We clambered up the steep 2.6-mile loop trail called Saddle Rock Trail this morning (it is just outside of Wenatchee), and then spent some time in Leavenworth before driving home.
We took this route back, along I-90 and over Snoqualmie Pass. Without stops, it comes to a 3 hour-trip from Wenatchee to Seattle.Here we go. The Saddle Rock Trail winds along the contours to the top— for the most part; some parts are steep. And yes, we made it all the way up, to those rhyolite (igneous rock) outcroppings at the summit. Our smart watches showed an elevation of 846 ft (257 m) at the summit, relative to the trailhead at the bottom. The Chelan-Douglas Land Trust has worked to protect the foothills around Wenatchee through trail building, land acquisition, and partnerships with the community.A lot of the vegetation around the trail is tinder dry, but still beautiful to look at from up close.Beautiful sage green and lime green rock lichens. A lichen is a fungus plus one or more types of algae or blue-green bacteria that perform photosynthesis. I could not track down what these ones are called specifically, though.Some of the sage brush is still flowering. Throughout the Columbia Basin, Big Sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata) is the dominant species of sagebrush.Woo hoo! At the summit, and looking southeast with the Columbia River on the left.Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) overhead, circling the summit of Saddle Rock Trail.I found this little lizard it at the base of the rocky summit of Saddle Rock Trail. It is a Northern sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus). This one was 5 or 6 inches long head to tail. They have lost more than 70% of their habitat since the 1970s in Washington State, and the status of this species is of concern to Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.Looking more or less towards the north from the summit of Saddle Rock Trail, across West Wenatchee on the banks of the Columbia River. The Wenatchee River is not really visible in the picture, but its confluence with the Columbia River is south of Highway 2, the concrete bridge structure over the Columbia River in the middle of the picture.Here’s a panorama picture of Wenatchee, situated in a fertile valley in Central Washington at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers. A sign at the entrance to the the city says ‘Welcome to the Apple Capital of the World’. The city of Wenatchee is the second most populous city in the central part of the state and serves as the Chelan County seat. To the south and west, mountains provide a dramatic backdrop for the city.All right. We had a rest at the top, and enjoyed the spectacular views, and are now making our way down. It’s steep down here as well, and the gravel can be treacherous. Better to stick to the bare part of the trail that does not have gravel.Here’s Leavenworth where the buildings along the central part of the town comply with Bavarian village architecture, with just about zero exceptions. This is a beer hall (festhalle).Balconies, hanging flowers and flags of the USA, Bavaria and Germany, of course. Lots of souvenir shops, but also clothing, sporting goods, stores for Christmas decorations, candy and chocolate stores, restaurants and coffee shops.This cider house sign pays homage to the mountains and the apple orchards around Leavenworth. The summer crowds are now gone, of course, but the ‘Bavarian village’ will soon brighten itself up with Christmas lights and decorations to attract visitors during the holiday season. How did Leavenworth get to model its downtown after a Bavarian village? Two of the leaders instrumental in this effort were Pauline and Owen Watson, longtime residents of Leavenworth who owned and operated Alpine Electric out of one of the buildings on Front Street. In 1965 the decision was made by key business owners to adopt the Bavarian theme and remodel their buildings.It does not matter if you are a Subway sandwich shop, or a 76 gas station. Thou shalt dress up as quaint Bavarian village businesses.Cloppety-clop, cloppety-clop. This was the only horse-drawn carriage doing the rounds that we saw, though.
