Melanie and I recently spent a great few days in Wenatchee, Washington. Why Wenatchee, asked a friend? It's so very different from the coast of Washington, it's a desert, said another.

​Wenatchee touts itself as the Apple Capitol of the World. There are many orchards to be seen and many cold storage warehouses along the Columbia River that runs through Wenatchee and East Wenatchee.

Forbes, in 2021, touted it as a great place to retire and Melanie and I agree (not necessarily about retiring there), it's a really nice mid-sized town about 2 hours east of Seattle through Stevens Pass. Wenatchee has a great feel to it with good food to be had and friendly people. We missed the annual Apple Blossom Festival, but there's always next year.

Forbes also mentioned it's bike friendly and indeed it is. The Apple Capitol Loop Trail and extensions are a wonderful resource and make getting around Wenatchee a breeze.  Melanie and I were able to ride the trail and around town every day we were there. It's not exactly flat in spots, but the hills are not too formidable.

Photos are from my rides on the trail and around town.

Wenatchee Confluence State Park is most definitely one of the finer State Parks in which we've resided. Located at the confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers, the park is extremely well-kept, offering cycling, hiking, boating, swimming, and it located on the Apple Capitol Loop Trail which makes access to downtown Wenatchee an extremely easy bike ride away.

The RV sites are well spaced and offer pads for tents too. The sites are full hook up for a very reasonable price.

​Recommended.

We spent a rainy blustery few days at Fort Casey Historical State Park on Puget Sound. I wasn't feeling well, but we did manage to get out for a walk along the coast one fine afternoon. It's a beautiful place that used to be a fort.

No hookups or dump station, but bonus points for being near the ferry that will take you to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula.

Recommended.

Fort Stevens State Park was our last place to stay in Oregon recently as we migrated north towards Washington State. We truly love traveling the Oregon coastline on 101, much of which is preserved.
We were in residence at another Oregon State Park we've recommended, Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park for three days prior.

The campground is well-kept  and features old-growth forest. There's plenty of hiking and biking opportunities too. Though much of our stay featured grey skies and rain, we enjoyed our stay.

We had a spot in the back of "G" loop which is nicely located near a multi-use trail system in the park. The cell signal in the loop isn't good (Verizon) and we had to relocate to near the Visitor Center so Melanie could work during the day. A small price to pay.