very dog friendly.

Other places I can recommend
-Renaissance Cafe - downstairs and out of the way, look hard to find this one, good food and service, opens for breakfast at 7AM and is a local favorite.

-Andreas Keller - GREAT German food, awesome German beer selection, plus Johnny V plays a mean accordion most nights - highly recommended.

-Hitching Post tavern, Cashmire, WA (on Hwy 2 between Wenatchee and Leavenworth) - Have been stopping into this place every few years for 20 years now, the steaks are always good and affordable. Excellent service and cold beer. This time was no exception; even won $162 on one $20 pull tab....yay.

Best website for Leavenworth info: Accidental Bavarian

Klaus and Regina's kennels (so not to get Klaus in trouble, I want to be very clear, Regina runs the kennels): Haus Denali Kennels - Leavenworth, WA

Road Trip

Lady and I will be gone this week, heading for the eastern slopes of the Cascade range. North Cascade highway to Winthrop then on to Leavenworth for a couple of days. We will catch up with you all this weekend. Here's hoping for some dry, warm weather.

The road trip day-3

Day 3, Boise to Seattle

Nice weather so we made good time. Took our first stop in Oregon, at Baker City.

Oregon had the nicest and most plentiful rest stops. Decent pet areas and lots of room to roam

The Blue Mountains from high up on the hill above our rest area

Eastern Washington, Kittitas Valley just outside Ellensburg

Just when it looked like everything was going as planned, an awful traffic jam with no warning or opportunity to take another route. Thanks for the incompetence Washington DOT

Finally got home just before 8PM. Lady relaxes with Mr. Armadillo. 1600 miles, 3 days, she was good as gold. What a trooper. Lady proves again that she is one special girl.

The road trip day-2

~Cedar City, UT to Boise (day-2)

Day-2 the weather rolled in just before reaching Provo and we didn't get many good pictures in Utah. We did stop in Mountain Home, ID for a much needed romp in the park and a nice long walk.

In Utah, the first 80 MPH speed limit I have ever seen. The wind was blowing so hard (in our face of course) I never went over 70

  

Veterans Park, Mt. Home, ID - Lady thinks about changing careers

This park has some very interesting Pee Mail - lots of snoofling going on

Cool old moving trucks we saw on our walk in Mt. Home. Had a nice hotel in Boise, got upgraded to a suite, so Lady and I slept in the next morning, then took a nice stroll in the adjoining grass field (it was 40 degrees, brrrr).

The road trip - part 1

First a couple of clarifications to previous posts:
- My Mom not only raised me, but birthed me too! Thought I might point that out.
- On this road trip from Phoenix to Seattle, I was not physically stopping by to see some of my bloggy friends....just virtually checking posts when we were hotel bound at night (every hotel has Internet service, beats watching TV). We thought about Digby and Max every day.

Off we go, day one, Phoenix to Cedar City, Utah.

Lady, comfy and snoozy. As usual, she was a very good sport about being cooped up for three days. I tried to make every stop as much fun as I could for her.

Kingman, AZ - a rare treat, In and Out burgers.....yum. Dad just had to stop. Lady didn't mind either (a couple of fries for being so good).

Golden Valley, AZ (really!) - out in the middle of nowhere, a perfect stop to stretch our legs and check pee-mail.


Shuttled through Vegas pretty quickly, drove another hour to Mesquite, NV where we stopped again. Wow, has Mesquite hit hard times. Looks like a ghost town compared to 2003.

Off to Utah....

Through the Virgin River gorge. Very impressive, beautiful geology and colors

These are the red rocks around St. George, Utah. THIS town has really grown. A real hidden gem.

Final destination day 1: Cedar City, where we found a park and a steak house. Lady and I took advantage of both (doggy bag - steak and sweet potato)! Weather was beautiful. A good nights sleep, then off the next morning for Part 2 (coming soon).

Seeking some cooler weather

Lady and I will be hitting the road, heading up to Seattle. Won't be posting for awhile, but will stop by during our hotel confinement and visit as many of our wonderful bloggy friends as we can. Look forward to seeing some scenic country on the way: Phoenix to Las Vegas to Cedar City, UT to SLC to Boise to Yakima, WA then home. We'll get caught up next week. Tally Ho.....