Yesterday’s post left us on the road Wednesday. We crossed Blewett Pass and drove north on US97 past Wenatchee. We stopped there and topped up the fuel tank. We were thinking about heading to the Twisp-Winthrop Rodeo Grounds to boondock for a couple of days. I like to have the tank full when we’re unsure of our destination and may need to run the generator. It won’t run if there’s less than a quarter of a tank of fuel. It’s designed that way so that you won’t run out of fuel and not be able to start the engine.

The quick turnaround at Aubrey’s RV left us with a few open days to fill before we cross the Cascade Mountains. After fueling up, we ran into heavy smoke north of the Rocky Reach Dam. A wildfire covering 28 square miles of the Wenatchee National Forest west of Entiat, Washington was burning. The smoke hung like fog over the Columbia River.

We didn’t know about the  fire. There are two routes to the North Cascade Highway from Wenatchee – US97 on the east bank of the Columbia River and US97A on the west side. Since I wanted fuel, I chose US97 on the east side. This turned out to be the better choice. US97A was closer to the fire and road closures were a possibility. By Thursday, 30 miles of 97A were closed.

I began to have doubts about the Twisp-Winthrop Rodeo Grounds. When we stayed there last year, it was Labor Day weekend. The grounds were open for the rodeo. I asked Donna if she remembered a gate at the entrance. I was thinking the grounds might be closed and the gate locked up. I was trying to remember the road. I thought we could be in trouble if the gate was locked. I wasn’t sure if we could turn around if we couldn’t enter the rodeo grounds.

Donna opened the Escapees Day’s End directory on her laptop to look for information. The Day’s End directory has information on campgrounds and boondocking sites. She didn’t find any information on the rodeo grounds, but she found other points of interest. She found an American Legion Park north of us in Okanagan. It was only six bucks per night (no hook-ups).

Then she found an RV park in Winthrop that offered a 50% discount to Escapees members. Donna called the Pine Near RV park and inquired about availability. They had a large pull-through site available. We diverted from US97 to WA153 – a narrow two-lane highway that follows the Methow (MET-how) River. I made a wrong turn as we entered town, but we had no problem getting back on the right road. We found the RV park on a ridge above downtown Winthrop.

The owner, Anna came out to our coach and told us to walk to the site with her. She showed us the site and explained how we should orient the coach. The site is huge with a large grassy area, picnic table and fire ring. Next to road, a line of trees borders the site. There wasn’t anyone within 100 feet of our site.

This was a real score. Full hook-ups with 50-amp service for $21/night including tax. Winthrop is a cool town with lots of activities. It’s a popular destination for people from the Seattle area (Westsiders). The town was first built in 1891 when Guy Waring settled with his family at the confluence of the Methow and Chewuch Rivers. The place burned to the ground in 1893. In 1897, Guy returned and re-established the town. Click on the photo below to read his story.

The Pine Near RV Park is located across the street from the Shafer Museum. This museum is manned by volunteer docents and entry is by donation. It has old buildings and various implements used for farming and mining in the area.

They displayed a huge old diesel engine. Originally it powered a tug boat. It was re-purposed to run a mining operation.

Donna and I walked through the museum grounds to access stairs leading down to the main street and downtown area. The museum and Pine Near RV Park are on Castle Avenue above the downtown district.

Downtown Winthrop is comprised of old western-style buildings and boardwalks covering about two blocks. The Winthrop area has about 2,000 residents, but fewer than 500 live in the incorporated city.

Donna and I walked through town and found the Old Schoolhouse Brewery. I went inside while Donna window shopped at a few more of the stores.

The brewery has a patio deck in the back, right on the Chewuch River. I found a table on the deck shaded by a tree. Donna joined me for a beer.

After sampling a couple of beer styles, we walked back to the Pine Near RV park. Did I mention our deluxe site?

Anna bought the Pine Near RV Park about two years ago. She’s working hard to upgrade the grounds and build her reputation. We heard from locals in town how much she’s improved the place. We absolutely love it. Nice sites, friendly service and a short walk to downtown.

When we set up, I put the living room slide out. Wow! After living with the slide in for the last five weeks, we’d forgotten how much of a difference it makes. Our space feels huge! I got the tape measure out and did some calculations. The slide is 16 feet long and extends about two feet. This adds about 32 square feet of floor space. That’s about 10% of the total floor plan of the coach.

But when you think about the living room, where we spend most of our time, the picture changes. Our living room, from the back of the driver’s seat to the bathroom entry is 16 feet long and about eight feet wide with the slide in. That’s 108 square feet. With the slide out, it’s 140 square feet, a 30% increase in area.

On Wednesday evening, we munched on hors d’oeuvres for dinner and watched TV in our luxurious, 140-square-foot living room.

Yesterday, Donna went out on her bicycle and explored the area. She finished off her ride with a stop at Pearrygin State Park and jumped into Pearrygin Lake to cool off. I asked Anna if I could wash our coach. She said she doesn’t always allow washing in her park, but she let me do it. I spent about three hours washing the coach and trailer.

Donna and I I walked back into town later and had a late lunch at the Mexican restaurant. Donna shopped at a consignment shop while I returned to the coach. It was very hot out – in the mid-90s.

We only booked two nights here as that was what Anna had available. Yesterday, Anna told me we could stay another night, but we have to move to a different site. Our current site was reserved for the weekend. It’s the best site in the park. Next time we’re in Winthrop, we’ll try to book site 14 again. This morning we’ll move the coach to site 26, another large, shaded site.