Ep. 320: Leavenworth, Washington | RV travel camping kayaking sightseeing

[@e-square9976]

Marc Guido you’re our hero! Thanks for all you do and provide: content, history, impeccable detail on the places you experience, advice, tips, very enjoyable videos each and every week. The time you spend doing research, videoing, editing and taking time to spend time in chat….unparalleled. Thank you! Not to mention an occasional discount on some products sponsored.

[@GrandAdventure]

Aww, shucks... We sincerely appreciate you.

[@jpodonnell5800]

Another great video. Leavenworth is a great location. On my calendar for Octoberfest every year.

[@GrandAdventure]

That town must be insane during Oktoberfest, JP! But surely a lot of fun. Thanks so much for your kind comment, and thanks for watching!

[@db321g]

Been to the beach at Lake Wenatchee many times.

[@najruqwi7008]

Cute little town. How fun tubing down the river 👍 👍

[@GrandAdventure]

The town is adorable. A little kitschy in all of its fake architecture, but that's what makes it fun.

[@najruqwi7008]

Yes I agree 👍

[@Serf_dumb]

As always, a👍for another excellent episode...and a 👍👍 for the timely rescue!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU, as always!

[@CaliforniaTravelVideos]

WTG Marc - great job discovering interesting historic sites and telling awesome stories! As always, you ROCK! Michael and Grace

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you to both of you!

[@daviscrt]

That's a pretty cool boondocking spot. A lot of nice activity going on. Nothing like a good German meal. Thanks Don

[@GrandAdventure]

You got that right, Don! It was like our own little private air show, but with less than a half dozen take-offs or landings each day it wasn't intrusive, either. And I do love me some good wiener schnitzel! These days, it seems hard to find veal anywhere. Having grown up in the Northeast, at least there you could find veal shoulder cut for scaloppini in just about any supermarket, but I haven't seen it in years.

[@georgecarpenter4126]

Takes a lot of courage to camp out at the end of a runway. My hats off to you, Marc. Stay safe !

[@GrandAdventure]

It was actually a ton of fun, George. We truly enjoyed that spot immensely.

[@michaeltablet8577]

I've only said this a hundred times so once more won't hurt. You make excellent videos!

[@GrandAdventure]

That's OK, Michael - we'll take it each and every time. 😁

[@kentonbates8131]

NICE! Always look forward for your next video...

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Kenton! Always gotta keep 'em wanting more. 😄

[@jesib7526]

Great video! My sister and I spent a relaxing day in Leavenworth a few years back. I was really happy to see free camping so close by, and the creek looked perfect! The shoes in the display case made me wonder about the people who wore them. I'm really looking forward to next week's video. Oregon is my favorite vacation state! Thanks Marc!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always, Jesi! We all enjoyed a terrific time over the course of our week in the area. Funny, but we had the same thought looking at those boots.

[@laughingram7287]

Leavenworth is more fun at Christmas time, except for all the tour buses. Cashmere looked like a really cool place to see. Thanks for sharing! Ram 👍🏼👍🏾

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Ram! We can only imagine how beautiful that town must be with all of the Christmas decorations. And if you're traveling through, that museum in Cashmere is an absolute sleeper. We had modest expectations, and we were blown away.

[@rschmidt320]

Thank you Marc. I love your videos so much because they don't just show me a campground somewhere. I lived in Washington for 13 years while stationed at Naval Submarine Base Bangor and these videos have taught me so much about the place that I never knew. They make me want to go back and explore...and eat after seeing the food in Leavenworth. I get the feeling you were a teacher earlier in your life, because the knowledge you share flows so easily.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Randell! It only flows easily because I write out the narration only after seeing what I've filmed over the course of the week. 😄 If I don't do so, it's nothing but a bunch of big "ummm"s and "uhhh"s, and about 20 takes on a live shot. 😉And a big thank you to you for your service.

[@joyces3550]

Fabulous video as always Marc. Thanks for sharing! Safe, fun travels!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank YOU as always, Joyce!

[@ShawnPatterson402]

very nice boondocking spot there. Again it looks like you hit some amazing weather. Safe travels....

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Shawn, and same to you.

[@brookeshaffer4377]

Superb job!Thank you Marc.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much as always, Brooke!

[@rogerloos420]

Nason creek was always my go to when i lived in the Seattle area. It was just far enough over the rain shadow. My wife had grandparents that lived and mined in liberty. We just buried her Aunt in the swuak cemetery. We now live north of spokane and are harvest hosts at lakeview at suncrest.

[@GrandAdventure]

Wonderful, Roger! Well keep that in mind, I know precisely where that neighborhood is. And those are some fascinating ties that you have to the area we filmed for this episode, too.

[@rv2travel]

Excellent Video Marc! I put this place on my Bucket List. Thanks for sharing.

[@GrandAdventure]

And thank you very much for watching! We appreciate your kind words.

[@najruqwi7008]

Nice little creek. 👍So inviting it makes me want to put my feet in it... LOL 🤣. Kool museum. Thank for sharing this with us 👍

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always for coming along! That creek was the perfect heat relief. We really enjoyed our week here.

[@timbaxley383]

I love your videos, Thanks 4 the great location content. 🛩🚁🛶

[@GrandAdventure]

Our pleasure Tim, thank you very much for watching!

[@mikenb11_51]

Great video again Marc! We have had lunch/dinner a few times over the years at King Ludwig's as well. We only went kayaking on Lake Wenatchee once, but it was a lot of fun, until the wind really kicked up in the afternoon. Thanks for going through Liberty, we have sort of driven through and looked, but never got out and walked around. Looking forward to your Blue Mountains boondocking video next week.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Mike! Yep, our meal at King Ludwig's was sort of "linner" as well. Perhaps wind is commonplace on Lake Wenatchee? We went in the a.m. and it was still something fierce, such that we stuck to the outlet and behind a small island where things were more sheltered. Liberty was a little kitchy with what the residents have added in recent years, but nevertheless still pretty cool.

[@EJS1970]

We’ve been there a million times since 1980. Could go around the town blindfolded

[@GrandAdventure]

It's certainly a terrific place to visit. Thanks so much for watching!

[@BikesBoatsBivouacs]

Leavenworth reminds me of Helen Georgia! It seems like the Swiss German theme is a sure fire way to bring in visitors. Good to see you get out in your kayak. Nice job.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks so much as always, BBB!

[@msc775]

Thanks for the great video Marc!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks as always, Matt!

[@meganoneill4801]

I camped there last summer - at the same airport as you! I loved it. I spent a couple of nights at the State Park Campground as well. It was very nice - a great pull-through site and very clean. Highly recommend it. I traveled in June and the weather was a bit on the cooler side. Thanks for the video - I relived the wonderful time I had in the area.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks, Megan! We're happy to have been able to bring you back, plus we appreciate the feedback on the state park campsites.

[@gina50gina]

This really is a very beautiful and historically interesting area to visit! Suzane

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Suzane! As always, it was wonderful having you attend last night's Premiere event.

[@gina50gina]

@@GrandAdventure Thank you Marc, I always look forward to Wednesday evenings to join with friends and watch your adventures❣️

[@geraldsouthard7092]

Great report Marc! Was worried when you arrived at your campsite to find a fire related helicopter. But, it worked out fine for you. Whew!!

[@GrandAdventure]

Tell me about it, Gerald! We arrived back in camp, saw the heli crew and immediately said, "Oh $*&^!" So we were relieved after walking over to chat with the crew chief. Apparently a left-over ember from another fire that they had battled about a week earlier had sparked a small fire "about an acre-ish," according to the pilot.

[@ralphhattenburg1744]

I remember fishing in Nason creek over 40 years ago. While standing in a couple feet of water... a huge chinook salmon brushed my leg as it was swimming upstream to spawn.

[@GrandAdventure]

Cool tale, Ralph! Nason Creek provided us with a very welcome respite from the high-pressure heat dome that was overhead while we were there.

[@BillSprague]

You almost have me convinced that even for a solo traveler like me a small fifth wheel may be just the way to go. I’ve been looking at truck campers, B, and B+ vans but they all seem too cramped for long term success. Also, you seem to have not issues in finding boondocking locations near great little towns with lots of interesting things to do. Thanks yet again for the encouragement.

[@GrandAdventure]

Our pleasure, Bill! Honestly, I think you're on the right track.

[@rexcarlson3464]

Cool sights

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Rex!

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

such beautiful country. I visited Leavenworth 3 times 2016 staying at the 1000 Trails CG.

[@GrandAdventure]

Nice, Joe! How was that TT?

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

@@GrandAdventure I liked it very much. But I think I liked all 13 CG in Washington, all for different reasons.

[@williamfry6087]

A great place to visit. This is soo cool. don't pass by Mazama.

[@GrandAdventure]

Mazama is another stop on our future Washington "hit list". We almost came across the Cascades this time on WA-20, but when we looked at the smoke map to see where the Canadian wildfire smoke was flowing, we opted instead for US-2 . So it was Leavenworth instead for 2023.

[@Thetravelinmillers]

Man we were going to stop in Leavenworth on way back from Alaska but wildfires in Canada had us rerouting so we had to skip it and after watching your video I’m soooo upset now!!! 😢But thanks for sharing we love your videos!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much! There's always next time, right? We've spent much of our summer devising ways to avoid the smoke as much as possible.

[@normgibson6565]

CHEERS Marc

[@GrandAdventure]

Cheers to you, Norm!

[@luminousveiws]

More fires around here every day! You got out at a good time.

[@GrandAdventure]

It's that time of year in the west.

[@PeeWeeHenson]

We're on the oregon coast. Slowly making our way north. Inland weather was way too hot. We haven't seen 76+degree days since the ocean has been our neighbor. We'll catch up when we meet up.

[@GrandAdventure]

We look forward to that, bud.

[@TroySwezey]

We have been informed that camping on the active runway is strictly forbidden and subject to a fine. 4:39

[@GrandAdventure]

Not true. Beyond The end of the runway where we were camped, that's National Forest land. In fact, we had a wonderful chat with a local Forest ranger at our campsite.

[@TroySwezey]

@@GrandAdventure According to Michelle at Lake Wenatchee Rec Club: "Camping is NOT allowed. The airstrip itself is off limits as well as the other end of the runway, or runoff area. When people are caught camping there they are given a ticket. It is an active runway." Jan 31, 2024 But, I will call the ranger station and see what they have to say since, I guess, they would be the ones writing tickets.

[@TroySwezey]

@@GrandAdventure I called the Okanogan-Wenatchee Ranger Station and they agree the west end of the airstrip, west of Road 6202113, is National Forrest but he also said that if the rec club says no then they go by that. Seems right hand is confused about the left hand. Will call back later and try someone else who may be more knowledgeable. There is a map here that clearly shows the boundaries: fs.usda dot gov/recarea/okawen/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=57123&actid=34

[@akgobears]

Great video...Really love this little town of Leavenworth...I see they have a little dirt parking lot about a quarter mile from all the hoopla in town there and your allowed to spend one night in a 7 day period...Lot is big enough to hold any rig...Makes for a great one day stop to see the place when passing through... This one goes in the memory bank...Looking forward to next week...Stay safe, be well....

[@GrandAdventure]

Same from us to you. We saw the signs about RV parking but didn't check it out, although we probably should have.

[@sueanna_banana]

I guess you guys got used to the cool coastal weather for most of the summer. 😊 Wondering if wildfires and smoke this week from Canada's fires is putting a damper on your plans ? I always wondered about the Bavarian Leavenworth village. Looks fun. Thanks for you time and energy making the videos.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you SueAnn! Our week here was hot, and definitely a shock to our system after our time along the coast. We've been very fortunate thus far and had only occasional glimpses of wildfire smoke.

[@Sophia-i1d9z]

😊

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Sophia!

[@thewanderingshores]

Marc, glad you guys enjoyed that campsite. When we were there we had a few chopper landing at the other end of the runway with water buckets for a fire that was about 5 miles away from us. Lucky for us it was 90% contained when we arrived so we did not need to evacuate. Thats great that the ranger stopped by and asked for your numbers too. Was the big parking lot area out front busy? Did you guys come in via that way or from the other end of the airport by the outdoor rec clubhouse?

[@GrandAdventure]

Hey Kyle! Thanks so much for the video tip pointing us to the airstrip. We came in via the big sno-park parking lot out front, whereas Dale and Pat came in from the other end of the runway. Both worked out just fine. No one ever used that sno-park lot while we were there, but there were a couple of vans and small trailers scattered about in the thinned-out woods just west of that parking lot. We also had another neighbor for one night in the southwest corner of the runway, and another in a van near the end of the runway along its northern edge for a couple of nights. And just to clarify, the ranger didn't ask for our numbers, he just wanted to explain the possibility that a fire crew might need the area should something arise. We took it upon ourselves to give our numbers at the fire station between the campsite and Lake Wenatchee.

[@dougfloch2348]

We are subscribers of you and understand you are going to Blue Mountains . We live in Walla Walla so maybe close to us ?

[@GrandAdventure]

We would've been close to you, Doug, but that was several weeks ago -- we're three to four weeks ahead of where are videos were filmed by the time the videos air. You'll see next week that we were in the northern Blues, south-southeast of Pomeroy.

[@dougfloch2348]

Yes , never thought of lag time. Pomeroy is only about 50 miles from us and we have camped and rode our horses all around this area. I was raised on a ranch not far from there in a little town of Anatone.

[@GrandAdventure]

You were raised in a beautiful area, @@dougfloch2348 . Our campsite was WNW of Anatone, and I suspect that you'll recognize a lot in next Wednesday's episode.

[@dougfloch2348]

We will be watching !

[@larryk3986]

Great video. What type of kayak were you using in this video? We have Old Town fishing kayaks and are looking into something that will cut the water more. Thanks. 🙂

[@GrandAdventure]

Larry, my kayak in this episode (and from other episodes over the past year or so) is an Eddyline Fathom, a 16-foot skeg boat constructed of thermoformed ABS. It has a 22" beam. I've never before owned a boat that fast, and with that kind of length it tracks like a dream. I found it used on a screaming deal last summer in Bend, OR, and explained it more in depth during that episode: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJmYn4OZgN98aqc

[@blippacg]

How's the rig holding up Marc? I've been living in a 2022 Dutchmen for the past year. Don't pull it anywhere, just stationary. I've noticed that even sitting still and not towing, I have trim pieces falling off. You've been pulling your 5th wheel for a year now. Any problems you're noticing unique to traveling so frequently?

[@GrandAdventure]

Brian, it's actually been 2.5 years now that we've had this Durango, and I can honestly say that we couldn't be more pleased. Sure, we had the occasional loose piece of trim or some such thing early on, but by and large the trailer has been durable and reliable. Our warranty punch-list as we approached the two-year mark was surprisingly small, and limited only to minor cosmetic items -- nothing structural. As for what we've put it through, you wouldn't have believed the road we were pulling it on this week in the Abrasoka Mountains of Montana -- it was a forest road that deteriorated much more quickly than I'd expected, and it took a while to find a place where we could turn around. That road managed to wiggle free the bolts holding the bedroom door handle together, but other than that the trailer was no worse for wear.

[@blippacg]

@@GrandAdventure Wow, high praise for that unit. Will keep it mind.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@blippacgI don't know if you ever saw it, but we filmed the Durango plant during production hours, to show how they manufacture those units: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n56anZmindqij7M That video provides some insight. They only pump out 10 units a day, and they have an incentive program in place to try to ensure quality.

[@blippacg]

@@GrandAdventure Just watched it, good stuff.

[@bertkelly7650]

Late but, here!

[@GrandAdventure]

Happy that you were able to join us, Bert! Hope to see you in the chat box next time.