Our time at Lake Chelan was magical. It was relaxing as well as contemplative. The wintery snow had fallen in the hillsides but the lake and the town remained clear of snow, providing a never ending peaceful view.
We took the ferry to Stehekin, a full day experience. The town of Stehekin is located at the opposite end of the Lake, 50 miles north. The ferry ride was about 2 and half hours and was a lovely reminder of the Casco Bay Lines. The passengers carried their groceries and personal items and everyone knew each other. It was an opportunity to watch as a tourist and yet feel a warm connection to this experience. I might add that I am only talking about 15 people total. The ferry made a stop at Lucerne, a retreat spot for Lutherans. This community was once a copper mine that had gone under years ago. The Lutheran church bought the property and is used now for retreats. Once we arrived at Stehekin, we disembarked and walked up the dock to the one and only restaurant. We sat near the fire place and had an interesting conversation with the waiter. There was significantly more snow here so we were not able to hike around the area. The town consists of about 30 full time winter residents, some writers, artists and others who like living a very quiet life. The summer is very different here. It is filled with hikers who spend time in the back country and the National Park that is just to the north of the town. I feel very fortunate that we have arrived in winter so we could get the sense of this beautiful spot without the “summer people”.
We left Chelan on March 9 and drove to Boise,Idaho. It was a long day driving but we were on a mission to get across the Rocky Mountains in clear weather which was 3 days out. The next day we were able to get to Provo, Utah, another long day of driving. We had a break around noon our time with a FaceTime call to Joy and Clint. They were having an LDI get together so we got to virtually attend and see our island friends enjoying sunny Florida. We made it to Grand Junction Colorado. The past three days had been long drives through flat high desert lands. Fortunately there was no snow or rain. The roads were clear and dry.
The drive from Grand Junction to Denver was through the Rockies. It was a 4 hour drive through the most beautiful part of Colorado. We were very surprised at the lack of snow especially in the high elevation areas. At one point we were at 11,000 feet with no snow except at higher peaks. We stopped at Vail Ski Resort to take a short walk around the charming village of Vail. It was a reminder of our ski days and the fact that we are getting old and won’t be skiing anymore, maybe!
We are staying outside of Denver where we had dinner with the son of a friends of ours in Florida. He planned a lovely dinner at an Indian restaurant in town. It was fun to see Scott and meet his charming wife, Sarah who will be expecting their first child next month.
Today we had lunch with the daughter of a friend with whom I had worked in Newburyport. Amantha now lives in Boulder and it was such a delight to spend time with her. After lunch we walked around the town enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. Boulder is a charming city host to the Univesity of Colorado. It is a lively young persons city with charming tree lined streets and 19th century homes. Pearl Street is a walk only shopping area where you can find book stores, coffee shops, clothing stores, upscale restaurants and of course, THC shops.
Our drive will continue through Kansas and onto Missouri in the next few days. We have no specific plans now but will be curious to observe the land and the people at the center of the US.
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