HEAT WAVE CONTINUES

LUNCH - TOM, DICK, AND HARRY'S

DATE:  Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2011
HOME:  Leavenworth, WA.  Beecher House
DISTANCE: 60 miles
ALTITUDE:  2500 ft
WEATHER:  Beautiful and cool in the morning, shot up to 96 by 1:00
NARRATIVE:  The morning was beautiful riding along Lake Chelan to the state park – and even the climb out of the state park to highway 97 was fun – weather was cool, and the pine forest was beautiful.  We began to hit traffic again on highway 97, but it wasn’t too bad and the shoulder was broad.  Nice morning.
We were feeling so good that by lunch we had only a few miles to go to our destination, Cashmere, a place that didn’t really excite us much.  At lunch, at a classic greasy spoon hamburger place, we began searching farther afield and found a great B&B 15 miles further on.
This was the 15 miles from hell as the weather suddenly shot up to 96 degrees and there were some steep climbs and no shade to get to the B&B. The worst climb was Dead Man's Hill which was aptly named. Great B&B in a 100 year old restored house.  We are the only guests.  Susie was a great host and took us in to Leavenworth for dinner.
Leavenworth:  a dying logging town that decided they would revive and save the town by becoming a Bavarian Alpine Village – they now have 2 million visitors a year.  Think Solvang – the theme park concept works.