Wenatchee Worth More Than A Glance Apple Capital Is A Great Place On Way To Someplace

Sun., April 16, 1995

Larry W. Earl Correspondent

Wenatchee is a city that people often drive through on the way to somewhere else - Leavenworth, or the North Cascades, or Lake Chelan.

But this friendly community in the heart of Washington’s apple country is a pleasant weekend destination in its own right, offering a variety of activities for adults and children.

A big bonus for visitors is the free LINK bus transportation system. Arriving flight passengers can connect from the airport to anywhere in town and to outlying destinations. Visitors driving to the city for a vacation getaway can park their vehicle, hop onto a bus and leave the driving to someone else.

LINK connects the vacation destination towns of Leavenworth and Chelan with the city. During the winter season, the SKI LINK buses carry ski racks and have regular schedules to alpine and cross-country ski locations. Starting in mid-April, the BIKE LINK buses will have bike racks, so visitors can explore the region on two wheels and make connections between the city and outlying towns and districts. (The bus option is great for those who tend to run out of gas about halfway through their intended route - simply catch a bus back to town, and no one will know you didn’t have enough energy to bike all the way back!)

Another transportation route is the 11-mile paved pathway that extends upstream along the Columbia River on the Wenatchee side and downstream on the East Wenatchee side. Bridges at both ends of Wenatchee complete the loop. This Waterfront Loop Trail connects several of the 14 parks in or near Wenatchee, which provide opportunities for kite flying, boating and wildlife watching. The pathway is lighted at night. Arlberg Sports (25 N. Wenatchee Ave, 509-663-7401) is open daily (including Saturday and Sunday) for bike rentals.

Wenatchee’s spring, summer and fall visitors are also magically drawn to a forested mountain hideaway noted for its rainbow of colors and serenity. Ohme Gardens County Park (3327 Ohme Road, 509-662-5785) sits on a high rocky bluff overlooking the Columbia River, apple orchards and Wenatchee. The Ohme family started this labor of love in 1929 by transforming a desolate hillside into beautifully sculptured acres of native rock, towering evergreens, reflecting pools and dazzling carpets of alpine ground cover. As the seasons change, different species of ground cover blossom.

Herman Ohme was a flatlander from Illinois, and he fell in love with the evergreen forests of the Cascade Mountains at first sight. Various species of spruce, hemlock, cedar and fir provide an abundance of shade and shelter from the wind. The emphasis of this nine-acre oasis is on greenery and a restful, natural appearance. Stone benches are built into the hillside for those who want to reflect on life’s pleasures, such as the wind’s whispering song through the trees.

The narrow, winding stone pathways are sometimes steep and are not suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. The park is open daily at 9 a.m. from April 15 through October 15. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children (ages 7-17).

Fish ladders are popular attractions for families with children. The Rocky Reach Dam Visitor Center (Highway 97A, 509- 663-7522) is the eighth dam in the chain from the Pacific Ocean, and it begins its count of migrating spring chinook salmon and steelhead in mid-April. The center offers a selfguided tour through the museum that stretches across the full length (1,088 feet) of the powerhouse. No admission is charged.

Museum aficionados will enjoy the North Central Washington Museum (127 S. Mission St., 509-664-5989). This historic landmark and offers a heritage review of Native American and pioneer communities. It is open daily, and admission is by donation.

One of the premier attractions in the Wenatchee area is the new Desert Canyon Golf Resort (509-784-1111 or 800-258-4173). The championship putting course and regular golf course are beautifully landscaped with native rocks, sand traps and sagebrush mixed with manicured greens and water hazards. The resort is 25 miles north of East Wenatchee on Highway 97. Until May 15, the off-season course fee, which includes a golf cart, ranges from $27 to $45, depending on day of play.

Your visit to Wenatchee would not be complete without a stop at the Washington Apple Commission Visitor Center (2900 Euclid Ave., 509-662-3090). Everything you wanted to know about apples is available through displays, exhibits and video. The Commission offers visitors a sample of the “fruit of their labor.” Starting April 22, the days of operation will include weekends.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go Getting there: Wenatchee is a 170-mile drive west of Spokane via Highway 2. Best times to visit: Beginning in mid-April, fruit tree blossoms fill the air with their sweet aroma. Driving with the windows rolled down can be intoxicating. Suitability for children: Families will find a plethora of activities for all ages, ranging from feeding the ducks and flying a kite at the local parks to in-line skating and biking along the paved pathways. Where to eat: Wenatchee has the typical full range of family and fine- dining restaurants you’d expect to find in a large city. Where to stay: The Wenatchee area has a large selection of lodging facilities, ranging from bed & breakfasts to country inns to full-service hotels, which are located on or near the designated SKI and BIKE LINK routes. For a brochure listing accommodations in the area, call the Wenatchee Visitor & Convention Bureau. Recommended reading: Visitors to Ohme Gardens will find “Taylor’s Guide to Ground Covers, Vines and Grasses” (Houghton Mifflin) to be a useful guidebook. For more information: For pamphlets and brochures on recreation activities, points of interest and local arts and entertainment programs, call the Wenatchee Visitor and Convention Bureau (2 S. Chelan Ave.), (509) 662-4774 or (800) 57-APPLE; fax (509) 663-2022. For public transportation information on LINK routes, call the Guest Service Center Hotline at (509) 662-1155 or (800) 851-LINK. For a free copy of 1994 Washington State Lodging and Travel Guide and the seasonal Washington State Field Guide, call the Washington Tourism Division, (800) 544-1800. Seasonal events: The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival is an 11-day family-oriented celebration, which offers continuous events from April 27 through May 7. A free souvenir program is available for visitors. For additional information, call the Apple Blossom Festival Committee at (509) 662-3616.

This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go Getting there: Wenatchee is a 170-mile drive west of Spokane via Highway 2. Best times to visit: Beginning in mid-April, fruit tree blossoms fill the air with their sweet aroma. Driving with the windows rolled down can be intoxicating. Suitability for children: Families will find a plethora of activities for all ages, ranging from feeding the ducks and flying a kite at the local parks to in-line skating and biking along the paved pathways. Where to eat: Wenatchee has the typical full range of family and fine- dining restaurants you’d expect to find in a large city. Where to stay: The Wenatchee area has a large selection of lodging facilities, ranging from bed & breakfasts to country inns to full-service hotels, which are located on or near the designated SKI and BIKE LINK routes. For a brochure listing accommodations in the area, call the Wenatchee Visitor & Convention Bureau. Recommended reading: Visitors to Ohme Gardens will find “Taylor’s Guide to Ground Covers, Vines and Grasses” (Houghton Mifflin) to be a useful guidebook. For more information: For pamphlets and brochures on recreation activities, points of interest and local arts and entertainment programs, call the Wenatchee Visitor and Convention Bureau (2 S. Chelan Ave.), (509) 662-4774 or (800) 57-APPLE; fax (509) 663-2022. For public transportation information on LINK routes, call the Guest Service Center Hotline at (509) 662-1155 or (800) 851-LINK. For a free copy of 1994 Washington State Lodging and Travel Guide and the seasonal Washington State Field Guide, call the Washington Tourism Division, (800) 544-1800. Seasonal events: The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival is an 11-day family-oriented celebration, which offers continuous events from April 27 through May 7. A free souvenir program is available for visitors. For additional information, call the Apple Blossom Festival Committee at (509) 662-3616.