Sometimes when you travel you stumble upon things you would never expect. Heck, that’s why we travel. But we never expect reindeer to be part of the story. Recently we spent time in Leavenworth, Washington as part of our Pacific Northwest roadtrip. As before we were based at a Thousand Trails campground. This one was quite a drive from the closest town, Leavenworth, but the surrounding area was spectacular.
While in the area we took a day trip to Chelan, one of Washington’s premier resort towns. On the south shore of Lake Chelan, this town is all about the water. We checked it out, had a picnic, and then found ourselves at a local cidery to try out the local stuff. On our way to this area, about 75 miles from our campground, we drove through miles and miles of nearly ripe apple orchards. The cider, made locally, comes from those fields. Yes, we bought a few bottles to bring home!
One of the big highlights of our time in Leavenworth was a visit to the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm. While normally a holiday event, the local herd was happy to greet us and the local family that runs the farm told us all about the reindeer. Did you know a reindeer is really a domesticated caribou? We were introduced to each and every member of the herd and given a chance to feed them. These were some very friendly reindeer! We even had a chance to meet the farm’s flock of chickens.
Leavenworth is a German-themed tourist town, and it was packed the day we went to explore. In an effort to avoid the crowds, we just hit the local brewery and a nearby winery. We would definitely return to this area as there is so much to do.
After a few days in Leavenworth we drove about four hours east to the Spokane area. Our first stop was at Walter’s Fruit Farm, a Harvest Host property, which allowed us to park in their field. Along with one other RVing couple who parked next to us, we enjoyed the beautiful farm views and visited a local brewery that was just down the road. This area north of Spokane is called Green Bluff and has over 20 farms open to the public. Fruit and vegetables of all kinds were available right out of the ground. Too bad we were only there one night!
We heard there was great biking in the area and it did not disappoint! Twice we drove from our Thousand Trails campground to Spokane to explore the 37-mile, paved Spokane River Centennial Trail. The trail begins at the Idaho border and runs through Spokane to Riverside State Park alongside the Spokane River. First we focused on the downtown Spokane portion and took in Spokane Falls and the many bridges that cross the river.
On the second day we headed to Riverside State Park and jumped on the trail again. Views of Spokane and the Spokane River were incredible, and if we had more time, we would have covered more miles on this gem of a trail.
Some folks have been asking how we spend our “downtime” while on the road. Well, Steve is sticking to his exercise routine and either biking or running from the campsite every day. That gives me time to write, clean up, or pursue my newest “hobby,” needlepoint! I type that with sarcasm because I really don’t know what I’m doing but it’s been fun to fiddle with something while icing my foot. I can’t say this is going to be a life-long hobby but it’s kept me busy.
We’re headed east into Idaho next. Stay turned for more pretty scenery pictures and probably more reports of breweries!
After leaving Austin earlier than planned on March 18 we headed towards home via Waco, Midland, TX, and Las Cruces, NM.
Throughout April we’ve stayed very close to home, venturing out just to go to the grocery store or to get exercise. We can hike the trails right from the house, and we enjoy some of the country’s best mountain bike trails.
It’s BYOB and chair and it only lasts an hour but it’s a been a great way to stay connected and support one another. We’ve even celebrated birthdays while following the recommended guidelines for safety! It’s been a great time to be in Prescott with beautiful weather and lots of outside time.
Later this week I’m headed in to have surgery on my foot in hopes that four years of pain while hiking and walking will be addressed. Now that elective surgeries are being done in Arizona, I jumped on the opportunity to get my issues addressed while we are grounded at home. I plan to do a few blog posts here to report on this next adventure.
However, our time in Blanco was short as we were headed for our week-long stay in Kerrville, about an hour and a half to the west. 
On display at the ranch is LBJ’s smaller jet, dubbed Air Force 1 1/2. The big jets were too big for the ranch’s airstrip so LBJ and his visitors used smaller planes to get to the ranch. The airstrip still dominates the pastures behind the ranch house.
The LBJ Ranch is still a working cattle ranch and is home to cattle which traces its lineage to the champions that LBJ bred. Walking through the show barn and seeing the LBJ-branded cattle made it all the more fun. These cows have it made!
However, it wasn’t without some lingering pain afterwards. We’ll head back to the doctor when we return to Arizona next month. Luckily I can still enjoy a good picnic, even if my feet hurt!
After our hike we did some exploring of the very cute town of Fredericksburg and did some shopping. Both Steve and Mia were patient while I “poked my head into” most of the shops along Main Street. Maybe it was the free LoneStar beer that was handed out at several of the shops that made it tolerable for Steve!
We even had our picture taken at the kissing booth, with Mia as the focus of our shared affection. 
Traveling with her continues to be a lot of fun. She doesn’t like to be left in the trailer and makes a lot of noise if we do. However, she loves to ride in the truck in her crate, and she’ll wait for us patiently if we leave her in there. So far the weather has been cool enough so she’s been able to come along. We are hoping that continues and she is too. 
While in the Hill Country we also visited other cute towns including Bandera, Boerne, Medina, and Comfort. Between the towns are humongous ranches, many with strange animals in the pastures. It seems that exotic animals are a popular collector’s item for rich Texas ranchers. Anyone know what these are?
We also spent a a few hours on Kerrville’s local mountain biking trails. While we didn’t do any wine or craft beer tasting while here, we expect that will change once we hit our next stop, New Braunfels. Stay tuned!
Marnie and Steve Travel 