[Leavenworth, WA, Dec 25/26, 2023]

The thing about Leavenworth is that it shuts down for Christmas, even with all the tourists. Nothing was open for breakfast or lunch, and the two places that did finally open for dinner were so busy that it was impossible to get a table. In the morning, we had to make do with hotel room coffee. The stand-alone Starbucks was closed, the Starbucks at the Safeway was also closed… but at least we got to take a pic by the Leavenworth sign and charge the Tesla.

The fact that everything was closed meant that we didn’t have much to do, either. So, after the failed Starbucks hunt and the car charging, we decided to for a walk in the city park across the street. There are actually two parks next to each other – Waterfront Park and Enchantment Park – and they are easily connected via various trails.

It was a beautiful crisp day and I loved the winter landscape. The Wenatchee River meanders on the north side of the park, and we took some pictures on its banks. Someone had made a tiny snowman and placed it on a tree trunk. Gorgeous houses looked over us from the hillside. It was a great little walk.

At out turnaround point, a super-fancy-looking hotel caught my eye. The outdoor hot tub’s haze was unmistakable! We tried to go inside to check out the lobby, but it was locked and accessible to hotel guests only. At $700 a night, I don’t think I’ll be staying there any time soon, but one can dream.

In the evening, we attempted to get dinner at one of the two places in town that was open, but they had run out of food and it was not even 7 pm yet. So we were “stuck” with our hotel restaurant again, which was good but had a limited menu. Alas, we enjoyed the lights outside one last time. It was much busier compared to earlier in the day, and it looked like proper Christmas because it started snowing. A few inches were predicted, so I was a little nervous about what road conditions we would wake up to for our drive home.

We woke up to a winter wonderland! The parking lot of our hotel and the car were all covered in snow. Luckily, the roads had been plowed, but it was still a little nerve-wracking for me until we got to the highway. It sure was pretty though!