ringing in 2012 - chelan

Isn’t it fitting that my first Eastern Washington Weekend adventure was over the New Year’s weekend?  New project, New year, new things to try, amiright?  

I have vacationed in Chelan once before.  Two girlfriends and I decided a couple of Labor Days ago to do a wine-tasting trip to Chelan and Wenatchee.  Have I mentioned that I love wine?  It’s going to come up a lot as this blog continues.

Anyway, when we planned this last-minute getaway, we decided to camp in an effort to save money.  It was a great idea in theory, but have you ever tried to make camping reservations one week before a holiday weekend in one of the state’s most popular vacation spots?  Yes?  Then you see our dilemma.  We nearly struck out in our efforts to secure a camping spot for the weekend.  However, my dear friend Marina is nothing if not persistent, and she managed to find us one of the last available spots to pitch a tent: a picnic table and a patch of lawn in the public riverfront park in a town called Entiat, a small town just off of Highway 97.  This spot, though not what we originally planned, worked out quite well for our weekend.  Sure, the camping spot could have been more private, and one couldn’t exactly have a campfire in the middle of what are normally just picnic grounds.  But the town’s location midway between Wenatchee and Chelan was certainly convenient, and the views of the water were actually quite wonderful from where we were.  

Once we got settled in the park along with about a hundred of our fellow last-minute-campers, we proceeded to have a lovely weekend and taste a variety of wine.  A surprising and wonderful wine tasting experience was in nearby Wenatchee, at Chateau Faire le Pont winery.  We admittedly had reservations about going to this French Country Estate replica in the middle of the city’s warehouse district, which aesthetically walked the line between charming and Olive Garden cheesy.  I am very glad that we went, though, as their wine was some of the best we tasted over the whole weekend.  Of particular note was their Meritage blend, which I purchased and later gave to my husband as a Christmas gift.  The wonderful wine and good company over the course of the weekend made up for some of the trip’s mishaps, like arriving at an all-outdoor tasting bar just before a torrential downpour, our camp stove breaking down after the first night, and our maple syrup and eggs breaking all over the other groceries in the car. 

Anyway, enough about that -back to the present.  On New Year’s Eve 2011, I found myself off to Chelan again.  This serendipitous occasion was brought on by an invitation to two of our dear friends, Anna and Sean, who both spent large portions of their childhoods in and around Chelan.  Thankfully, we were not camping on this trip, as the average temperature that weekend hovered between 18 and 35 degrees.  I had never been to Chelan in winter before, and I must say that I totally charmed by the winter landscape.  The partially frozen lake and the snow-kissed surrounding hills created something of a winter wonderland!  Perhaps the most charming experience of the whole weekend for me was that I had the opportunity to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams: to ice skate outside.

See, I come from Seattle, where snow is like magical fairy dust, something to celebrate and that warrants a day off work or school, even for just a light dusting.  The first time I ever saw a frozen lake was on a family trip to Minnesota in winter.  My sister and I had our faces pressed against the car window, amazed at what we were seeing, since the only time we’d seen frozen lakes and ponds was in movies and on old-timey ads.  We were 13 and 17. 

When I mention my skating outside fantasy to the people I know who come from Minnesota or Ontario or any such place that gets to ungodly temperatures in winter.  They usually humor me for a minute, then they patient explain to me why it’s not as cool as it sound.  They say that it’s too cold, the ice too uneven, better to just find something else to do.  Nevertheless, it has remained a romantic idea in my mind and still remains as such today.  So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that the Wapato Point condominiums had an outdoor ice skating rink and ice skate rentals on the property!  On New Year’s Day, I cajoled Anna to get out on the ice with me.  Our husbands were not convinced: Steve, because his center of balance does not allow him to do activities on slippery surfaces, and Sean probably out of solidarity with Steve.  They decided to hang out by the rink and hurl the occasional snowball as Anna and I did our best to skate around.  Yes, it was cold and the ice was uneven and there were probably other fun things we could have been doing, but it was wonderful.

Though I could have happily stayed on the rink all weekend, we did get a chance to see some sights enjoy other activities over the weekend.  A major highlight for Steve and me was visiting Sean’s grandmother’s home on the shores of Lake Chelan and in the midst of her apple orchard, now run by Sean’s aunt and uncle.  Fruit is the primary industry in and around Chelan (and a lot of Eastern Washington, actually) but Chelan also thrives as a popular vacation spot in the summer. These days one could easily spend millions for a tiny piece of lakefront property.  However, when Sean’s grandparents settled in the area, they were able to purchase their land, including a large chunk of shorefront, for a price so cheap it would be unheard of today.  Sean took us on a brief tour of the property while we were there, and it was clear to us that the family has taken full advantage of their gorgeous surroundings.  In the main house, the large living room has floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a practically 180 degree view of the lake and the opposite shore.  They live near the end of the lake shore road, so judging by the view alone one might get the feeling they are truly alone in this magnificent landscape.  The house itself is partially built over a rock, which forms part of the wall in the basement.  They also have a hot tub, green house, and boardwalks above the water spanning most of their shorefront.  The boardwalks lead to the family’s own boat launch and dock.  While he was showing us around, Sean told us about the many summers he spent at the house with his cousins, playing on the property and swimming in the lake.  He also pointed out the many spots where one could jump into the lake from various dizzying heights (from the dock, from this part of the boardwalk or that, from the house’s roof).  I think Sean was being quite generous in his estimation of the level of risk I’m willing to take while out for a swim. 

For many years, Sean’s grandparents also used their large property and prime location to operate their own private resort.  Though the resort is no longer open, the small cabins remain on the property, as do the shuffleboard court and miniature golf course built by Sean’s grandfather.  If the weather had been nicer, we would also have enjoyed a walk around the orchards.  Unfortunately, it was a little too chilly for us that day.  Perhaps we will be able to return on another trip. 

After returning from the family visit, we spent the rest of the weekend playing cards, relaxing and taking in the view of the lake and the mountains from our cozy condo.  We enjoyed some tasty food, good wine and great company.  What a wonderful way to start 2012!