West Coast Trip - Part 3 of 3

Monday M and I got a rental and took off for Leavenworth for a couple nights. Honeymoon time. :) 

Leavenworth is a Bavarian-style village in the Cascades, and the consistency and attention to detail in carrying out this theme is impressive.

Trying out the local German cuisine was fun, especially since we don't eat out much, normally. 

We stayed at the Enzian Inn, which was, in M's opinion, "a foretaste of heaven." It really was wonderful, and full of sweet little surprises like the sound of praises to God filling this cosy room.

The Enzian offers a free piano concert here every evening. This gentleman played beautifully, and we were just soaking in the warmth of the fire and the classic melodies, when an older woman walked in. The pianist graciously welcomed her to come sing, explaining to us that she loved to sing gospel songs. "Do you like gospel songs?" He asked. We assured him we did.... and the rest of the concert turned into a hymn sing, with a surprising number of guests joining in.

The outdoor hot tub was lovely. M even tried the pool, which isn't heated. He dove in and was out like a rocket! 

Tuesday we woke up to this:

The breakfast buffet is on the fourth floor, with views on three sides of the village and mountains. 

 The alphorn is played every morning from the precarious position of the balcony railing...

 We walked all the riverside trails Tuesday morning....

 ...and stopped afterwards at the Sausage Garten for a freshly baked pretzel with cheese, which we enjoyed under the warmth of the sun and the heat lamps.

Back to the Enzian for some more lounging about. It was just so utterly relaxing...
Many thanks to all the sweet people who were busy taking care of our kids while we just sat around reading, and alternately soaking in the hot tub or laying in the sun (yes, we were actually laying out in the sun in our bathing suits!)
We felt totally spoiled!

Strolling back downtown, we had fun browsing menu bulletin boards looking for a place to eat. We wound up at the Bavarian Bistro, sitting in the window overhanging the sidewalk.

M, being the more adventurous one, went wholly German, ordering schnitzel and spätzle ("schnitzel with noodles" from Sound of Music) with a side of cooked cabbage. I went with just an appetizer of deep fried camembert topped with cranberry (supplemented with bites of M's schnitzel). SO yum. 

 Wednesday dawned - another lovely day.

This morning, the alphornist played Amazing Grace.
God's grace really is amazing.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name!"

Since these pics are in chronological order you can have a pretty good idea of the regular use we made of the pools. :)  When suddenly reduced to a party of two, as opposed to the usual party of eight, it's amazing how much time there is for doing all that we enjoy doing. But by this point I was also getting excited about returning to being a party of a eight again...

 ...So I was distressed when I looked up the travel alerts for Steven's Pass - our route home - and found there was a "traction tire requirement" in effect, and more snow in the forecast.

I had worried about this very possibility when planning this little adventure into the mountains. Mom had warned me: "You better find out about if chains are required for the route to Leavenworth at this time of year." It seemed everyone at M&C's church who heard we were heading up here had a tale of someone's car spinning out or suffering brake failure, or of being stranded on The Pass in their car for two days and nights.

But M, aided and abetted by Mark and Christy, wasn't worried. Oh no, all three were sure the roads would be fine.

Privately, I think M thought the danger of getting stranded in Leavenworth until the snow melted (probably no sooner than June) was a delightful possibility.

Meanwhile, I was suddenly realizing how imperative it was that I see my babies ASAP, and the bare idea of being forced to go on enjoying ourselves in flower-shaped hot tubs and German restaurants whilst parted from them was now anathema. It was get over The Pass, or else die trying.

M obligingly agreed to leave immediately. (Have I mentioned lately that he's my hero?)

Before we left I asked the receptionist exactly what traction tires are. (They are studded snow tires, which we didn't have.) I asked if there was any other way over the mountains besides Steven's Pass. (Maybe there was a convenient tunnel - a well-kept secret known only to receptionists at the Enzian. You never know.)
She popped open her own travel alert webpage about Steven's Pass, and - miraculously - instead of the words "traction tire requirement" it said "traction tire advisory." I could hardly believe my eyes, but there is was.

We lickety-split up and left Leavenworth before anyone changed their mind on the wording.

 (Are we going up or down in this photo? Maybe you could settle this dispute, since I have a very good sense of these things and I know were were going down. M simply wouldn't believe me, based on mere trifles like dropping temperatures, rising snow levels, and the fact that he had the gas pedal floored...)

 Safely on the other side. And thankful. :)

That night we rejoined Mark and Beka (Chris and Emmy had already left for Ontario), and dark and early Thursday morning Mark dropped us off in Abbotsford for our flight home.

Thanks so much, Mark and Chris, for your wonderful hospitality! We had a really wonderful time!

 We were in the air for both sunrise (above) and sunset (below), both within about seven hours.

 Below, flying in to Hamilton. (Anyone know what that lit-up circle is on the lower right side of the photo?)
Of course we wondered again and again how Zay would react to seeing us again. I thought he might just suck his two fingers and give us a little smile from behind them...

 And that's exactly what he did. :)