To Hot for Lederhosen!

After a wonderful few days on Orca Island, I headed back to the Burlington KOA as an easy resting place prior to heading to Leavenworth, WA.  Leavenworth is a Bavarian themed town 1 ½ hrs East of Seattle.  But I took the scenic route which takes you over Stevens Pass.  Not the typical high elevation pass but we did get up to 4000 feet.   It followed the Wenatchee River which is a tubing and rafting river so A LOT of traffic…It is nice to be able to take your time and enjoy the scenery.  I’ve taken the “long” way a few times and it has been worth it.   The town reinvented itself in the 70’s by coming up with this idea of “changing to Bavarian”.  It was a normal town with very little tourism traffic until they made the change.  Now EVERY store, service, shop, etc. is European themed, even the Safeway and 76.  The campground was crowded and HOT…98 degrees when we arrived on Sunday. Thank goodness we had a cabin bc if we didn’t the days would have just been unbearable.  The boys and I took respite mid-day on both days just for some relief.  The grounds had great trails for us to walk through and had access to the river in which we took morning dips in daily!!  I hit the shops on Monday and just looked.   Quite crowded and full of nice stores.  I would say these were the best and most unique of any small town I’ve visited.  That snapshot of the Nutcrackers was only about 1/20^th of the amount in the store.  And the cheese….I’ve learned I can do without meat…but not cheese…that sweet cow, goat, sheep nectar…whatever it comes from..so far I think I love it all!!!  That shop was called The Cheesemonger and I could live in it…literally…  YUM!  They would give you samples and many I had never heard of.  Some were upwards of 30.00 a pound! WOW! 

On Tuesday we were off for a 5.5 hr drive to Mt. Saint Helens KOA.  I had already visited the area in the past so I didn’t check it out this time, just passing through.  Once again I took the long way around so we could see Mt. Rainer.  I had visited that park in the past as well but wanted to see the drive.  Beautiful drive through White Pass.  It didn’t gain in elevation a large amount but was a nice forested drive and followed a few lakes. The pic of Mt Rainer below is still from 30 miles or more away from the Mt. so imagine up close! The moss draped trees were in a campground that we stopped for a pee break and short walk.  It may have been the most beautiful, green forest I’ve seen yet.   I think when God created the Earth, he started in Washington when he was nice, refreshed and creative.  I think by day 6 he was tired and ended in Montgomery, AL! 

So we made it to the KOA campground and experienced our first bad night.  It didn’t rain but would have been icing on the proverbial cake.  Checked in and these were the smallest sites so far.  No privacy from neighbors at all with them only 5 feet away.   You hear every conversation, burp, fart, snore, cigarette, etc.   I was the only one at first setting up in a row of 4 sites.  Originally I was 2 but there were large amounts of sand not spread out and with it being 90 degrees at 3:00, I did not want to deal with it. So the front desk was very nice and moved me to # 1. Well, not thinking I set up on the wrong side, # 3.  It hit me when I went put on the rain fly! Darn it!  I would have to move so I walked back to the office.  Again she was so kind and said “honey, It’s so hot out there, no wonder you were confused!” I told her with help from the maintenance man I could just pick up the tent to move it to 1 but she insisted to keep me in 3 which at the time I was happy with.  Until my neighbors showed up!  They backed their old camper truck in and it began.  They were basically homeless and doing what I’m doing but they just don’t have any money to do it!  They stop every 3-4 weeks or more often if needed at truck stops to do odd jobs for people to make money.  I DID not want to get into what those jobs were. They had been on the road since Memorial Day and tried to stay in National Forest for free camping but had to pay camp at times.  He was shirtless with a nice beer gut and had tattoos covering his body. But not like cute colorful frog queen tats, like prison tats.  Loud New Yorker, shaved head and few teeth.  She was tatted up pretty well also and they had a 3 yr old that wanted to just pet my dogs and not her own.  I didn’t get their names but we were cordial enough.  It wasn’t that bad until every 2 hrs they came out to smoke after we went to bed.  So the first time at 11:00 they turned on their porch light which shined like a spotlight into the tent.  And they had to have conversation of course!  Then again at 1:00 and 3:15.  The light was never turned off and I hate to say I was a little timid to ask.  I’m really shocked the boys didn’t bark but they were alerted to it each time as well. So at 6:30 my neighbors were already up, so that meant were we up then!  At least they allowed us to get on the by 9:00am which hasn’t happened.  And that was with a good walk and me taking the tent down, etc.  Moral of the story—pay attention to your campsites bc I could have been on the end, all alone, by one nice motorcyclist that didn’t speak English! But the newlyweds got my spot!

The last 2 pics are fun pics.  I saw these items, along with a Jesus action figure? while I was waiting on the ferry on Orca.  HILARIOUS!  I did not purchase the Grow a Boyfriend (as many may think!!) but I did get the purchasing company just for future reference!!  And the hand sanitizer, how funny…. Don’t we think those things sometimes…hhmmm, and where’s your hand been??

We made it to the ocean!  After a very slow and crowded drive through Portland we drove down Hwy 101 to our next destination!  The boys got in to the bay water but that will be our next blog!