Candi L. Swinscoe

🐾 Rascal’s Roadshow 🐾

Fishing, Food, and Fun in Leavenworth (and Wenatchee!)

Todd spent our second day in Leavenworth… fishing. 🎣 Actually, he spent it in nearby Wenatchee, casting his line along the Columbia River. He had quite a successful day and came back grinning from ear to ear. 😄

Todd got a to-fer! Two for one catch!

Now, one frustrating thing about Washington is the way they handle fishing licenses. Since we’ll be here for over a month, Todd figured he’d buy a year-long pass. Logical, right? Well, it turns out, the “annual” license is valid from April 1st of the current year through April 1st of the next—and we’re just a few days shy of April 1st. 🤦‍♀️ So far, he’s bought a one-day pass… and then a three-day pass… when all he really wanted was to save money and buy the full-year version. And don’t even get me started on the “catch record” form. I’d never even heard of that one before. 😂 But Todd seems to have figured it out, although it’s definitely costing him more than he hoped! (You can learn more about Washington fishing licenses and rules here at the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.)

Such a great spot!

While he was off playing angler pro, I worked on blog posts and took Rascal on several scenic walks. 🐕‍🦺 Gotta balance out all those Bavarian bakery goodies somehow! I’ve been doing really well on Weight Watchers, and I’m determined not to blow it now. 💪

Awesome doggy park, but I never could get Rascal
to walk up the ramp! He would just run up the hill.

When Todd got back from fishing, we headed downtown for dinner. We still haven’t tried the bratwurst, schnitzel, or sauerkraut (We’ll get there!), but we did split a soft, Bavarian pretzel. 🥨 I almost went for the pork schnitzel, but just couldn’t pass up trying the Hungarian goulash—and it was delicious!

After dinner, we enjoyed another lovely stroll through Leavenworth’s charming downtown. Several streets are blocked off from vehicle traffic, so you can cross easily, snap photos, and window shop without dodging cars. 🚶‍♀️📸

I will admit I doctored this photo and removed an ugly,
bright yellow & blue fire hydrant and a white sign

Of course, we made the (delicious) mistake of visiting The Gingerbread Factory. 🎄

The fairytale décor and heavenly smells drew us in. I really wanted to try everything, but I stayed strong (well... strong-ish) and chose a cute little unfrosted gingerbread man called a Skinny Dip. 😂 I saved him for later and thanks to my steps and smart eating, I savored that soft, spiced cookie and still had two WW points left over for the day. 🎉

Did I want the frosting covered cookie? Absolutely!
But this little guy was pretty yummy!

The Next Day: Fishing with the Fam

Rascal never knows what we're going to be doing,
but he does know he wants to be a part of it!

Rascal and I joined Todd for a day of fishing. 🐶🎣 I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea (temps were in the 30s 🥶), but I bundled up in layers and off we went to a beautiful park in Wenatchee.

Todd didn’t get a single nibble—zilch. We even changed spots three times! But I got some great photos of ducks, geese, and even a bald eagle perched in a tree across the water. 🦅 (Taken with my phone, unfortunately—I still can’t find my digital camera in storage!) Even so, I was happy with the shots.

No matter how many times it's explained to me
I'll never understand how they don't freeze to death!

Definitely a bird's eye view.

Eventually, we moved to the park where Todd had luck the day before and—voilà!—he wasn’t just fishing anymore… he was catching, as my mother-in-law would say. 😄 The weather had warmed up, so I could ditch one of my five jackets (exaggerating…but only a bit!) and enjoy the sunshine.

We met a kind, informative man from Canada who now lives in the area. He shared tons of local fishing tips before paddling off in his canoe. 🚣‍♂️ (Side note: Todd and I used to own canoes. Hated them. 😅 But we loved our fishing kayaks—so many awesome adventures!)

One of our most magical memories? Paddling with humpbacks in Monterey Bay over several weeks. 🐋 Absolutely breathtaking... right up until a great white was spotted and we decided we’d rather not become a Shark Week special. 🦈✌️

Right in front of my kayak!

This was by far my favorite photo. My kayak was getting hit with waves
that were turning me back towards shore. I had to contort my body around and took
this shot over my shoulder. 🐳

After Todd wrapped up (I lost count around fish #9 or 10), we made a quick stop at Leavenworth Pizza Company to pick up a pizza he’d ordered. 🍕 The slices were MASSIVE and delicious, but parking? Not so fun.

Most of downtown has paid parking and it’s tough to find open spots. We didn’t see a parking lot for the pizza place, so after a couple of passes, Todd parked us in a half-empty lot for a different business and told Rascal and me to “guard the truck” while he made a mad dash for the pizza. 😂 He was back in under five minutes, pizza in hand, and we headed back to the trailer for a cozy night in and a yummy dinner.

Yes, that IS pineapple on our pizza!

This little Bavarian getaway is full of surprises—from license snafus and hidden eagles to tasty gingerbread goodies. We’re loving every minute of this Washington adventure.