Today I rode out of Wenatchee Washington. Their claim to fame is that they are the apple capital of the world. I rode through a lot of apple orchards but nothing that I can compare to those in Michigan. There were clearly many farms harvesting apples but I just can’t put my arms around the volume based on Michigan. Maybe it’s true until I know otherwise we’ll go with that. Later this afternoon I had several locals say that they even questioned that claim because so many of the apple farms have been converted into vines for wine. Anywho, today’s ride started out on a bike trail passing all of these wonderful orchards right along the Columbia River. I quickly made my way into Confluence Park where multiple rivers came together. It was a slow go this morning and I just wasn’t feeling it. I wasn’t sure why. A late start, the heat, or my body, just saying I don’t feel like riding. I have 41 miles to the top of my last major climb. To stay off the major roads I zigzagged through these tiny little local only roads. Quintessential bike routes. There were plenty of signs notifying any automobile traffic of the possibility of bikers, tractors, and other apple orchard equipment. The ride was super hilly as it ascended and descended between towns. I kept hoping that my legs would warm up and this feeling of lack would just pass. For some reason today’s ride was just slow and I just couldn’t get into a rhythm and after 23 miles I called it done. Oh well time to be a tourist. We headed into Leavenworth which is an old Bavarian town that mimics Frankenmuth Michigan. There were a ton of similarities, the obvious German influence of beer and food. Both towns had a large Christmas store presence. The Frankenmuth store wins the award for the larger of the two in terms of Christmas celebration. Lisa Marie and I enjoyed some time getting food, walking the town, and doing a little wine tasting where we met a lovely local couple. Nick & Jennifer told us all about the area and their favorite wineries, along with their hometown out on the island in Seattle. The little town of Leavenworth was definitely a sight to see. I’m glad I ended up taking a short day and just spending some time with Lisa Marie in town enjoying the day. There will be plenty more ridding before we get it done.
Insights from Lisa Marie
Leaving Wenatchee this morning I dropped Norm at the trail where he left off yesterday. Drove my road route to a park where we met later. The morning was spent driving through the valley surrounded by mountains on all sides and our route took us through numerous apple and pear orchards. I could tell Norm was off this morning and asked him should we stop today? I believed he needed a rest😁. He eventually called it quits and we drove to Leavenworth, Washington. This is another Frankenmuth for our Michigan readers. Had another fabulous afternoon of chilling with wine and cider tasting thrown in. Met some great people again, Nick and Jennifer who lived in Washington and gave us some great intel of what to see.
