Winthrop

July 1-3, 2023

I had never been to Winthrop but had heard good things.  For several years I had been wanting to do a road trip out there.  We made it happen July this year and stayed at a the Winthrop KOA.   Leaving Seattle we opted for the longer and scenic route up north and through the Cascade National Park.  Since it was a sunny Saturday in July, the roads and visitor centers were packed.  

Once we arrived in Winthrop we grabbed dinner at a restaurant called Jupiter.  The food was decent (I had the naan tacos that were very small portioned, it would've been nice to have a bigger meal) and Josh had the pulled pork sandwich which was tasty. It was nice to sit on their patio, which allowed dogs.  

The following day we walked through several stores and enjoyed checking out the “downtown” area. The stores are neat - boutiques are artsy and others are outdoor oriented.  The Rocking Horse Bakery was neat to see but their coffee wasn't great and unfortunately the service was quite slow.  There was a long line of customers out the door, we just happened to get in line before the crowd arrived.   We unfortunately were unable to go into the Old Schoolhouse Brewery as they aren't dog friendly.  I heard the Old Schoolhouse Brewery in Twisp is dog friendly though, but we didn't make it there.  The Methow Valley Ciderhouse is definitely worth stopping at.  They have great food and ciders.  Next to the cidery was a winery so we headed to that. The flight was only $5, which seems ridiculously cheap compared to Seattle pricing.

Before we left Winthrop we wanted to do the Lewis Butte trail, so we got up early in the morning before it got too hot. We saw a snake on the trail and I kept an eye out for rattlesnakes. We saw four other people on the trial and all of them were running it. We did the loop, which was really pretty. No shade or water though so I’m glad we did it early.  On the way back to Seattle we stopped in Twisp for brunch at The Big Dipper. We both had the scramble which had sweet potatoes in it. It was hearty and we enjoyed it. 

For a break in the drive we stopped at Silvara Winery in Leavenworth, and I also made a reservation at Swiftwater Cellars in Cle Elum.  Silvara is one of our favorite wineries and has a great location. I didn't realize that Swiftwater Cellars was inside the Suncadia complex.  I hadn't been to Suncadia before so it was neat to see the property.