Day 217

So, the undisclosed overnight birthday destination is...drum roll please...Wenatchee! This morning Rob and I got up with the alarm just like any other day.  We got ourselves ready, packed an overnight bag, dropped the pups off at Mom's and were on the road by 9:00.  I managed to keep where we were going a secret until we took a left off I-90 at George, and Rob asked if we were headed to Wenatchee...almost with puzzled look, followed by...What's in Wenatchee??

So, I confessed my plan that we were headed to Wenatchee to stay the night, but really what I wanted to show him was Lake Chelan and Leavenworth, and was hoping to do it all in two days.  I told him that I had also found a cool looking place in Wenatchee on the internet called Ohme Gardens, and I wanted to go there too.  I know, it is a rather ambitious itinerary for two short days.

We got into Wenatchee right at lunch time, so we headed to Red Robin first. After we ate, it wasn't quite time to check into our hotel yet, so we found Ohme Gardens and did some exploring. It was a really cool little park-like garden area with tons of natural stone pathways, leading to sitting benches, hidden lawns, water features and small pools.  The whole area is located on the edge of a bluff, so there are some very pretty views once you wind your way through and come out at its outer edges.  I thought it was a really good place to start our adventure...I'm really glad we visited.

After touring the Gardens, Rob and I were both pretty hot and in need of a break. So when we were done there, we decided to go check into our room and take a breather and cool off for awhile.  I had originally intended to head to Lake Chelan today, and maybe have dinner there.  But I kept talking about Cashmere and Leavenworth, so...change of plans, we hit both of these little towns this afternoon.

First we headed to Cashmere to check out the Aplets and Cotlets candy factory.  Unfortunately, the factory was not in production today, but the retail store was most definitely open for business.  We picked up a couple items for ourselves, and a few for gifts and then headed to our next destination...the Cashmere Cider Mill.  We managed to find the place, although it was a little off the beaten path.  They have a tasting room set up and let you sample a few of their different ciders, just like you would at a wine tasting. We ended up buying some cherry cider and pear cider...yum.

Before leaving town, we walked down the main street and tucked into the local pharmacy, complete with an old fashioned soda fountain still in use.  Rob and I sat up to the counter, and he ordered a Vanilla Malted and I had an Italian Soda.  It wasn't totally authentic, but it was retro enough to give it a fun feel and complete our visit to this little piece of 'Hometown America'.

We headed into Leavenworth next.  I'm glad we went, and I was able to show Rob the cute little Bavarian Village, but good gravy...the place was packed to the gills with tourists, and it was hotter than heck!  We discovered that neither of us were finding it very enjoyable, so we went back into Wenatchee, and our cool hotel room. 

After a quick rest and freshen up, we headed back out for dinner.  Mom had been in Wenatchee a couple months earlier and had a nice meal at a place called Applewood Grill.  We gave it a try, and had a pretty great meal as well. The restaurant had a relaxed atmosphere, located in the first warehouse built in Wenatchee, down along the railroad tracks.  It was a nice way to wrap up a very eventful birthday.