3 Comments

• stormibays says:

  January 4, 2007 at 21:26

  Snoqualmie Falls – very romantic ( drive p there costs gas money but the falls itself and the walk down is free)
  Rent a canoe down at the University Washington Boat Center and paddle around the arboretum (very affordable.. 14 dollars for like 2 or 3 hours)
  Take a ferry ride and eat breakfast on the other side
• Stan says:

  January 2, 2007 at 05:41

  To me, the most romantic place in Washington State is the San Juan Islands. The ferry ride is spectacular and the islands are secluded, have lots of wild life and interesting shops. The ferry for two plus a car will be $50, but it’s worth it.

  There’s a scenic drive I like to go on and July is a great time to take it. From Seattle take 520 to I405 and go north to Woodinville. From Woodinville take 522 east towards Monroe. On the way, you’ll pass through the small, but old little town called Maltby – home of the best breakfast in Washington State (Maltby Cafe – see attached link). When you get to Monroe, take Highway 2 east over Steven’s Pass. After Skykomish, but before Steven’s Pass is a nice little hiking trail, Deception Falls, (1 mile, maybe a little more) that has some great views of a mountain stream. It’s a nice place to stretch your legs and breathe some mountain air. About 1/2 an hour later 30 miles, is Lake Wenatchee on highway 207. It’s a good place to go camping, but I like to go past the lake and take the scenic route on Beaver Valley Rd (highway 209) through the town of Plain. This route will eventually take you back to highway 2 at Leavenworth. Leavenworth is a Bavarian themed mountain town with bratwurst, beer, onion domes, lederhosen and German shops. July is too early for this area’s specialty, apples, but there will be a great supply of fresh cherries and other fruit at roadside stands starting at Leavenworth. After Leavenworth, continue another 25 miles to Wenatchee and take 97 north along the portion of the Columbia River called Lake Entiat. 45 miles north of Wenatchee is Lake Chelan. Lake Chelan is great resort area to camp, fish, go water skiing, etc. It’s a very long lake with the opposite end of the lake inaccessible except by boat (there is a ferry available). 20 miles north of Chelan, and the start of my favorite part of the drive is highway 153 along the Methow River. 35 miles later you’ll be on the North Cascades Pass, highway 20 and 10 miles after that will be the Western themed town of Winthrop. After Winthrop there is 132 miles of spectacular mountain scenery and lakes to I5 at Burlington. If you continue west on highway 20 you will go to Anacortes (where the San Juan ferry is) and Deception Pass which a bridge from the mainland to Whidbey Island. There is a nice campground at Deception Pass as well. Continuing south on 20 you can visit the interesting island communities of Coupeville and Freeland. The highway ends at Clinton where a short ferry ride ($11) will take you to Mukilteo and the mainland.

  Obviously, you can’t do all of this in one day. If you want to see some of Washington State this trip has many of the highlights – you can easily pare it down to what you fit into the time allowed. If you are going to stay somewhere Leavenworth and Chelan are the nicest places to stay along the way.
• Aglease says:

  December 30, 2006 at 08:07

  If you’re the active type, Twin Falls is a beautiful place to visit. It’s the last North Bend exit on I-90 East, turn right off the exit, go a quarter mile and turn left to the trail head. It is about a mile hike each way. This hike makes it far less crowded than Snoqualmie Falls. You could also go to the Ballard Locks and see the fish ladder and the locks. They have an underwater viewing area where you can actually watch the salmon swimming. After this, eat at Lombardi’s in downtown Ballard (Seattle neighborhood) for EXCELLENT Italian food and ambience. Gas Works park at night is very romantic with an excellent view of Lake Union and Seattle’s skyline. You can also go to the Arboretum for a stroll or even rent a kayak or canoe and explore the Arboretum that way. Alki Beach in West Seattle is quaint and great in the summer. There are people roller-blading, sun-bathing, playing with their dogs and enjoying the nice July weather. Plus, you get a different view of Seattle’s skyline. There are also many cute little restaurants on the water.

  Tips from my boyfriend: go to Issaquah (seattle suburb) and go hang gliding off of Tiger Mountain. There is a park straight south of downtown Issaquah where they land. You could also do a day hike up Mount Si or McClellan’s Butte, which are both good hikes. McClellan’s Butte is far less crowded than Mount Si. Both of which are very close to North Bend.

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