At any time been captivated by these beautiful log houses you see in these shiny magazines? Very well you really don’t have to develop 1 — just hire 1 for the weekend in 1 of the Northwest’s most beautiful areas.
On our most new trip to Leavenworth, Washington, we did just that when we rented a put named “Log Haven” that absolutely competent for popular screen in any journal on log houses. It was not a sprawling household that nearly appears out of put in the wild, but alternatively a common two-bed room log home that is really more of a log cabin. It was just the proper dimensions for a prolonged-planned “Boys Weekend” bringing alongside one another 4 old substantial-college and school buddies for a fun couple of times of leisure and reminiscing.
Log Haven also is completely suited to a relatives getaway with sleeping accommodations for up to seven men and women. And, compared with some lodgings so impeccably intended and decorated, little ones are welcome. Dogs and cigarettes, on the other hand, will need to be still left guiding.
This very little piece of log heaven is located about three miles outdoors of Leavenworth, recognized much and huge as the Bavarian Village simply because of its Bavarian-themed outlets and places to eat, all nestled in a very little valley bordered on the west by steep mountains that glimpse like they could have been introduced right here from the European Alps. Log Haven is just a small drive alongside winding state roads that snake by way of the colourful Cascade Mountain foothills just east of Leavenworth.
Arriving at this log home you are immediately drawn to the spacious outdoor deck that appears out on to the photo-postcard mountains to the south and east. 1 could nearly envision Julie Andrews and the little ones operating by way of the meadows and flower gardens in this sparsely populated countryside with the helicopter swooping down for the opening panorama you see in Seem of Music. Ok, perhaps it really is not that beautiful, but you get the typical plan.
Our buddies have been absolutely amazed. Log Haven may perhaps glimpse like a major cabin but it really is like a complete getaway home inside with a total kitchen, two bogs, large living room area with huge-display substantial-def Tv and even a laundry facility. The upstairs loft has two beds and is large enough that an individual could roll out a sleeping bag on the ground and no 1 would will need to stage on any one. Cathedral ceilings and major-to-base windows make this home feel bigger than it really is.
Out on the deck are some chairs to just gaze away at the unbelievable mountain sights or, if you want, there is a 4-particular person warm tub which, by the way, acquired rather a work-out while we have been going to Log Haven. A propane barbecue also is on the deck so that you really don’t even will need to consider your eyes off these mountains while you’re cooking.
Of training course, there is certainly no will need to cook if you really don’t want to. There are dozens of places to eat right here with quite a few cuisines to decide on from. Main amid these, as you may assume, is German or Bavarian foodstuff and you can not go way too much in this put without the need of being provided a bratwurst or a beer. We had the two at Gustav’s, the put with potentially the ideal see of the mountains from its outdoors deck and, just as critical, twenty five beers on faucet. An additional of our favourite stops was Munchen Haus, a real beer backyard garden with char-grilled brats and sausages, German beer on faucet and a festive environment. It truly is like a small very little piece of the Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, which we did get a possibility to encounter quite a few many years in the past.
What would a Boys Weekend be without the need of barbecue, so we also drove just a couple of miles east to Cashmere the place we had read Country Boys Southern Type Barbecue was well worth a go to. In our belief it absolutely was scrumptious pulled pork, chicken and ribs served up warm and fresh new with a choice of indoor or outdoor seating.
Even though we have no doubt a Ladies Weekend would have been eaten by scouring the many outlets in Leavenworth’s compact downtown area, we studiously prevented them with 1 exception when we had a craving for ice cream we had to go in 1 or two outlets to find the soda fountain the place we could get our ice cream cones. Oh, and we did consider inventory of the bakeries in city of which there are quite a few and took a couple of of their delights again to Log Haven with us.
Having grown up in Central Washington, we also knew that the Icicle River Valley affords excellent fishing and climbing and is basically a enjoyable drive deep into the Alpine wilderness or “Enchantments” as these mountains are named. All of this is just a couple of miles from downtown Leavenworth so you can be as lively as you want when you go to this aspect of Washington State. It truly is critical to have an understanding of that Leavenworth is not just about Bavarian-themed outlets and foodstuff it really is a highly prized recreation area that was utilized extensively by North Central Washington inhabitants prolonged before Leavenworth Town Fathers determined to invite the world to see it with their very first themed buildings again in the 1960’s.
An additional small diversion from Leavenworth is a trip down to Wenatchee, about 30 miles away and the put the place Western and Eastern Washington meet head-on. The forests and mountains of Western Washington substantially give way to the more arid local climate and flatlands of the Columbia Plateau just to the east of the Columbia River. Located at the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers, Wenatchee is famous for its springtime Apple Blossom Pageant, and the city has grown up in new many years to supply a excellent range of places to eat and other visitor products and services. The success of the city’s Conference Heart is testomony to the level of popularity of this compact city.
Also inside of straightforward driving length potentially an hour, fifteen minutes from Leavenworth is famous Lake Chelan, 50-plus miles prolonged and well well worth going to. The Woman of the Lake will consider you the duration of the lake to Stehekin the place you are surrounded by the Cascade Mountains. Only available by boat or aircraft, Stehekin is a small village that is in all probability 1 of the most remote communities in all of Washington State.
But this individual trip for us was more about renewing earlier friendships in a beautiful ecosystem that necessary very little of us in conditions of scheduling or exertion. Our Boys Weekend was a go-with-the-movement encounter that frequently intended just comforting in front of the Log Haven hearth and having fun with a activity of Scrabble. Or it was as simple as sitting down again on that major deck and viewing a couple of wispy clouds float alongside toward the mountains across the dazzling blue sky, so popular in Central Washington throughout spring and summer season months. It was about excellent discussion and tales of our youth, our people and, in actuality, our life.
AT A Look
Exactly where: Leavenworth is in North Central Washington on Freeway two just as it emerges from Cascade Mountains.
WHAT: Leavenworth was at the time a compact city on the lookout for a way to re-vitalize by itself so, in the 1960’s, City Fathers arrived up with a program to modify the motif of downtown buildings to resemble a Bavarian Village. Now, the city is 1 of the most common vacationer points of interest in Washington State.
WHEN: Any time of the 12 months, even though guide well in progress for summer season. Also, the seasons modify substantially in Leavenworth with 4 unique seasons, which includes cold winters with a lot of snow not compared with Bavaria.
WHY: Leavenworth presents all you will need for an unforgettable getaway: great outlets, exclusive lodgings and a lot of mountain landscapes. The area is recognized for its recreation and Leavenworth is an ideal base of functions for daytrips to nearby locations like Wenatchee, Lake Chelan or Lake Wenatchee to the west.
HOW: For more information and facts on leasing a cabin or getaway home in the Leavenworth area, call Location Leavenworth at 509-548-4320 or go to them on the web at www.destinationleavenworth.com. Log Haven is 1 of the more upscale rentals they supply and fees all around $three hundred a night. Take note that animals usually are not authorized and, curiously, using tobacco is not permitted even on the grounds. For more information and facts on the Leavenworth area, call the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce at 509-548-5807 or go to www.leavenworth.org.