WAWeekend: Chelan ~ The Land of Lakes

We visit  Lake Chelan, that 55-mile long glacier-fed lake stretching from the North Cascade Mountains to the small town down lake of the same name, often. It’s The Scout’s hometown. Like thousands of others who visit each year we marvel at the beauty of the lake. . .postcard perfect from any angle.

Lake Chelan and the North Cascade Mountains

We’ve become complacent with the views of that lake – lazy, one might say -- and have not gotten out to enjoy the other lakes that dot the nearby Central Washington State countryside.

Vineyard and orchards border Lake Chelan, WA

But a couple weeks ago we set off to visit a couple of those other lakes. . .did you even know there are other lakes? There are – and not that far from Lake Chelan’s shore!

We headed inland from Manson, the small town at the road’s end on the lake’s northern shore. A narrow, paved road led us through vineyards and orchards, past farms and homes. Willow trees, like those in the left center of this photo, soon gave way to pine trees and the pavement gave way to a somewhat dusty dirt surface.




Then a mere five miles north of Manson we arrived at Antilon Lake, a secluded 96-acre reservoir with a campground,  bike/hiking trails and a Sno-Park for winter fun. From the lake there are views of Fourth of July Mountain.

Antilon Lake

We had the place to ourselves on this mid-weekday afternoon. The only sound was of the wind stirring the branches; the crunch of pine needles under our feet.

Returning to Manson we stopped three miles out of town at the sprawling Wapato Lake.  This lake, covers 216 surface acres with a maximum depth of 68 feet, and has two campgrounds on its western shore. Fishermen might hook small-mouth bass, crappie, bluegill and rainbow trout at this lake.

Wapato Lake

There’s a boat launch at the small Roses Lake tucked just a mile away amid orchards and vineyards in the hills north of Manson. Anglers will find crappie, trout, catfish and large-mouth bass here.  This is a popular winter ice fishing spot as well.

If You Go:

Driving from Seattle: Depending on road construction and weather, the drive will take between three and four hours.

Flying: The nearest airport is Pangborn in Wenatchee, about 40 miles away and is served by Horizon/Alaska from Sea-Tac, near Seattle.



Antilon Lake Location: 5 Miles North of Manson on Grade Creek Rd. No water, fire rings or picnic tables are provided. Fishermen will find brown trout here.
Wapato Lake Location: 3 Miles North of Manson on Wapato Lake Rd.
Roses Lake Location: 1 Mile North of Manson on Roses Ave.

For fishing license information visit Washington State’s link: http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/

That’s it for WAWeekend – make the most of yours and we’ll see you back here next week. Thanks for stopping by today! Check out Noel Morata's TravelPhotoDiscovery on Monday - this post will be appearing there.

WAWeekend: Getting High at Lake Chelan

It’s called “The Butte”. No fancy names. Not a lot of tourist-hype. Looking somewhat like a resting elephant, its highest point rises 3,835 feet (1,168 meters) to the south of  the town of Chelan and Lake
Chelan.

 .

The Scout, born and raised in this Eastern Washington town, has ‘been there, done that’ when it comes to The Butte.  Maybe that is why, despite several visits a year there over the course of three decades, we’d never taken the time to explore it until a couple years ago.

The Chelan Butte Unit, as it is called in Washington State’s Department of Fish and Wildlife covers some 9,097 acres, stretching from Lake Chelan to the Columbia River.  It’s home to wildlife (including big horn sheep) to wildflowers (some more than 5-feet tall as  I illustrate above), with a few snakes and other critters thrown as well.

The 4.5 mile distance from town to the summit is paved for the first 1.2 miles. It becomes a narrow, dirt road which is rutted and rocky – and muddy in inclement weather, and many  leave their vehicles at lower elevations. Even in good weather an SUV would be better than a conventional car, although our Camry made the drive, albeit very slowly.



Currently it’s a favorite among hikers who want to explore the trails that lead to old abandoned mines, bikers and in winter, snowshoe enthusiasts. There’s also a hang gliding group or two that use its upper peak for projecting themselves out over the Columbia River Gorge.

We had the place to ourselves the day we drove to the end of the road; the communication towers on the uppermost ridge. Parking there is off-road; no formal lots. Then it was time to enjoy the views:



To the south – the Columbia River Gorge, in both the photo above and below.


And to the north over the 55-mile long, glacier fed lake to the North Cascades Mountain range in the distance.

We told ourselves we won’t wait another decade or so to make a  return visit to “The Butte”.

For You History Buffs:

The 1938 fire lookout tower that was once atop The Butte was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and in 1996 moved to the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center, just down the road in Entiat.

And did you know there was a Gold Rush on Chelan Butte in 1907? Take a look at this link – it’s mighty interesting!

If You Go:
Follow Highway 97A and at Millard Street in Chelan (between milepost 232 and 233) turn south.
Note: Parking at The Butte now requires a Washington State Discover Pass ($10 a day/or $30 annually).
For more information visit: www.discoverpass.wa.gov
See you back here soon – we hope!  Sign up to receive our posts in your inbox at www.TravelnWrite.com

WA Weekend: Kirkland ~ Where the Livin’ is Lakeside

Even those of us lucky enough to live in Kirkland, just across Lake Washington from Seattle, sometimes take this Pacific Northwest gem for granted.  Kirkland should be the poster child for lakeside living and here are some reasons why:



1. Waterfront Parks:  Take a stroll along the mile-long stretch of Lake Washington Blvd. from Carillon Point to downtown Kirkland to explore the city’s many waterfront parks. Open free of charge to the public, they are great places for picnics, sunbathing or just reading a book.  (Winter storm watching is also fun from these vantage points.) For those not content to sit around, rent a paddle board or join a game of volleyball.



 Marina Park, in the photo below, is a popular place for kids who can wade into the shallow water along its crescent-shaped beach, while  dogs chase out into the deeper waters to retrieve sticks and balls and pesky water fowl angle for a handouts. It’s also center stage for the town’s many festivals.

2. Get out on Lake Washington: If you want to really experience the water. . .

but you don’t have a boat to tie up at Marina Park’s public dock, don’t despair because.  .  .



Argosy Cruises (800-642-7816, www.argosycruises.com) has got you covered. The tour boat departs from the Kirkland Dock at Marina Park for a 1.5 hour cruise that – on a sunny day – will provide stunning views of Mt. Rainier, University of Washington’s Husky Stadium and takes you past the waterfront homes of the rich and famous, like Bill Gates’ place. Reservations are recommended.  Schedule and prices can be found at the web site listed above.



(BTW, these photos are should dispel the rumor that it ‘always rains in Seattle’. Not so!)

If You Visit: 

The fresh-water Lake Washington at 20-miles long and reaching a depth of 214-feet is the second largest lake in Washington State, just behind the 55-mile long Lake Chelan.

When a day at the lake comes to an end, try out some of the many eateries that dot the shoreline or are clustered in the downtown area, easy walking distance from the water.

Sip some Washington wine (we’d recommend The Grape Choice a wine merchant with its kid and dog friendly sipping area near Marina Park).

Spend a night or two  at either of the town’s luxury hotels: The Woodmark Hotel on the lake at Carillon Point and The Heathman Hotel in the downtown, two blocks from Marina Park.

For more information: Click on:  Explore Kirkland.

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WAWeekend: Breakfast Thrills at Blueberry Hills

While ‘thrills’ might be a tad bit dramatic for our favorite breakfast stop east of Washington State’s Cascade Mountains, it is a place not to be missed.  (And get there early or prepare for lines like this one!)

The quality -- and quantity -- of food, the views and its location, just outside Manson on Lake Chelan put Blueberry Hills on our recommended list and keep it there year after year.


Set back a couple miles from the lake shore and surrounded by orchards and vineyards, this eatery overlooking 10 acres of some 3,000 blueberry bushes, packs them in each morning come rain or shine.






Arrive early to nab a table on the outside deck in summer months at this family-owned operation.  Sitting there, you can watch others in the ‘you pick’ field or enjoy the view of  the area’s well-known, Slide Ridge, pictured here.






And take note dog lovers:  they’ve got a special gate on the deck, just for four-legged furry ones.

Owners Roger and Linda Sorensen converted the family’s homestead and apple orchard to blueberries in 1999.  They’d originally planned to operate a fruit stand, but one thing led to another and the restaurant serving ‘down home scratch country cooking’ evolved.


You'll serve yourself beverages here and pick up your flatware as well. And then – if you didn’t nab an outside table, you settle in at a table amid a most eclectic collection of memorabilia to await the arrival of the food you ordered at the counter when you arrived.






Finally, when you reluctantly push yourself away from the table (some chairs have had rollers added to ease that effort), don't forget to buy a piece of berry pie (or a whole one) to take with you or, in season, the berries themselves.









If you go: 
Blueberry Hills is at 1315 Washington Street, Manson, 98831, 509-687-2329, www.wildaboutberries.com
Overnight accommodations are available both in nearby Manson, or Chelan just a bit further away.  For lodging information contact the Lake Chelan Visitors Center.

Travel Tip Tuesday: Got Reservations? Maybe; Maybe Not

Sometimes our travels go as planned – other times they don’t. And when they don’t,  it’s because of a screw-up somewhere, like last week. . .

. . .when we were reminded of the importance of assuming nothing when planning a trip – no matter how short a getaway it might be.

We’d decided last Sunday to head to Stehekin, that remote little hamlet on the head of Washington State’s Lake Chelan for a couple of nights.  Our destination the North Cascades Lodge, (formerly The Stehekin Landing Resort). Its water views (like pictured above) makes it our favorite among the half dozen rental properties available in this pristine gateway to the North Cascades.




Stehekin can only be reached by float plane or boat (okay,you can also hike in but in 100-degree temperatures that didn’t appeal.)

When no one answered the reservation line phone Sunday afternoon, we used the Lodge’s computerized on-line system. Two nights in Room 16, lake view, $150 a night, beginning Tuesday. The computer-generated message told us a confirmation was forthcoming.


We –luckily – decided not to buy tickets on-line for the Lady of the Lake ($60 p/p, round-trip), the only public boat serving Stehekin, until after we arrived in Chelan on Monday. It’s the town from which you depart for Stehekin and where we planned to stay that night for our early morning Tuesday departure.

10 a.m. Monday, with our bags in the car, and no confirmation  in the inbox, I decided before starting the three-hour drive to Chelan, to check emails one final time for that confirmation and not finding it, I called the reservation line again. 

“Would that be a reservation for Joel Smith? I’ve got it right here,” said a perky voice on the other end.  “But. . . we have a problem. The computer seems to have double booked that room and the other people booked before you.”

Oh, she said, they’d had that same problem with the computerized system before but thought it was fixed. She offered  two other rooms at about $50 more each night or one at a $129 nightly with no lake view.  Neither option appealed.

We still wonder if, or when, we might have been told about the ‘problem’ had I not called.  At check in, perhaps?

Travel Tip:  The tip embedded in this post is: If you haven’t received a confirmation of a computer generated reservation – double check with the resort or hotel. 

(Our practice is to arrive at a hotel with a printed copy of the reservation confirmation, or at least a confirmation number,name of the person who made the reservation and the time it was made with us.)

Photos:  Probably don’t need to tell you these Stehekin photos were taken during our last stay at The Landing Resort. 

Have you ever had a problem with a computer-made reservation?  When and how did you discover it?  Any tips?