WOW!  What a place this is.  The best welcome ever back to the ‘lower 48’.  This area had been on our radar screen since we travelled through the northern part of the North Cascades NP several years ago, but didn’t have time to swing south then.  The North Cascades NP is quite diverse ranging from the glacier covered mountains to the ‘way’ north to the more ‘high desert’ look to the south.  Included is the beautiful Lake Chelan and the village of Stehekin in the southeast corner.  Our first introduction to the area was the beautiful county Lakeshore RV Park and Marina, which became Magic’s parking spot and our home for the next couple of days;-)

A beautiful home for a couple of days on the edge of Lake Chelan.

Not knowing exactly what would be found at the other end, we boarded the Lady of the Lake to take us to the village at the northern tip of the lake – Stehekin, a word based on the Salishan word meaning “the way through”.  Appropriate, as the Stehekin Valley has long served as a passageway for travelers linking Washington’s interior wilderness to the rugged Cascade Mountains.  As we travelled up lake, the landscape changed from desert to forest before our eyes.

Lots of stunning views during our boat ride to the north end of the lake.

Our destination.

The North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin.

The plan for the stay – have a quick lunch at the Lodge and ‘take a hike’ until our return trip (3 hours to explore).  Life at Stehekin is a little slower, which was quite welcome and enjoyed.  The only access to the village is by boat, plane or hiking.  In fact – it was learned on the boat that Stehekin is a major resupply stop for those hiking the Pacific Coast Trail AND the Bakery in town was quite famous with the hikers.  You can guess what that meant to us?!?!  You guessed it.  Eat a very quick lunch and ‘hike’ the 2 miles to the Bakery to see what it was all about.  Along the way there were great sights to see – –

Couldn’t you live in this fairy tale spot??

Enjoyed the contrast of the old and the new.

And, then – there it was.  The best little Bakery in the middle of nowhere;-)  The front picnic tables were full of the PCT hikers sorting their resupply boxes and repacking their backpacks.  They were telling stories of the trail and their experiences as people like us were enjoying their tales and asking dozens of questions.  Living vicariously through them.  The inside was full of the ‘daily boat trippers’ and hikers alike.  The hikers were taking advantage of REAL food instead of the pre-packaged trail meals they had been eating for months (it takes about 4-5 months to do the entire trail from Mexico to Canada!) and WE were enjoying one of the greatest peanut butter pies ever;-)!!!

The Stehekin Pastry Co. 

All of a sudden it was time to reboard for the return trip, so we hitched a ride back to the dock so we didn’t miss the boat – literally!

Many views to enjoy like this one.

There are a few places as we travel around that we just hate to leave.  This was one of those.  E could sit at that Bakery and listen to tales for hours (and eat peanut butter pie!). But – it was time to move on once again, saving more of Lake Chelan and Stehekin for another visit.

On another recommendation, Leavenworth, WA was added to the schedule for a quick look.

Our spot in Leavenworth, WA provided this scene out Magic’s front window.

A Bavarian themed town.  Ah, the unusual places you find wandering North America.

If you are ever in northeast Washington state – check out Lake Chelan and take the trip to Stehekin.  In fact – stay a couple of days in Stehekin to hike the Lake and check out the Bakery.  You will LOVE it!!

E & G still basking in the light of Lake Chelan & Stehekin;-)