Day 5

Methow Brewfest in Wintrhop, WA

We got the invite to go do some brew tasting with a couple of great people, Kendal and Shawn. The Methow Valley Brewfest was held in the Wintrhop Barn about 40 minutes from home, so we also decided it was a perfect opportunity for a little RTT camping (thanks Kendal, for the suggestion). We stayed at the South Summit of our favorite, local ski spot, the Loup Loup.

Just a couple of teachers, enjoying their summer, tasting craft beer

Dinner in Winthrop

We went for a stroll through town to walk off the beer and find some dinner. We went to a favorite spot, Carlos 1800, which has Yucatan food that is amazing! We'd never sat outside before, and the view of the Methow River was perfect. Dang it, wish I had taken a picture. I was too busy shoveling in pepita salad and Cochinita Pibil. If you really would like to see where we ate, click on the link on the name of the restaurant, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and watch their video. The spot outside where people are sitting...that was our table.

Traveling back through Twisp, we decided to take the back-road, and stopped at this pretty spot for a picture of the breathtaking Methow River.

Camping at South Summit, Loup Loup, Hwy. 20

This was the perfect opportunity to try the RTT for a quick pull into a site, set-up fast, camp situation. Kendal and Shawn have a truck with a camper, so they were equipped and ready for a short overnighter as well. We visit this snow park several times each winter to do our cross country skiing, and our awesome, little, local ski hill The Loup Loup Ski Bowl is right across the highway. We've gone on a few fall hikes and bike rides here also, but I don't think we've ever been to the spot in early summer. How beautiful! So green!

I'm not going to lie...it was chilly. Immediately following set-up, we were all in our pants and drinking hot chocolate (adult-style). We retreated to S & K's camper for some game time. It is fun to hang out with others who appreciate learning new and creative games. For the rest of you game-lovers our there. Here's what we played, all interesting and different.

   

Before heading up the ladder, Jeff and I enjoyed a little walk around time to take in the night sky. I have to tell you...stars in our hometown are incredibly visible...in our backyard. Go out about 20 miles, like we were this night, and you can see the milky way like a white paint smear in the sky. The available viewing space from the clearing in the parking area where we camped gave way to a dome of beauty. Jeff commented that we need to have a star party here with staff, students, and parents soon. It's the perfect spot to take the telescope out for an observation night.

And then it was time for night five in the RTT. Here it is all lit up and ready for us to retire for the night.

In the morning, we enjoyed more visit time, sipped our coffee and made breakfast. Jeff, Shawn, and Kendal played another game (Phase 10 - the dice version), and I did a little bird wandering. Then, we packed up and headed home. 20 minutes from home...another awesome adventure!!

Quick Recap of Day 5

South Summit Camping - So close to home, that was nice. We didn't actually camp in the campsites, because, surprisingly, there were 3-4 other groups there camping already. I have a feeling this spot doesn't usually fill up, and the people who were there seemed to be all together. The parking area worked fine, for our needs for the evening, but it would be hard to make a fire there (not sure we're even still aloud to make them this time of year so close to the valley). The star and planet gazing opportunities were OUTSTANDING!

Lessons Learned - It is nice to camp with friends, especially those with campers on cool nights. Headlamps...we keep forgetting our headlamps. Those would be much easier to wear on your head while climbing the ladder instead of holding a lantern or a flashlight. We do appreciate the LED lights in the RTT (see picture above). And finally, we really enjoyed our time, walking around to look at the sky before bed, especially for those nights when you can't sleep with your sky lights open because of the chill. Last tip - pee twice before getting up on top of the RTT...just in case. This is just another reason to do a little star gazing.