Prost

July 6, 2015

Stan, Jo Kay and Dennis pose in front the Dolly

As we were saying goodbye to Scandinavia in America at Poulsbo, we stopped and spent time with my good friend and mentor Stan Mak and his fiance, Jo Kay. It's a big deal for Stan. He had been married for decades to his long time sweetheart Sue Mak. He adored her; we all did. She was an amazing human being. But tragedy struck the Mak family and Sue was taken quickly from him by colon cancer. When she died, I called Stan and we cried on the phone for the longest time together. It's wonderful to see him find his new partner, and Jo Kay is good for his spirit. Stan and I did so much great work together - he was with me at KINK for a good decade, and we got to launch KLTH K-Hits Oldies in Portland together. After a wonderful visit, Cheri and I and the boys hit the road for Central Washington.

Leavenworth. I've always associated that name with a prison in Kansas. But for our trip, I've been introduced to a Bavarian town on the Cascade Loop in Washington State.

KOA parking lot

After doing our due diligence about where to park Dolly the Dolphin for our adventure, Cheri booked us at the Leavenworth KOA (Kampgrounds of America). Yeah, I know, misspelling campground is really dorky. The campground got rave reviews. However, for our exorbidant rate, we got the priviledge to park Dolly in a spot overlooking the office and restrooms right on the main drag. So, there were bright lights at night and all sorts of coming and goings during the day. Plus, not even good facilities. The bathrooms were funky, the internet didn't work well, and a campsite made of gravel and concrete.

Leavenworth, Washington

It was close to the main drag of Leavenworth, and we spent a good amount of time there. As much as Poulsbo represented Scandanavia, Leavenworth took the concept of being a Bavarian town in the USA to the extreme. Everything in the town looked Bavarian - even the McDonalds and gas stations. Every restaurant served traditional Bavarian fare. Our favorite was the German Pretzel served with hot mustard.

German pretzel

Leavenworth is only 125 miles from Seattle, so it is close enough for a day trip. The streets were crowded and Bavarian Oompah Band music filled the air from the central bandstand. The frangrance of grilling bratwurst was everywhere.

Wenatchee Forest Dolphin hunting

After spending time strolling through Leavenworth, we decided to take a drive in the MiniCooper and open it up on the Cascade Loop through the Wenatchee National Forest. We headed West and came across a beautiful campground in the forest called Nason Creek. We pulled in and found the host of the campground was a 1999 Dolphin. Just like ours, except two feet longer. We stopped and spoke with the hosts Bob and Mary; they invited us into their rig and we compared stories about driving these things. The Dophin was built by National RV, who were innovators in RV design. Our units have 3-feet slideouts, which are almost unheard of in today's RVs. It bascially takes a bus and opens up in the middle to a large comfortable living area.

Visiting the campground in the forest gave us some great insight into where we want to camp. The KOA has its place, but the real camping is in the State and National Parks. Prices are low ($10/night in the National Forest with a Senior Pass), and the environment is much more natural and rustic. With that, Cheri and I have decided to take a new strategy for finding places to park our Dolly.

Tomorrow morning, we hit the road again, this time aiming for Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, where we'll be camping on the ranch of my friend and mentor John Rook. See you in the mountains. Prost!