Day Four: Section 4 - Cashmere to Chelan (almost)

It was Monday morning in Leavenworth. My boys took off for Seattle the night before. First thing I did was try and get my rig on a rack. This would determine if we continued the trip or headed back home after repairs. The latter option really wasn’t in my vocabulary. Seemed like every alignment shop within 50 miles was booked a week out. I found a place in South Wenatchee who could squeak it in before 11am. Sweet. Fingers crossed all is well. By 11am, Hugo had my rig perfectly aligned and ready to go. We left Wenatchee hoping to make it to Lake Chelan by the end of the day but I knew it would be a long shot. The journey was more important for us than the destination. I had some cushion built into our trip.

Without the boys it was my wife’s turn to take over the critical task of navigating for the remaining three sections. Following the little arrow on the Samsung Tablet became quite the challenge initially; "Turn right." "Stop!" "Go back and turn left!"..."Stop!" "I think we should've turned right back there." "I lost the arrow." I'm so thankful for her navigating! I couldn't imagine trying to navigate by myself.

We were on our way north up Naham Canyon heading to the top of Chumstick Peak at 5810ft. It was a long uphill winding drive as we pushed up and over Roaring Ridge in the Entiat Mountains. We could see the remains of the fires in this area from 2014. The forest floor wasn't as picturesque as it was in Wenatchee. The trees, however, made up for it. We descended the steep switchbacks as we headed into the town of Ardenvoir, total population - one; there's a man who lives in the basement. This small town has a post office, Coopers general store, cafe, bar, and a gas station with two pumps.

While we were there, my wife decided to order up some fried chicken. Little did we know they had to fire up the fryer as not many folks order fried chicken. It was also the first time the gal ever cooked fried chicken for a customer. Seemed like it took forever but it was well worth the wait. The chicken was awesome! It was a short drive to Mud Creek Road where we began our 4000 ft ascent up McKenzie Ridge and the Chelan Mountains. Once it leveled out for a bit at the top at around 5200ft we decided to take in the scenery and call it a day. Absolutely the best decision we made. We were just two hours shy of Chelan on top of the world. By far, it was the best night of the trip.

Driving up Naham Canyon on our way to Chumstick


Mt Rainier off in the distance high on the ridge.


A still photographers paradise. Couldn't pass this up high on McKenzie Ridge


Another great model in this incredible landscape.


This is where we ended up camping. It was time to give the 4runner a break and time for my wife and I to relax and enjoy the serenity.


Welcome to one person town of Ardenvoir. Remember to call ahead so they can get the fryer going!


This was the most beautiful night of our trip. I was so thankful we didn't get to Chelan. I can't imagine this trip without this night.


My 3rd gen doing what it likes to do best.