Chelan!

Lake Chelan is a natural treasure near the center of the State of Washington. Unless you live in Washington, you probably haven’t heard of it. For folks who live on the wet, western side of the Cascade Mountains, it’s a close-in vacation wonderland on the dry, hot east side of the State.

It’s turned into a twice-yearly escape for me and the kids. They each get to bring along one friend, so that makes six kids and me. We camp at Lake Chelan State Park on the south side of the lake. We pack as much fun and activity into three days as possible: cook-out and camp-fire, swimming and floating in the lake, picnics, star-gazing, ice cream, water slide, pizza, go-karts, trampoline. It’s a three-hour drive and we have a few favorite stops along the way: Owen’s Meats in Cle Elum for beef jerky, and The Taffy Shop in Leavenworth. It’s evolved into a set program.

My function is really just cook and driver. The kids are old enough that they can roam on their own and don’t need supervision. I hope we can keep doing this for a long time. It will never get old for me.

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