Home » Travel » Washington State » Wenatchee and Whale Editorial

Wenatchee and Whale Editorial

© Jerri Brooker

Some of you want to visit Eastern Washington, so Wenatchee is where we are headed today, across the scenic Cascade Loop route. You drive through beautiful forests on the way.

Head East on Highway 2 after exiting Interstate 5 at Monroe, the gateway route to Eastern Washington and Wenatchee, to visit today's Northwest featured city. This route takes you over Steven's Pass in the Cascade Mountains, through Leavenworth (a Bavarian Village), by Cashmere (home to Aplets and Cotlets). The tour through the little candy factory in Cashmere takes only 15 minutes, and you get to keep your baker's cap and eat some wonderful fruit-flavored candy samples. They even have CHOCOLATE-covered candy these days!

What's the scoop on Wenatchee?

Lots.

Scenery, good food, friendly people, activities galore. Whenever I go to Wenatchee I'm never at a loss for places to visit and things to see. Wenatchee, in Chelan County, is the Apple Capitol of the World, famous for all sorts of fruit. It's also a city of many surprises. Skiing in the winter, fruit stands in the summer - there's a wonderful view of the surrounding area orchards and beautiful hills as you pass through or stay awhile. The summer orchards are a beautiful contrasting stark green compared to the brown hills nearby. Since the Columbia River is a part of town, it helps form the restful meandering character.

Pat, a Wenatchee Post Office employee of 21 years, describes the city of 25,290 residents perfectly, "Wenatchee is right on the Columpia River and lies in a valley surrounded by mountains. Our average snowfall is about three feet...(sometimes)...sunshine about 360 days of the year." Pat's webpage has links about Wenatchee, what to do there and where to go.

East Wenatchee, just across the Columbia, boasts 5,320 folks. The entire valley can swell in population with the crops. Click here for demographics and business information on Chelan Country cities..

Pat, who has lived in the Wenatchee area an entire lifetime, now lives in Ardenvoir, a small mountain town, population about 60 "...if you count the cats and dogs," she says. It's about 16 miles north of Wenatchee, then nine miles up the Entiat River Road. She says Ardenvoir is "...a laid back place where everyone watches out for everyone else. Peaceful and quiet."

Ardenvoir has one building that serves as the post office, bar, cafe, grocery store and a gas station all-in-one, quite different from Wenatchee. She adds this interesting tidbit about the Entiat River. "The Entiat...is the only river in the world that....freezes in the winter....from the bottom up."