stehekin top 10ish

Our one day in Stehekin, and the reasons I keep finding my way back...

#1: The Stehekin River. It flows from the North Cascades into the northwest end of Lake Chelan.



















#2: The Stehekin Pastry Company. "Martha Stewart was here" isn't written on the bathroom walls but it could be.



















#3: Hikes to pretty places. Coon Lake, below, is an easy day hike from High Bridge.



















#4: Sticky Buns, as big as your head. Not really, but close. This year we timed our trip all wrong - the bakery was CLOSED for the season on weekdays. Just as I was contemplating a fit, we were pointed to the fresh baked goods sale in the gazebo. Genius.


























#5: Access to the Pacific Crest Trail. PCT hikers make their way on the trail through Stehekin in route to Canada. Always a bit smelly, they're super nice and weave bewitching tales about nearly freezing to death or close encounters with cougars and bears. This year, we met three fit and trim seniors who'd been on the trail since April. They were five days shy of wrapping up the 2,650 mile jaunt from Mexico to Canada.



















#6: Fall foliage...or spring flowers...or wintry icicles. No matter the season- always captivating.


















#7: Cowboy Coffee: the real reason I keep going back.


















#8: Hammock lazydaying: conveniently perched outside our tent cabin.


























#9: Cute fishermen who wander from the forest. Can't promise one for you, but this one came sauntering up asking if wanted to share a sticky bun - cheeky mountain man.


























#10: Dirt roads. Only three miles of paved road in all of Stehekin.


























#11: Endless photo-ops. A good thing for camera-crazies.

























#12: Old buses. Shuttle buses take you to the landing, ranch, bakery, or trail heads. Though, given all the pie and sticky buns it's better to forgo the bus and sprint wherever you go.

(They've recently purchased fancy new red buses but I'm still in denial about this. The cool old vintage below is parked for retirement. Sad.)

market-ing

So the other day we overslept.

The plan was to be up by 4:30am, drive 3.5 hours, and catch the boat to Stehekin.

But, we went to bed at 1:30am. This, after two nights of pitifully little sleep.

I did get up at 4:30. I know this, not because I remember it, but because later I discovered my alarm clock in an entirely different part of the room. Weird.

When we woke up at 8:15 our boat was setting sail, 3.5 hours away.

Bummer.

So Stehekin, for that day, was not in the cards.

Plan B? Pike Place Market.

While parking at the market, we had this exchange:

Me: "Um, looks like a really small parking space- you sure about this one?"

Him (in a purposefully mega-machismo voice): "Don't worry, honey! I have BETTER than 20-20 vision!"

And our car crashes into the car in front of us.

Just GUESS how many times I've brought this up in the last 48 hours?