U.S. Navy in the Cascades

June 26,  2011

Leavenworth, WA

G’Mornin,

            Tis’ ‘nother beautiful day in the great North West.  Heading up the 405 for the WA522 cutoff to Monroe and connect to Hwy 2 and run that out to Leavenworth.  This is one of the scenic routes in the Harley Davidson H.O.G. touring handbook.  The enjoyment of this ride was immeasurable with beautiful Cascades all around the highway, small Americana towns to pass thru, sweet air of the Pacific enriching itself as it passes thru the foliage of the Cascades and barely any traffic to hinder or push me.

            At Mt. Index Village there was a chalet styled coffee shop on the south side of the road so I pulled in for a break.  Met the owners, Mark and Sandy, and enjoyed my favorite coffee treat..latte with no foam J. When I pulled into the parking space Mark was standing by the spot and commented on Skyblue, the 2011 Electroglide rental from Eastside Harley in Bellevue.  He was ready to buy it on the spot.  This seems to be the coffee stop for a lot of folks traveling Ol’ 2 either direction.  The pines are tall all around the chalet and there is seating out back to rest.  I stood out front by the bike.

            A big 4 wheel pickup pulled in and a tank shirted man got out of it with his sweetheart and got into the line that seemed to build up after my arrival.  The back of his shirt showed “Virginia Beach, VA”.  Well, that got my attention since my brother Joe is a retired Navy Chief Petty Officer and Norfolk was his home port….I think he was on the enterprise as the Chief of Intermediate engine maintenance. 

Commenting to the young man that VA beach was a long way from Index he told me he was stationed there and transferred out here to a base that also accommodates the Coast Guard.  His name is Matt Blanton and his sweetheart is Lindsay.  He is an officer and tho they like the Northwest they look forward to returning to the east coast in the future.  It was a pleasure to chat with them and thank them for their service to our country…..I wish him the best in his career.
            Back on the road it was once again thrilling to the ride of scenery, curves, ascending and descending highway.  Until my next stop an hour later.

            Cold Corner was the name of the small town and I pulled into a 50’s diner named appropriately as ’59 Diner.  They touted that real milkshakes were their specialty so I ordered a small vanilla….ahhhh, delicious.  I thanked “Flo” and found out all the waitresses are named “Flo” and all the waiters are “Joe”…..how fun…just yell out “hey Flo” and you instantly get service J. 

            At this point there were only 15 miles or so left to reach Leavenworth.  More scenery to be enjoyed along with running alongside the Wenatchee river which sure runs fast and seems to be rapids everywhere I saw it.

            Pulling into Leavenworth was kinda cute…everything there has a Bavarian theme in its architecture and names.  It sure was fun to see starbucks look so Bavarian J.  Passing thru the town I reached the end of the tourist part and just before the bridge saw the Alpine River Inn where I was spending the night.  My room was on the 2^nd floor and upon opening the balcony door was greeted by the sound of the Wenatchee rapids just 30 feet away….cool….think I’ll sleep with the door open.and be serenaded by nature.

            By the time I headed back into town all the shops were closed except the Munchen Haus and Beer Garden.  This is a very unique place and well worth the stop to taste their various Bratwursts and assorted mustards (around 15 to 20 varieties)..  I chose a Jalapeno Bratwurst, loaded with sauerkraut, and put different mustards in cross stripes upon it so I could taste each one separately with each bite.  I recall having Jalapeno mustard, Chipotle mustard, Garlic and Onion mustard and two others which didn’t tickle my memory like the first 3.  Yummy….did pay a little price for the feast with a blistering  tongue that the “Bomb” beer Carson served me did little to extinguish the fire.

            The glass of cabernet I had later finally did the trick.

            It was an excellent repast and I recommend this spot to others for good Brat.  If you’re in luck you will find Brian behind the grill making sure your Brat is perfectly prepared.  I missed the name to the young lady who took the order….she’s a real sweetheart with some beautiful body art.  Seems everyone in this town enjoys their life here as they are all friendly and helpful.

C ya mañana

Gonzo

twitter:  @GonzoCrossUSA