Sunshine on my shoulders…makes me burnt

Ah sunshine. It’s not very common here in the Pacific Northwest, and when it does shine we north westerners celebrate. 

I celebrate by going on a road trip. It’s in the convertible user’s guide that whenever possible, and sunny, one must go on a road trip that is at least an hour’s drive away, and the top must be down at all times. 

I went to Bainbridge Island the weekend before last with the Pantry Goat. This weekend, the weather was going to be in the 90’s so I opted for an Alpine route. Sparky, P-Dot, Blueberry and I set off to Leavenworth figuring the mountains would surely be cooler than Seattle.

A couple of problems with our theory:

1. The mountains were not any cooler
2. Leavenworth is not at the top of the pass, but on the other side and thus considered Eastern Washington which is ALWAYS hot in the summer.

Regardless, we had a blast. And it was hot.

The drive to Leavenworth is a beautiful one. It takes you through the mountains and reminds me why I love Washington so much. The greenery!  Highway 2 follows the Wenatchee River for most of the trip which adds another layer of beauty to me.

Sparky reached a major milestone this trip too, she turned over to 10,000 miles. Woot! She's officially broken in.

This trip I decided to do something new and different, and alright, not recommended. I had my little instant camera on my lap and I would hold it up every now and then and snap a photo as I was driving. Got some great shots.

 And got some not so great, but amusing shots.

On our way up I pulled over to stretch a little and to go check out the water.  P-Dot, Blueberry and I went to the water’s edge to check it out.  P-Dot thought maybe, just maybe she could swim.  I highly doubted it and so we talked her into just viewing the water from the rock. She demanded she get a better view, so Blueberry went to set her on a large boulder.  Watching Blueberry trying to maneuver through the rocks on sandals was amusing and at one point she couldn’t figure out which foot to step down with since they both appeared to have bad options for placement.

Alas, back on the road. 

Leavenworth is a small Bavarian town on the other side of Steven’s Pass. The MomUnit, Seattle SIL, Queen PopUp and I headed there a couple of years ago via the train.  Summer in Leavenworth is an entirely different experience. It…was…packed….JAMMED pack of people, kids and dogs.  Sparky got Rock Star parking of course.  It goes without saying that she should.

We had lunch at King Ludwig’s which was where we ate at the last time. Their Snitzel is to die for. 

After lunch we wandered through the town stopping here and there to look through the little stores.  Too many of the stores are full of stuff you don’t possibly need, and are a bit overwhelming for me. Blueberry, on the other hand, is a shopper. She loves to wander in and out of these stores. I let her do her thing and I’d find a bench outside and people watch.

P-Dot made a few new friends while we were there.  She’s getting the hang of this modeling gig Puck left her.

Even Blueberry and I met a new friend.

Our last stop was at the taffy store.  Previous visits to this store resulted in a crazy hat purchase, but this year we only bought taffy.  Why is taffy so darn good?

Some other photos of Leavenworth. It truly is a beautiful little town if you're ever in the NW and feel the need for a quick trip. All the photos can be seen here.

And last, I saw this in a little store and it made me smile.