We finally opened our road trip account for this year and with my little daughter around, we decided to try with a 3 hour drive to Leavenworth, see surrounding places & stay at Wenatchee. The interesting part of this trip was the travel through the scenic places like Snoqualmie pass and the Stevens Pass. After driving about 2.5 hours, we were very hungry headed to the first rest area to feed on Puliyogare and Curd rice. Because we were so hungry, food which was supposed to last for a full day was consumed in just one meal!. Rest of the onward journey took us through the scenic mountains and plains and we saw a lot of apple and cherry orchards. We bought some cherries from a road side stand. After cooling off in the hotel room, we briefly explored Leavenworth in the night.
Wenatchee:Apple capital of the world- I knew little about apple connection with Wenatchee. The brochures and other reading material in the hotel told me Wenatchee’s contribution is around 60% of the world's apple produce. That’s way this place is still called Apple capital of the world. Apart from apples, lots of cherries and berries are grown in this region. Some of the famous brands like Fuji, Washington red apple, gala and others come from this place :). According to Internet sources, significant portion of India’s apple imports come from Washington state and Tamil Nadu is the largest importer of apples!
Coming back to the trip, Leavenworth is built in the lines of a old Bavarian village and its layout is typical of any crowded Indian city with the businesses operating out of the cellars, 2nd and 3rd floors. There are so many wineries and gourmet restaurants and one needs a lot of time for detailed exploration. But one thing is evident, there is “German” ambiance everywhere starting with the neon signs, menu descriptions, dress, people and the architecture. One can see lots of floral arrangements in the restaurants and shops.
We visited the near by “Applets and Cotlets” factory. Man, they make one of the most delicious candies in the world. Please try them when you get a chance. The other place we briefly stopped over was “Rocky Reach Dam”. Typical dam attractions apart, this one has a museum in which lots of details / artifacts belonging to the native Indians are displayed.
My post trip research on Wenatchee, worldwide apple fruit market has enough material for a full fledged post – plan to do it shortly.
2 comments:
Wow.
How many apples did you eat?
Did you make apple juice there?
:).
Just thinking.. apple is one of the costliest fruits in India!, right?
Apples were offered complimentary during hotel check-in! However did not eat one. Also Apple season is around Sept-Oct.
Yes, apple is one of the costliest fruits. But off late, apple consumption in India has gone up because of lifestyle changes, affordability and availability of fresh imported apples.
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