Summer Vacation Destinations Part 2 (Central and East)

Christian: [0:00] Hello, hello, and welcome to another edition of the Awesome in Seattle podcast. This is Christian Nossum of the Awesome Nossum group at Wilson Realty Exchange, Inc, and with summer just around the corner, we decided to dedicate today's episode to vacation spots that are within driving distance of Seattle to help you plan some summer vacations. I mean, we live in a beautiful region of the world, and it can be easy to forget just how much there is to do and see in our area. Um, but before we get into all of that and some of our favorite getaway destinations, I gotta welcome all of my co-hosts, the wonderful, awesome agents of the Awesome Nossum group. First up, we have the one, the only, Mr. Les Cutting.

Les: [0:40] Howdy.

Christian: [0:41] We have Reed Watson of Seattle- Wait,

Les: [0:43] pause. Hold on. What? I'm fir- I've, I've been fir- I've been first like three podcasts in a row.

Christian: [0:48] You're lucky.

Les: [0:49] Okay, okay. Getting a little love.

Christian: [0:54] Giving you some love there, Les. We have the wonderful Seattle native, Reed Watson.

Reed: [1:00] That's me.

Christian: [1:02] We have Melanie Ghadamy, otherwise known as Mel G.

Reed: [1:06] Hey, hey.

Christian: [1:06] And the data guru, Mr. Jason Saldarriaga.

Jason: [1:10] Hello.

Christian: [1:11] Hello. All right, in today's episode, we are gonna talk about Eastern Washington and Central Washington. We are gonna cover places such as Leavenworth, Sun Cadia, The Gorge, all the way down to Walla Walla. Um, um, just to kinda help normalize the drive times that we're sharing here, we're just using downtown Seattle as the starting point. Obviously, that's kinda middle ground for everybody. If you live north or south, you can kinda add or subtract depending on where you're at. So, um, Central and Eastern Washington honestly is kinda like a whole new world. Mm-hmm. Once you make it over the mountain pass and star- start your descent down, like the terrain, the landscape, it is so different than Western Washington. Uh, I know, Reed, you know this probably better, I think, than anyone else on the team. But, um, it's just because you went to school over there. Mm-hmm. But it is… And I guess you did too, Les. Yeah. Um, it's generally much warmer and more arid in the summer, and colder with more, more snow in the winter. That's just a generalization. But compared to Seattle, I, I think that's pretty accurate. Is that right?

Reed: [2:20] Absolutely.

Christian: [2:21] Cool. All right. Well, let's get into it. What, uh, Reed, let's let you start since you do know and have some favorites over there. What's, what's your fav?

Reed: [2:28] Yeah, so a favorite from my childhood is the Methow Valley and sort of the Twisp area. Twisp is a town, uh, in the Methow Valley. I believe Twisp means wasp, and it's where the Methow and the Twisp Rivers meet. And in the summertime, the Twisp River especially is great for swimming, for wading, picnics, all that sort of stuff. It's pretty gentle. There's a bit of a current, so, you know, always use caution please. But it's a, it's a great river to just kind of hang out at and- Mm … swim in in the summertime. You can stay at a hotel or an inn. One of my favorite inn and resort places over there is called the Freestone Inn But oftentimes my partner and I, we've driven out there a few times and just gone camping at a couple of, you know, easy government campsites, and you don't even really need reservations most of the time, um- Wow which is a great little secret.

Jason: [3:33] Mm-hmm.

Reed: [3:33] Um, there are a ton of great hikes around there. You can hike up… One of my favorite hikes over there is, uh, up to Black Lake, and Black Lake is really great for swimming, too. And there's also tons of horseback riding you can do around there at all different types of ranches. They have great trails. And then one other place I would just always stop by is the Mazama Store. It's kind of a central hub for the area. They have, you know, it's ki- like gifty, touristy things, but they also have great sandwiches and, um, y- you know, maps. It's just a good place to check in and, and a fun place to hang out for a second as you drive through.

Jason: [4:12] So southeast of Twisp is Lake Chelan, which is a very large, like 50 and a half mile long, though narrow- Mm … um, very serpentine lake near the North Cascades National Park, and it's a great destination for camping and hiking. It, this could be a good combination in the summer where you visit the Methow Valley that Ree just discussed, and then you hit Lake Chelan on the same trip for a, a little extended excursion. Like I said, there's lots you can do on and around Lake Chelan. It is 50 miles long. It's one of the deepest lakes in the country. There's Slidewaters, which is a pretty nice water park- Yeah … on the south part of the- Mm-hmm … the, of the lake.

Christian: [4:58] Yeah, when you think of Lake Chelan, when people say they're going to Lake Chelan, generally that's where they're going to is kind of- Yeah that south, south, like, main town part of Chelan, and that's right where Slidewaters is. It's really fun. It's good for the whole family.

Jason: [5:11] Yeah, and it's a, it's about three hours drive from Seattle, so lots of water-based, uh, attractions, fishing, boating, water tours, rafting, jet skiing. But there, there's more than just that. There are places you can go apple picking and enjoy the local cider, the waterpark that I mentioned, lots of lakefront villages, uh, lots of real estate actually in the area for, like, weekend houses and, and homes.

Christian: [5:38] A lot

Jason: [5:39] of wine

Christian: [5:39] tasting as well.

Jason: [5:40] Yeah. A

Christian: [5:41] lot. Lots and lots of wine tasting, yes.

Jason: [5:43] At the north end of the lake, all 50 miles from Chelan, which is the town at the south part of the lake, is Stehekin, and it's a tiny little village that's really secluded. There's no roads into the village. It's only accessible via a two and a half hour ferry ride, though you c- I suppose you could be very adventurous and hike. Good luck with that. Or, uh, take a private plane or helicopter if you wanna be fancy. Take me with you, please. And then, you know, uh, Stehekin is, uh, a great place for camping and really connecting with nature. I have never been, but it is also, like a few things that I've, that we've discussed today, it's on my list. And then something that's very close to… I, I hold it very near and dear to my heart with my hydrology degree, is Grand Coulee Dam and Grand Coulee, which is east of Chelan. Very cool area to experience some major just geologic history and events that really shaped the area, all of Washington and a lot of the Pacific Northwest. Uh, Grand Coulee Dam, there's, uh, nightly laser shows throughout the summer. What? Yeah. I did not know

Christian: [6:57] that.

Jason: [6:58] Me neither. That's cool. There's wineries in the area. Banks Lake is, uh, in Grand Coulee, which is like a, a s- a depression caused by a, kind of a channel gouged out by water over time And Banks Lake is a popular place for boating. And then I love Dry Falls, which is south of that, where a massive waterfall, I should just say water event, ripped through Eastern Washington and it was very cataclysmic and you can go and study the effects there. It's kind of fascinating. So Dry Falls, highly recommend it. That's cool.

Reed: [7:36] Absolutely. Uh, another place I really like is there's a small town called Manson on the northeast side of Lake Chelan, and there is this great breakfast spot. It's called Blueberry Hills- Yes … Farm. It is a farm. It's so good. But they just have really, really good breakfast and it's a really fun place to go. It's, there's a lot to look at and it's, it's just kind of a blast. So if you're willing… If you're on the south side of the lake, it's a little bit of a drive, um, but if you're willing to make the drive, the breakfast is definitely worth it. I also really like the town of Orondo, which is on the Columbia River, just south of where the Columbia River feeds into Lake Chelan. And Orondo is one of the towns which is really famous for its apples and its cider, both hot cider and alcoholic cider. Take your pick. But it's a really cute little town and they have a cider works there and so that's always really fun.

Melanie: [8:36] Another great town that I highly recommend that you visit, especially I would say in October, just due to its charm, October and December, is Leavenworth. So it's a little over a two-hour drive east of Seattle And Leavenworth is a Bavarian-style, styled village in the Cascade Mountains. So if you visit, you have to see the Alpine-style buildings on Front Street, where German restaurants serve beer and traditional favorites. Great food. There's also a lot of wineries. There's a golf course, white water rafting, which I love. It's so much fun.

Reed: [9:16] Oh, so fun.

Melanie: [9:17] Yes, it is. Um, especially with a beer in your hand. Good music. Good company. It's a good time. And other outdoor adventures, such as horseback riding. There's spas and many great restaurants, to say the least.

Christian: [9:31] Yeah. We went there right before… Right over the holiday season, like right before Christmas last year.

Melanie: [9:36] Mm-hmm.

Christian: [9:37] And it was so fun. Like, they had the whole town just completely decked out in lights. They had all these characters dressed up like Santa and Mrs. Claus. Um, they had the Grinch walking around. They had these, like reindeer. They had all sorts of like, characters walking around. It was beautiful, absolutely gorgeous in the winter. So not only is it fun to do in the summer, which I've also done then- Mm-hmm … it is also awesome to do in the winter. We went on a super, super cool reindeer or horse-drawn… I think it was a horse-drawn, but I think they played it off like reindeer-drawn. But it was horse-drawn, like sled, sleigh through the snow It was super, super cool, and it was absolutely gorgeous, and like pristine and peaceful and, yeah, it was amazing. So highly recommend checking it out in the win- in fact, I already reserved our next Airbnb for right before Christmas this year. I think we're gonna try and do that every year, 'cause it's just magical.

Melanie: [10:40] Yeah, it is. Definitely. And Oktoberfest- I got engaged there … is a good time to check it out.

Christian: [10:45] Yeah, you did.

Melanie: [10:45] Oh, nice. That's very cool.

Christian: [10:47] Yeah. Although, I think they're actually going to move Oktoberfest, uh, officially to Wenatchee and out of, uh, Leavenworth.

Melanie: [10:56] Oh.

Christian: [10:57] There's a lot of drama going on there.

Melanie: [10:59] Oh, yeah. We were-

Christian: [11:01] Yeah. We were talking about that, or- Good

Melanie: [11:04] to know … Speaker: yeah, yeah. Okay. Look up Seattle Times articles about it and it's, it's very interesting. So- Mm … it, it may or may not be happening like it used to in Leavenworth. Things are changing. Yeah. Apparently. Okay. Well, since Leavenworth is a pretty popular tourist spot, there's a lot of places that you can stay. Um, there's mountain resorts, there's hotels and lodges. Um, there's some that s- that fit the Bavarian style of the town, which is kinda, they're cute and quaint.

Christian: [11:32] Mm-hmm.

Melanie: [11:33] For a more luxury experience, the Post Hotel, which I have yet to go to, but it just seems magical and beautiful. They have this crazy indoor/outdoor pool. Um, I just wanna definitely check out at some point. Just-

Christian: [11:46] Yes. I have heard from so many friends that it is so fun, and- I

Melanie: [11:50] know … Speaker: uh, basically w- what I've also heard, which I don't know if this is fun or not, but basically everyone walks around wearing a bathrobe. Oh, okay.

Christian: [11:59] The entire time, 'cause it's adults only. And- Mm … like, it's just, yeah, you're just chilling in your bathrobe the whole time you're there.

Melanie: [12:06] Sounds like me. Yeah. I was about to say.

Christian: [12:08] Yeah, yeah. It's no different than you, Les.

Melanie: [12:11] Perfect place for Les.

Christian: [12:12] Yes.

Melanie: [12:13] Awesome. And then there's also many vacation rentals. Um, there's lofts and condos that you can rent out, cabins, cottages, and there's mountain homes and lodges. So it's, there's lots of different experiences that fit your, your s- your style.

Christian: [12:29] Yeah, it's a really fun place to visit. Lots to do, some great brats that you can eat, um, lots of good beer, and it's, again, fun for the whole family. There's- I've heard of so many, like, bachelor and bachelorette parties, but also, like, really fun multi-generation, like, get-togethers that happen there. So yeah, it, it could be a lot of fun, and check out, like, Airbnb because there's some pretty amazing, like, cool homes that you can rent either right in town, which we stayed at one that was, like, brand new. They built, like, I think eight different duplexes that were about a half a block north of town. Very modern, but they were massive. Like, I think there were six or seven bedrooms each. Oh, wow. Huge, but super, super cool, and very good for winter because the main floor was all, like, cement floors. So you walk in from snow and you're, you know, covered and your boots are filthy and… Well, not filthy, but dirty with snow, and, you know, you don't feel horrible because you're dripping all over the floor-

Les: [13:32] Mm-hmm

Christian: [13:33] when you walk in 'cause it's all cement. So yeah, it was really cool. Lots of cool places to explore, uh, to stay. Obviously, we always are interested in the real estate there. There's some really fun places. All right, let's move a little bit more.

Les: [13:46] All right, let's talk about The Gorge at George right beside Quincy, Washington. About two and a half hours away is The Gorge Amphitheatre. It's a beautiful, fun outdoor venue, um, and it has an amazing view of the Columbia River. If you've never been there for a concert, I highly recommend it. Every summer they have every kind of concert, every, every genre you can think of. My first job out of college, I worked for iHeartRadio, and I got to do Summer Jam every single year. It was amazing. Uh, one, one summer, I actually ventured down behind the amphitheatre and behind the, um, actual stage and went, tried to get as far as I possibly could to the Columbia River, and it was a really pretty view. It was actually pretty fun.

Christian: [14:29] I'll say this, I mean, it is quite amazing. I've heard, I've seen I don't know how many different artists there. Um, numerous artists, including Prince, which was the best concert I've ever been to in my life.

Melanie: [14:41] Oh, wow. What? You seen Prince there? That's pretty

Christian: [14:41] cool. Yeah, I saw Prince- Oh, wow … and Chaka Khan was the opener.

Jason: [14:44] Oh

Christian: [14:45] my god. And we were- we were in, like, the fifth row. It was technically the 10th row, but it was, like, curved and we were five seats from the stage on the side. It was the best concert of my life, and even Prince was like, "This is the best venue I've ever played at in my entire life."

Les: [14:59] A lot, uh, well, a lot of people say The Gorge is one of the best amphitheaters in the US. Yeah, it's- it's- It's

Reed: [15:05] pretty

Les: [15:05] incredible … it, yeah, it's- it's rated up there. If not the number one, it's- it's probably top five.

Reed: [15:11] It's

Les: [15:11] worth- A lot of people say that … Reed: looking up a photo of it- Oh, yeah … just to- Just to see it … I mean, you can't really understand- No … until you stand there and feel the scale, but it's- it's worth just taking a look at it.

Christian: [15:20] Yeah. Right. And if you can make it out there, you should do it at least once in your life, 'cause

Les: [15:25] it's amazing. And if you're look- oh, and if you're looking for a place to stay, you can camp on the, well, just outside the amphitheater grounds.

Christian: [15:31] Yeah, it's- it's a pretty s- sweet location. It is. Hard to- hard to beat that anywhere.

Melanie: [15:37] Yes, especially for a concert. Mm-hmm. I've been to a few myself, and it's definitely an experience. Um, we did the whole camping, which I liked. We didn't- we didn't glamp. We camped, and it was fun. Yeah. So above The Gorge is the K V Estate Winery, which is a boutique vineyard using 100% estate-grown fruit. So definitely check it out while you're visiting George or The Gorge.

Christian: [16:02] Yes. Um, one other cool place that's very near there that you can stay is Crescent Bar, which is a pretty cool, like, spit of sand, again, um, that has housing all over it, and you can either camp there, you can rent little houses there. It's great, and it's right on the water. It's beautiful. There's a little golf course right there, and you can, you know, if you have a boat or you can rent a boat, um, but definitely get a boat and go play around in the Columbia River, 'cause that's what you're overlooking. It's, um, it's quite an experience. Even just going down there and visiting it, it's pretty cool when you're there. All right, so moving southeast, only about an hour and a half away from Seattle is Suncadia, and Suncadia is a resort, 6,000 acres of forested mountain landscape. Uh, it actually used to be a mine. Uh, and I don't Totally remember what they were mining there. I should know 'cause I was there. But

Reed: [16:57] it's- Mining for treasures.

Christian: [16:59] For gold. Mm-hmm. I don't think it was gold, actually. Oh, okay. Um, they still have, like, some of the mines there, like the opening for the tunnel. You can't go in them anymore, but it's kinda interesting to see. And then you look at old photos, like in some of the restaurants there, um, how it was all put together. And they have a golf, golf course, and in the golf course right next to one of the wineries/restaurants, uh, you can see this massive, obviously man-made hill that is from the dirt that was excavated from the mine, and it's now, like, a part of the golf course, which is really interesting. It is amazing for hiking, for biking. Actually, they have three golf courses. I did not know that. I don't play golf, yet. One day I will, but I don't yet. Um, it's got some amazing local wineries, some very, very nice restaurants, and numerous pools. So we were there in the summer, and they have a whole pool lottery system where you have to, like, reserve them in advance and all that stuff. So if you're gonna do that, make sure you actually look at how they're doing it that year. But they had numerous pools. They were really cool. They were all very different from each other. They also have a lodge, like a big, like, hotel basically, which the view from there is insane. Just absolutely insane. So if you go to Santa Catania, definitely go to the lodge. Either grab a meal or grab happy hour and just look at the view from there It is stunning. Uh, we were there and we were, my wife and I, like the kids went to bed and we had, I think we had our in-laws with us or something like that watching the kids. We went down and had happy hour or something and watched the sunset, and all of a sudden these two massive bald eagles are just flying overhead circling about, it felt like 10 feet overhead, that was probably more like 50 feet. But it was just majestic, especially with the sun setting over the mountains, just absolutely gorgeous. Uh, they also have a ton of Airbnb-type options. So the majority of people that do stay there actually own homes or- and then rent them out on Airbnb. It's actually quite a, uh, investment opportunity for some. They, similar to Seabrook, they have a architectural design committee that has to approve. Unlike Seabrook, they have a lot more, I guess, leniency in how the homes look, but they do have very specific guidelines on what you can build and where you can build it and how big and the style and all that stuff. But it's, it's pretty cool. It's a lot of fun. It's really not that far. It's only about an hour and a half away, and it's kinda fun year-round. You can do the summer, you can do the winter, and kinda have a different experience, you know, depending on the season that you go.

Reed: [19:54] All right. Headed east still, but north of the Gorge are the Tri-Cities, which are made up of Richland, Pasco, and Kennewick. They're three independent cities, but they're very close together. People call them the Tri-Cities. It's about a three and a half hour drive from Seattle, and the Tri-Cities are set where the Snake, the Yakima, and the Columbia Rivers converge. Hmm. So there's some good water-related activities to do out there You can do paddleboarding, like a little river c- cruise, swimming, sailing, fishing. Richland specifically has a very scenic riverfront with great restaurants, so if you wanna hang out on land but still enjoy the river. And a lot of people go over there to float down the Yakima as well, just kind of on inner tubes, like in the middle of the summer. Hmm. More casual- That sounds fun … um, thing. It's, it's really fun. I have some friends who do it every year for the Fourth of July, and it looks beautiful. Do bring sunscreen though, 'cause there's not a lot of shade, so- … that's an important tip.

Christian: [21:01] Yeah, good call.

Reed: [21:02] Yeah. There's also really great hiking and biking around there. It's a little bit flatter than this side of the Cascades over here in Seattle, so take your bike if that's what you're interested in. And it is kind of the beginning of wine country as well. There are over 200 wineries in the area.

Christian: [21:21] Wow.

Reed: [21:22] That said, if you really wanna get into wine, I'm gonna go ahead and say you have to go just a little bit further east over to Walla Walla, Washington. Walla Walla was voted America's best wine region by USA Today Reader's choice poll in 2021.

Christian: [21:40] Wow, I did not know that.

Reed: [21:42] Yes. It's a great spot for, especially for growing, um, reds. So it's about an hour further from Seattle than the Tri-Cities. It's a four and a half hour drive from Seattle, or a 45-minute flight.

Christian: [21:55] Um- Yeah, I've heard those flights are very inexpensive as well, or can be

Reed: [21:59] very inexpensive. They are. They're super inexpensive. You can also fly into Pasco and then drive for an hour. It's-

Christian: [22:03] Yeah, I looked up going there once, I don't remember when, but uh, it was recent. And I feel like I was like, "Oh, I wonder how many miles it takes on Alaska," and it was like 5,000 miles. That was it to get there. Mm-hmm. Which is nothing.

Reed: [22:18] It's pretty easy, so.

Christian: [22:19] Yeah.

Reed: [22:19] It's, it's really a great spot for a long weekend, whether you fly or you drive. Just do a little wine tasting weekend. Do note that fall release, so when the wineries all release their fall wines, is November, I believe it's the 4th through the 6th. Yes. And then spring release is May 6th through 8. So those are exciting times to go, but they're exceptionally busy times to go. Very difficult to get a place to stay. As is the, around the 20th of May because that's graduation, and there are three- Mm … colleges in Walla Walla, so. Yeah. If you're going around those times, you need to plan a good- year in advance to get a place to stay. Otherwise, you can kinda just take a weekend whenever you feel like it. So there are over 120 wineries in Walla Walla. It's perfect for a wine tasting weekend. There are kind of two different setups when it comes to the wineries. You have the wineries out in the wheat fields. Um, Walla Walla is literally just surrounded by rolling wheat fields, and it's very beautiful at sunset. So you can drive, or they have great biking tours of all the wineries out there.

Christian: [23:28] Um- That sounds dangerous

Reed: [23:30] Yep. I somehow, you know, it, people love it. I don't trust myself, so- Yeah … I'll have somebody drive me, or what I would typically do in college, because I went to college in downtown Walla Walla, is most of the wineries also have tasting rooms right on Main Street. It's the cutest, quaintest little main street you'll ever see, and you can literally just walk up and down, go into every little winery's tasting room. There are over 30 of them just on Main Street. Wow. Um, and you can do it that way, and then you never have to get into a car.

Christian: [24:01] Yeah. Do-

Reed: [24:01] Which is excellent … Speaker: do they have, like, tours? I assume they do. They've gotta have, like, buses or, or, like- Mm-hmm … charter bus type things or tours or something like- Yep … that where they can bring you to all the different wineries and stuff. They have all, yeah, they have all sorts of stuff like that. Um, the Marcus Whitman, which is one of the most popular hotels over there, has its own bus. You can also do it through the wineries. If you're there during the school year, you can also pay a sorority girl to drive you around. Hmm. And they do that for their community service, and it goes to whatever- … charity said sorority participates in. That's- That's hilarious … the extent of my knowledge about that. Do not ask me any more, but I know that it's done. There's also just, since the winery scene has grown in Walla Walla, it's become a foodie's dream. There are all of these exceptional restaurants, and a lot of them draw from local farms and, you know, local wineries as well. There's also an up-and-coming brewing and distillery scene, which is really exciting. Hmm. Um, not nearly as many of those as there are wineries, but really cool, and if wine's not your thing but you're going with people who love wine, there's that for you as well. As I said, you could stay at the Marcus Whitman. You can stay, if you want a slightly cheaper, like, more motel-style option as opposed to the traditional hotel that is the Marcus Whitman, the Finch is a really great option. It's a super hip little motel, super easy kind of place just to roll into, or if you want the quintessential Walla Walla experience, I would recommend an Airbnb. Walla Walla has beautiful houses, beautiful architecture, and it's really, it's one of the best places to just sit out on a porch and kind of people watch. So you can get an Airbnb house really close to the downtown scene and then just walk everywhere.

Christian: [25:50] It sounds super fun. I have never been to Walla Walla.

Reed: [25:53] It's great. I lived there for four years in college, and I think it's a really fun small town. It's, it's fantastic. There's also the Walla Walla Symphony. There's the Foundry, which creates, uh, metal, forges metal sculptures for artists all around the world. Wow. There are shops and studios. There's a really famous car show that takes place of old cars where people from all over Eastern Washington come. Walla Walla is Adam West's hometown-

Speaker 6: [26:24] Hmm … Reed: who, if you didn't know, used to play Batman. Batman. So on his- Old school.

Reed: [26:31] Exactly. The town celebrates Batman Day on his birthday every year. Wow. And everybody wears Batman costumes. It's just a really fun spot. There's also good swimming. There's a water, a small kind of water park and a river there as well, so you can cool off despite the fact that it is landlocked.

Christian: [26:51] When would you say, like, in, if you went in the summer, is it unbearably hot? Is it, like, over 100 every day? How does that… 'Cause I've never been there. I don't actually know.

Reed: [26:58] Yeah, it's about 90 every day, so-

Christian: [27:02] Ooh … Reed: I would try and, you know, get an Airbnb with a pool or somewhere within walking distance of the Veterans Memorial Pool, which is a little water park there. Um, or honestly, go in the fall. If you know how beautiful the fall is here in Seattle, it's, it's just as gorgeous over there in Walla Walla. They have a ton of trees, and it's a really nice time of year where not as many people go. What about in the winter? Is it super snowy? Like, how does that work?

Reed: [27:29] It's pretty snowy, yeah. You definitely wanna be a little bit careful driving over there. Driving through the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla can be a little bit dicey, and any time you're going to Eastern, any part of Eastern Washington, the Snoqualmie Pass is kind of a, a question mark. But-

Christian: [27:46] Yeah … Reed: yeah, it can be quite snowy. It kind of tends to go in waves. So they'll have two years of heavy snow, and then they'll have, like, two or three years of very light snow over there. But everything's still open? You can still go to all the wineries and tasting rooms and stuff like that?

Reed: [28:00] Yep, and there's actually a very, very small mountain range called the Blue Mountains which are just outside of Walla Walla, and it's not like the skiing that we have here in the Cascades, but it's, it's pretty fun.

Christian: [28:16] if

Reed: [28:16] you wanna go skiing.

Christian: [28:17] That sounds awesome. It's great. I've never actually been over there, so that sounds like something that would be fun to do.

Reed: [28:22] Absolutely.

Christian: [28:23] All right. Well, we covered a lot of great spots east, uh, of Seattle and into Central Washington, and we could have gone over probably 10 or 15 more places and things to do at each of these places, but we kinda had to stop it somewhere. But, you know, majority of these places, especially in the Central and Eastern Washington, there's a lot of skiing, there's a lot of summer stuff. Like, everywhere that you go, there's fun things to do. So, um, definitely use the internet as your friend to help guide you on your vacation, wherever it may be. And thank you very much for li- listening. If you ever wanna talk real estate, that's kinda what we do. We are Seattle area real estate agents. You can always schedule a time to chat with us, uh, at AwesomeNossumGroup.com/schedule. Um, we have free strategy sessions where we just kinda chat and go over your situation and help you decide what makes sense for you or what doesn't make sense for you. And we also have, obviously, this podcast, the Awesome in Seattle podcast. If you haven't yet, please subscribe. It really helps us. And if you ever want to learn about buying a house, we have free monthly home buyer classes. They are held on, or you can sign up right online at beersandhomebuying.com (opens in a new tab). That's beers, with an S, and homebuying.com. Thanks so much for listening, and we'll see you next time. Bye.

Melanie: [29:47] Bye. Bye.