The end of September brought the official start to fall and with it came the clouds and rain. This is Seattle after all. After nearly a week and a half of gloom and drizzle, we made the choice to take a trip and find sunshine! Impossible you say? You would have to go too far to see the sun again, wouldn’t you? Nope! All it took was an hour and a half drive into the Cascades to do it.

We had the whole day and decided to take a drive into the mountain to a beautiful Bavarian town called Leavenworth. Leavenworth sits on the eastern side og the Cascades. This might not mean much at first thought, but it means a lot when it comes to weather. While Seattle might be covered in clouds and rain, the passes and eastern side of the Cascades often boast sunshine and clear skies. Today didn’t disappoint. As we started to climb up to Steven’s Pass, the clouds quickly disappeared and pretty soon we saw the sun!

The drive through the pass and into Leavenworth was beautiful. The leaves were changing and the colors were amazing. Once we arrived immediately started exploring the area and of course we had to find something to eat.

We’re here and ready to explore!

Exploring the streets… You truly feel like you are in the Alps when you are here. I can only imagine how beautiful this place is in the winter.

We had lunch at the Baren Haus, which was delicious! I splurged a bit, but it was worth it. We also planned to do a lot of walking afterwards, so I didn’t feel too bad! After lunch we continued on our way to look at te shops, bakeries and other fun places. We found THE BEST Christmas shop, full of amazing ornaments and decorations. I really didn’t want to leave but the girls were getting antsy.

Inside Baren Haus. This place was truly charming and you could hear the band playing in the town square from here.

Sister… AKA Partners in Crime

Looking out towards the cascades. The trees and their colors were amazing to see!

Abby said walking through Leavenworth was like being in Disneyland again.

A picture with the bear was too cute to resist. They loved this guy!

Big Ellie Bear Hugs

Big Abby Bear Hugs

Streets filled with changing leaves and plenty of piles to play around in.

Our beautiful girl enjoying the sunshine and leaves.

Its raining leaves!

I love the fall and the amazing colors it brings!

Fall Sunshine and Mountain Tops

The loves of my life… and boy are they silly!

Rolling down the hills into piles of leaves. The joys of being a kid!

As we explored the streets, the girls took interest in the horse-drawn carriage they kept seeing. Ellie was completely in awe over it and kept beggining us to go for a ride. We held off until after lunch and some sightseeing and then went on a hunt for the carriage. After asking around, we learned that she would pick up at the maypole near town square (how adorable is that?). It was getting late though, and everyone was pretty unsure as to how long carriage rides lasted. We waited and waited some more and still no sign of the carriage. Just as we were about to leave with one broken hearted and crying Ellie, the carriage came around the corner. Talk about luck!

Very excited for a carriage ride around town.

The Wharton’s out on the town… Old Timey Style!

The ride was fun and we had the chance to talk with a very nice woman. Her little dog rides up front with her which is completely adorable. The poor little guy is blind and partially deaf but the cutest thing you have ever seen. A mutt that whimpers every time he smells another dog and is happiest when he is up riding with her. The girls giggled each time he moved and had a great time.

The carriage ride capped off a day of fun and afterwards we headed to the car and went home. The girls fell asleep almost instantly so the ride home was relaxing and quiet. I know that both Shaun and myself cannot wait to come back here again. What a great little escape. Until next time Leavenworth!