I left the Flathead Valley of Montana, and headed west up through the panhandle of Idaho. This was done entirely to cross “State #31″ off my “Golf 50 States” list with a round at an unassuming course in Priest River. It was just me, carrying my own bag, in flip-flops, khaki shorts, and a t-shirt. It was awesome!
After feeding my addiction, I crossed the border into the state of Washington, following the curvy, mountainous highway through towns with names like Tonasket, Omak, and Okanogan. With the record-setting hot weather, wildfires kept popping up all over the region. In fact, the haze was so thick, I couldn’t get much of a charge from the solar panel. I pretty much drained the batteries, and spent one night in an uncomfortably hot Wal-Mart parking lot, irritated that I hadn’t chosen a campground with electricity.
The next morning I sought out a place far, far away from the smoke and haze. I remembered driving through a unique – if not “touristy” – town of Winthrop as a kid, so I headed in that direction. It is a tiny town with an Old West theme, tucked away in the middle of the Cascade Mountain Range. I found some free Wi-Fi, and worked out of the very modern Airstream in the very old-fashioned Winthrop all day long.
It just so happened, my very next stop was another town with another theme: Leavenworth, Washington. In the 1960s, Leavenworth – a town on the edge of collapse – transformed itself into a Bavarian village to revitalize its economy. The crazy thing; it totally worked! I really enjoyed the vibe of the entire town. From the sounds of oom-pah music in the streets to the tour guides dressed in lederhosen, I forgot I was in the middle of Washington.
Next stop: a place with another theme entirely; a place where it is often OK to go “100″ down the highway; a place where “35″ is a pretty high temperature; a place called Canada! Stay tuned…
- Welcome to Winthrop, WA
- My work location for the day (that would be the RV parking lot, not Jack's Saloon)
- Typical signs in Winthrop, WA
- One seriously good black raspberry ice cream cone
- Bavarian theme throughout Leavenworth, WA
- Leavenworth, WA
- Even the Leavenworth McDonald's had to fit in
It was fun to see you in Bigfork. Now the next time you’re home we expect to see you in lederhosen. Did you drive the North Cascade Highway?
Good seeing everyone! I drove part of the North Cascade Highway. I added a “Where Has Kyle Been?” section to the blog to show my approximate route on Google Maps.