I have to give kudos to Lance Munselle for putting us onto the quaint mountain town of Leavenworth tucked away in the towering mountains of the eastern Cascades. Our ultimate stateside destination Bellingham in Washington (where we catch the ferry to Alaska) would have seen us head straight up Interstate 5 through Seattle, but Lance convinced us to swing east to spend some time in Leavenworth on our way north. “Great food, lots of good riding, great camping,” were his selling points. Leavenworth delivered.
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The town of Leavenworth is a little surreal, to be honest. Picture a Bavarian mountain town plucked straight out of Germeny and transplanted into central Washington. Before we pulled into Leavenworth proper we stopped off to fill up with diesel and the gent next to us was dressed in lederhosen and full Oktoberfest garb. Lisa and I both did a double take. Just a regular Sunday at the gas station in Leavenworth.
Our campsite up the canyon east of Leavenworth was absolutely magic: tucked into the forest alongside the raging torrent of the Icicle River, the kids enjoyed roaming on their bikes and it was a short walk down to the banks where Max and I could flick some lures. The power of the river was amazing, such an incredible amount of water flowing out of the Cascades, it was actually a little tough to find a calm spot in the river where trout could rest. We lost a couple of lures before calling it a day, but it was great to breathe the mountain air and get outside after three days cooped up in the car. We definitely felt like we were in the Pacific Northwest in Leavenworth: down jackets were donned immediately after arriving, and it sprinkled on us for most of the afternoon (but not enough to drive us under cover…).
We spent Sunday afternoon strolling along Leavenworth’s main drag, marveling at the authenticity of the the Bavarian theme of the town. Every building, lamppost and street sign is 100% German, even the peaks of the Wenatchee Mountains that the backdrop to town felt like they were transplanted from the European Alps (Mount Stuart towers more than 9400 feet/2800 meters above sea level). Icicle Brewing Company was calling our name so we stopped to sample their brews, great beer and their landjaeger was exceptional (we should have bought a couple!). We figured we couldn’t visit a Bavarian town without dining on either schnitzels or German sausages, eventually opting for the latter at a hole-in-the-wall spot called München Haus at the eastern end of town. Their sauerkraut was legit, as was the jalapeño and cheese brat. Definitely worth a stop for lunch or dinner if you find yourself in this part of the world.
We all fell asleep in no time on Sunday night with the sound of the Icicle River reverberating through the trailer (a few beers and a bottle of pinot around the campfire between Lisa and I probably helped…). A downpour started at around 2AM, however, pulling Lisa, Lilia and I quickly out of our slumber: imagine sleeping inside a beer can and someone turning on a hose to pelt the aluminum and you’ll get an idea of the sound. Fortunately the rain didn’t last too long and the cool temps provided a fresh dusting of snow to the peaks surrounding our campsite. Very picturesque.
Before we headed out of town over the Cascades we had to sample some of the local MTB trails. There is nothing better when traveling with bikes that the Trailforks app: as it’s done before, it pointed us to some exceptional dirt in the mountains around Leavenworth. It was a bit of a grind – especially at elevation – through the gorgeous forests above the Leavenworth ski hill on our way up, but the views of town and the surrounding countryside kept our focus off burning lungs and helmets full of sweat. Freund Canyon was one of the first Washington freeride trails built more than 20 years ago and has been rejuvenated by the local trail building association. The climb was well worth it: the descent was an absolute hoot, like a rollercoaster on a bike. That daughter of ours is sure getting quick on the descents, lots of fun chasing her down the trail.
If we weren’t on a schedule to catch our ferry to Alaska we could have definitely spent some more time in Leavenworth. Fishing, MTB, food, beer, rafting… The place has it all, could definitely kill a week there. Thanks Lance!
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Lilia & Max are AWESOME on the MBT. Watched it thru twice. We’ve been thousands of miles following and alongside the Young’s truck and trailer. It will be great following it on your blog.
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