Leavenworth, Washington, Part 1 - June 18, 2007 (Re-run)

 Nestled in the Northern Cascade mountain range, the town of Leavenworth began as a timber harvesting community in the early 1900s.  As that industry began to falter, a ski resort was developed nearby to attract tourists during the winter.  Townspeople started to recognize that year-round tourism was needed, so they concocted a plan to pattern their town as others across the U.S. have done.  So, in 1965, they chose a Bavarian theme and transformed their downtown completely.  Later, they extended the tourism season by establishing festivals almost every month of the year.  The end result is one of the most charming and friendly  villages you can imagine.  The population has slowly grown to about 2300 with many spectacular private homes, many following the Bavarian/Alpine theme and some of which have been featured on HGTV.  The countryside surrounding Leavenworth is agricultural, producing apples, pears, cherries, grapes and other fruits.  

White Pass, Washington - June 16, 2007 (Re-run)

 White Pass was on the route from Mt. Rainier to our next destination, the town of Leavenworth.  More than just a low spot in the mountains, White Pass is a popular ski area, as well as a widely known rock climbing venue.  We passed several lakes and quite a few waterfalls along the way.  It was nice to see spring flowers after driving through snow covered mountains.