In the morning, we found that a car had parked directly facing us, making it more challenging (but not impossible) to exit, but we'd have to back out and drive around them. We never found out who the driver was, but it was weird as there were literally more than a dozen other spots this person could have parked at in the lot!
Boeing Future of Flight
Despite this odd parking experience, it was good that we parked at the casino overnight, as we had to drive back south to the Boeing Everett Factory for its Future of Flight Tour-- an 80-minute guided tour to get a behind-the-scenes look at the factory and 777 assembly line, learning about Boeing's history and airplane production. Of course, it's a great marketing initiative for Boeing, but it was fascinating to see the assembly line. Most of the planes were green, the color of the undercoat to protect the plane's aluminum aircraft parts from corrosion caused by oils, grease, and moisture (Lisette didn't know this!). We also got to see and touch a section of an airplane window and an engine blade, feeling how tough and resilient the material was (reassuring to know when you're traveling)! The different sections of the planes are already put together ahead of coming to the assembly line, so it's more a case of fusing them like Legos in this area--so we didn't see a lot of welding and hammering when we were there, but it was cool to see a few 777 aircraft and defense craft below us.
After the tour there's also the option to go up to the Sky Deck to see more of the planes outside (plus have an awesome view of the mountains in the distance), as well as to a museum area to learn more about Boeing's history and see some more exhibits, including different models of the Wisk aircraft, the all-electric, self-flying air taxi.
Harry and the Hendersons
In the 1980s, a movie called "Harry and the Hendersons" was released, about a family that run over what turns out to be a Sasquatch while out in the woods. A small coffee shop, Espresso Chalet, is one of the filming locations from the movie, and it has a 4.2 meter (14 foot) tall wooden carving of Harry from the movie, along with souvenirs. Michael got a coffee from there but he is very particular about the taste and strength of his brew--Lisette's theory is that since he is a coffee connoisseur, the best cafes for him are those that don't list dozens of syrup-flavored coffees as options, because the coffee brew is less of the emphasis at such establishments! Within the Espresso Chalet grounds around the back, there's some seating that's got a beautiful and serene view of the trees, forests and hills surrounding us--perfect for a pit stop and to enjoy nature.
We probably needed that relaxing break, because we weren't on the road again for very long, when a pick up truck drove in front of us, only for the lid covering its load to lift up, slamming onto the road in front of us! Fortunately Michael's excellent reaction time and driving skills meant that we were able to veer around it as it dropped next to us, on the driver's side. The driver pulled over to try and get his lid, but it would have been difficult with the number of cars speeding along.
Milkshakes and Tons of Candy
We next stopped at a trailhead leading to the Wellington Avalanche Site, the site of the deadliest avalanche in US history back in 1910. The trailhead had quite a few switchbacks and tunnels leading up to the avalanche site, but it was still quite a long way to get to the actual site, and as it was already late afternoon we decided to skip it.
Instead, we kept driving until we arrived at a large, sparkly silver diner accented in bright pink and blue, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The 59er Diner fulfills anyone's old school Americana visions, with a jukebox, life-size cutout of Elvis Presley, photos of Hollywood celebrities from that era, vinyls records, and many more decorations on the walls from that era. From the menu, the milkshakes seem to be one of the main stars, with a board declaring how many milkshakes they've sold each month compared to the previous year. So far, January and May have been better months in 2025! We added to the June tally, ordering a banana milkshake, which was delicious thick.
It seems that we hadn't had enough of a sugar rush, because our next stop was Alps Candy Store, recommended to us by one of the ladies working at Espresso Chalet. The store stocks an impressive amount of homemade fudge, homemade hot sauces, mustards, and other condiments, and a colorful array of flavored sodas. Of course, they also had a huge selection of candy (lollies, if you will) and chocolates from around the world, including taffy, popcorn, and everything else in between--we even found Australian licorice (the Kookaburra brand, but we reckon Darrell Lea does it best). We sampled a couple of different flavors of fudge before buying the grasshopper flavored one, which is basically a peppermint and cream mixture.
Leavenworth: Washington's Little Bavaria
A few days ago we had visited the closest town to Norway in the US (Poulsbo in Washington), and now we went to the closest place to Bavaria! Leavenworth is a Bavarian village in the Cascade Mountains, and this makes the village seem even more like we're in the German Alps, with its proximity to nearby ski areas. All the signs are in Fraktur, a German font, and it seems that all stores need to adopt it--even the Safeway grocery chain and McDonald's! Unlike Poulsbo, however, Leavenworth wasn't settled by Bavarians--rather, in the early 1960’s, town leaders decided to change Leavenworth’s appearance to boost tourism.
Many buildings are in the Fachwerk architectural style, with exposed timber frames and decorative carvings, there are murals depicting scenes from Bavaria, painted pretzels and German flags adorning the roofs, and the stores themselves are very Bavarian or Northern European themed, including an all-year round Christmas store! There's also a Nutcracker Museum which features nutcrackers from the 12th and 13th centuries to today, and places to buy these fun devices, the most popular being in the shape of a Nutcracker doll that crushes nuts in its jaws.
We figured we'd have dinner in this village, going to München Haus, a grill and beer garden specializing in Bavarian sausages (bratwurst) served on a toasted, artisan bun. Lisette was happy to see that they had a couple of vegetarian options on the menu, so she ordered a smoked apple and sage plant-based sausage. Since it was a hot evening, most people were sitting outside for dinner, and München Haus seemed to be one of the most popular places to eat at, and also enjoy live music.
Once we received our orders, we could top it with apple cider sauerkraut and other toppings (dill pickles, sweet pickle relish, onions), and chose from over 20 different condiments and specialty mustards. We enjoyed the experience of eating Bavarian sausages with the toppings of our choice, however admittedly found the sausages to be overcooked and dry. One day it would be awesome for us to go and try them in Bavaria!
A Mosquito-Infested Haven
We drove further east, arriving at Dry Falls Junction, an area known for the remnants of what was once a massive waterfall carved by Ice Age floods. What was fascinating is that thanks to events millions of years ago, there were wide, open plains of nothingness except for boulders that were randomly in spots by themselves, with green grass growing around it over time. It was as if the boulders had been organized by someone who wanted to plant boulders in various spots away from each other.
Near here, our iOverlander app suggested a section away from the road to park for the night. We didn't initially find it but once we drove in, we realized it was a bumpy and unpaved road, with a deep pothole to avoid. We weren't sure we could drive down into the parking space, as the incline was quite steep.
As we were pondering our next move, Michael realized that we'd arrived at an area by the water that was absolutely teeming with mosquitos! Hundreds of them swarmed our RV, and that was what solidified our decision to go elsewhere. We were worried that some mosquitos would fly into our air vents (fortunately they didn't), but there was no way we'd be able to hop out to feed Sheila or get some fresh air if we stayed here. Michael's driving skills came in handy for the second time that day, reversing while avoiding the deep potholes to escape the mosquito infestation!
While the sun doesn't set until after 8.30pm, we just managed to find a different pullout next to a small town grocery store as the last of the sun's rays were exiting. Sheila had one last evening toilet stop outside, and as Lisette let her out we heard a rustling near us--it was a deer! The deer scurried across the road into some tall grass, with Sheila growling after it. We wouldn't have been surprised if her dreams included that deer that night.