It only took us 10 years but this weekend we made it to Leavenworth for the Christmas Holiday lighting. Last week I decided that pain or not we would go to see the lights and it would be great to camp in Benny, hell sleeping is painful no matter what so it would not make any difference if I was at home or in Benny. Now Sarah was not at first totally receptive to the idea. There was concern that Benny being only two wheel drive would not do well, then their was Candy not being comfortable travelling in Benny and lastly the cold. Fortunately the weather was still mild for the time of year with no snow on the passes well at least no snow on the roads the first concern was easily addressed. Candy not being comfortable was a tough one but given the short distance of 2.5 hours, Sarah and I felt ok about it. The cold however was another matter. We looked at hotel options as an alternative but the decision was made for us. With no rooms available, if we wanted to go camping in Benny was the only option. Now this also touched on another worry, we have never slept a night with our van heater on, we have a propex heater designed to vent externally and safe for sleeping. Even with that in mind since getting it with the van we have been conservative and not used it at night. Well with temperatures well below freezing at we would have to either wrap up warm or give it a go.
With all the worries and concerns addressed the decision was made and the site booked. We opt'ed for the KOA site just outside of Leavenworth as we had stayed there back in April and whilst a long way from our favorite site it is close to town. Due to prior Foundation Training commitments we headed out from Issaquah on Saturday afternoon for the 2.5 hour drive to Leavenworth. As we were in Issaquah we decided to take I90 rather than the route we would normally take. It was plain sailing or rather driving all the way there. It was not until 4 miles from Leavenworth that we got a sense that we might not be the only ones going. The traffic was solid all the way to our camp ground turnoff and past into town.
It is always disconcerting when the helpful person behind the desk stares blankly at you when you repeat your name and say you booked up in advance. It turned out that the helpful booking person had booked us in the day after I called and not for the Saturday night. Thankfully the helpful person behind the desk was indeed helpful and sorted out the problem and pointed us towards our pitch.
I don't know what it is this year but we are just not used to the cold and boy was it cold in Leavenworth. I put it down to such a great summer and mild autumn. It's my story and I'm sticking to it. We arrived around 2pm and the lighting was not until 4:30, so time for some lunch and a little prep for later. Around 3:30pm with the heater on full blast and full bellies we decided we should get going or risk missing it all together. With all our layers on it was time to layer up the girls which included snoods for both of them, I wondered where my snowboarding neck warmers went.
It was about a 20 minute walk into Leavenworth and as we got closer and closer the number of people increased and increased, until we got to the main street. We honestly was not prepared for how many people had turned up. We could not get near the band stand so we opted to stay towards one end of town with a few thousand of the closest friends we have never met. No surprise the dogs got all the attention. Seriously I wish I could make friends as quickly as Candy and Daisy. Oh and keeping Daisy from eating various delicious morsels discarded on the ground was a full time job.
Before we knew it the big count down started followed by the oooows and arrrrs as the lights came on. It was both pretty, festive and bloody cold. We weaved our way through a few thousand more of our not so closest friends as we took in the sights and Daisy tried to take in anything she could get hold of, which lead to me spending at least some of my time with my fingers down her throat fishing things out. With the lights on, the sights seen and a brief lamentation that we could no longer eat the not so healthy bratwursts and we did not have friends with us to share the experience we headed back to Benny for a well deserved and healthy dinner.
One of the things I like most about camping is the evenings. At home I am an insomniac but after a day of travel, fresh air, cold, fingers down daisy's throat and a good meal I am ready for bed. After dinner we played boggle and cards at which I was soundly beaten. At around 9:30 an unheard of time for me I uttered the words "I think I am ready for bed". To be honest if I had not looked at my watch I would have sworn it was past mid-night. Talking about past mid-night, it was 1:30am when the red-necks in the site behind us decided to roll back in from town drunk as skunks and all about partying in the field outside our van.
Upon waking from my slumber, the first words from Sarah's mouth was "don't you go out there". I have never been one to avoid a hard conversation but even I had to admit that messing with 3 drunk red-necks in a campsite at 1:30am whilst still recovering from my injuries would not be a smart move and could in fact go south very quickly. So the alternative was to turn my deaf side to the noise and pretend like it was the sea crashing against the shore, which by the way it sounded nothing like. Whilst I was able to get some semblance of sleep Sarah was on edge all night worried that they might decide to wake up the occupants of the cool red VW camper a stone throw from there personal party. Fortunately that did not happen.
On the up side the heater ran like a dream all night. With the top down the heater really worked well. With the top up it did not do as well but still good enough to keep the space warm if not toasty, oh and we did not set off our carbon monoxide alarm which was awesome. On a side note running the heater all night only took approx. 0.7 gallons of gas which was a pleasant surprise. The house battery did not fair as well. We estimate maybe another night of battery power was left.
After a nice breakfast in Benny we headed home. The options for the homeward journey were back the way we came, the shortest distance according to the GPS by 12 minutes, or HW2 and over Stevens Pass. Since we were in no hurry we opted for the additional 12 minutes and did not regret it. If you have not driven HW2 it is a stunning drive with my favorite leg being just outside of Leavenworth as you meander along the river. The sun was shining and with the frost and snow all around it was just beautiful. Sometimes it just feels good to drive and take in the scenes and today was one of those days. Normally on our way home we blow by Stevens Pass ski resort but today Benny all but drove himself into the car park. With the lifts closed and the resort open it was an ideal opportunity to grab a rest break and a cup of tea. Yes the cups say coffee but let me assure you they contained a great herbal tea. Rested and watered we set off for the last leg of the trip home.
The whole trip was less that 24 hours but by the time we got home it felt like we had been away for much longer, now that is the sign of a good adventure. Until next time - Max Life Out.
I thought about a title of "Surviving Christmas" as it has felt a little like that this year. Recovery comes with its fair share of both pain and emotion, and sometimes the emotions are more frustrating than the pain especially when they hijack you with feelings you just don't want to feel. 
