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Published: November 7th 2010
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On 10/5/2010 we left our eastern Washington "home" (Deer Park) and headed for western Washington to join 10 other couples who live fulltime in their Newmar motorhomes for a roving rally - 8 days, 4 campgrounds, 3 days of travel. A roving rally combines all of our favorite things: interesting roads to travel, new sights to see, and great friends to enjoy these things with. From Deer Park we took Highway 2 to East Wenatchee where we spent the night at Lincoln Rock State Park, a beautiful campground right on the Columbia River. The next morning we continued our journey, still on Highway 2, up and over Stevens Pass, to Anacortes. The fall colors were spectacular over the pass - a sample of what was to come as we continue our rally. We arrived in Anacortes (Fidalgo Bay RV Resort) a couple of days before the official start of the rally and used those days to explore Fidalgo & Whidbey Islands. Deception Pass State Park is the most visited park in Washington with 2,000,000 visitors annually. The bridge over the pass connects the two islands and the pass connects Skagit Bay (part of Puget Sound) and the Straits of Juan de
Fuca.
On the first official day of our rally, everyone had arrived by late afternoon and we gathered for social hour with potluck and to plan & organize our time together.
The second day we enjoyed a ferry ride to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The ferry ride was about 1 hour followed by a 3 hour stop-over in town for lunch and some sightseeing. Then a 1 hour ride home. The cost for the ferry? $5.00 rountrip. A cheap way to see the islands and spend a lovely day. We were back in camp in time for social hour and a roasted chicken dinner.
The third day was our big travel day, 155 miles on Highway 20 over the North Cascades Highway - two lanes, lots of curves, gradual climbs over two passes (Rainy Pass at 4875' and Washington Pass at 5477'), and spectacular scenery all the way. We pulled in to Riverbend RV Park south of Winthrop in mid-afternoon, got settled, relaxed, then gathered for social hour and lasagna dinner.
Day four was a free day (no activities planned) so we drove in to Winthrop to checkout that tourist town. When the North
Cascade Highway was nearing completion in 1972, the people of Winthrop decided to follow the lead of the town of Leavenworth (German-themed town) and chose a western theme for their town in hopes that it would draw tourists. The result is a successful tourist stop for summer travelers and winter sports enthusiasts. Lots of cafes and interesting shops. That evening we drove about 15 miles up into the hills to Sun Mountain Lodge to watch the sun set and enjoy drinks and dinner.
Day five was another travel day. We drove all the way to Lakeshore RV Park in Chelan - 55 miles! Not too strenuous. We immediately headed out for a late lunch at Blueberry Hills Farm in Manson then relaxed the rest of the afternoon until we met again at 6:00 for dessert - fresh pies from Blueberry Hills Farm with ice cream. Have you noticed a trend here? Lots of eating and drinking with this group! Have I mentioned that we're also meeting for breakfast each morning?
Day six was spent on the ferry up and down Lake Chelan - 4 hours up and 4 hours back with a 1.5 hour layover in Stehekin for
lunch. We had perfect weather, saw beautiful scenery, and had great fun entertaining ourselves during the long ferry ride. Stehekin is the very small town at the end of the lake, reached only by ferry. The town consists of about 3 buildings - a restaurant/general store, the USFS museum, and a small cabin used as an art gallery. Would be a lonely spot to live. Lovely, but lonely.
Day seven - drove all of 40 miles to Wenatchee River County Park in Monitor, just west of Wenatchee. At this point, we have come full circle - back on Highway 2. The campground was another lovely spot with spectacular trees in full fall color. After getting settled, we headed for Leavenworth for Octoberfest and a German-style dinner. This was the last weekend of Octoberfest but the first weekend with good weather so the town was mobbed. Lots of "happy" beer drinkers!
The eighth day - A day to wander the area, exploring Wenatchee, Cashmere, Leavenworth, and the several state parks in the area. We ended our rally with a potluck dinner that evening and by 10:00 the next morning, we were all on the road to our various destinations.
We're off to Pendleton to visit family then we head south for the winter.
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