Visiting friends and family on a fruitful Eastern Washington trip
Gee, it’s good to be back home again. Yet shortly after we landed back in our home base in Bellingham after three months of volunteering at Washington State Parks, we hit the road again.
Traveling is absolutely wonderful. We are so grateful for the gorgeous places this wandering lifestyle lets us enjoy. But we do miss hanging with friends and family, so off we go. First stop, Leavenworth.
Along the Icicle River: After five years of roaming, we’ve stayed at a whole lot of RV parks, but the Icicle River RV Park remains one of our faves. Especially site 59, which backs up to the most magical river view.
Before we got settled in, we visited Leslie’s aunt Eileen and got to hug cousins Suzie and Sierra, too. Later that evening, Leslie cooked dinner for her brother Chris and sister Laurel. The wonderful visit capped off with a photo session where the goal was to be the biggest ham. Tough competition among these goofballs. Leslie woke up early to meet sister Colleen for coffee at nearby O’Grady’s Pantry at Sleeping Lady Resort.
Next stop: Fueled up on lots of love, we headed down the highway to Sun Lakes State Park for a night and a lovely hike before making our way to Rice, Wash., to connect with friends Rick and Lora Lea Misterly at Quillisascut Farm School of the Domestic Arts. The segue from Leavenworth to this pastoral spot near Lake Roosevelt was kind of cool because Leslie knew Lora Lea from riding the same school bus during middle school.
Lora Lea and Rick have been living the farm dream for decades, evolving from full-time cheesemakers to incredible educators. Their summer workshops are life-changing. We hit the farm on a rare quiet day and spent a few hours catching up and – of course – eating some wonderful cheese. Thanks for having us over!
Deja vu all over again: For our final stop, we put the pedal to the metal towards Spokane, the city we called home for 19 years. Now, that’s where we could have cued the John Denver classic about how good it was to be back home again.
This time around, though, we were indulging in a long-held goal of staying at the Historic Davenport Hotel. The accommodating staff even had a space for us to park our 23-foot motorhome, on the street near the entrance.
We’ve always loved the grand lobby of this magnificent place and it was a special thrill to get comfy in our spacious suite that had a view of – guess what? – The Spokesman-Review. Yup, there’s the door we walked through countless times and the gargoyles on the rooftop.
Our trip down memory lane included a walk through Riverfront Park, a stop at Boo Radley’s, an excellent prime rib dinner at the Palm Court Grill and, of course, there was a pink cookie from Rocket Bakery involved. Not to mention some sweet visits with friends. (Please don’t be miffed if we missed you this time around. It was a quick trip!)
We were so happy to be included in a gathering at our friends Dan and Mary Pat’s home. They were hanging out with visitors from out of town, Dan’s daughter, Rachel and her husband, Moss. We’ve known Rachel since she was a kid and it’s really wonderful to have the chance to spend the afternoon with her and her two kiddos, Hero and River, who took the lead on the grill. Well done!
Hate to say goodbye: The only bummer about our tour around the 509 was the slog to get back to Bellingham. A series of accidents on I-90 meant it took nine hours. Nine. Hours. Good thing we had some Davenport peanut brittle to snack on!
