Have you ever wanted to visit Germany, but the grueling flight and jet lag got you down? Well now you can experience small town Germany by driving to it! That’s right! We are going to visit the most Bavarian of towns, Leavenworth, Washington. The Alpine style buildings in the Cascade Mountains are right on the Cascade Scenic Byway www.cascadeloop.com

For maximum scenic driving enjoyment, we will leave Friday morning from Ilani Casino for Monroe. We will leave the I-5 freeway for Mossyrock and avoid Tacoma and Seattle entirely. Turning east from Monroe we will travel the Cascade Loop from Skykomish to Leavenworth.

We will have a group dinner in Leavenworth Friday night. This is a no-host dinner (note: attendees pay for their own food and beverages).

Saturday is for independent wanderlust, but here are some ideas (In the months ahead we can form groups.):

• Have brunch and walk the town and shop in Leavenworth.
• Go wine tasting. Opportunities are everywhere.
• Visit the Nutcracker Museum or the Leavenworth Museum.
• Go on a spectacular hike:
  • Colchuck Lake: www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/colchuck-lake
  • Icicle Ridge: www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/icicle-ridge-1
• Zipline and visit Lake Wenatchee: www.leavenworthziplines.com/
• Continue Cascade Loop with drive to Lake Chelan (1hr drive) and have lunch at Campbells or Crosswinds:
  • Campbells www.campbellsresort.com/dining/
  • Crosswinds www.colvillecasinos.com/lake_chelan_dining/crosswinds-restaurant/
• Sunset at Peshastin Pinnacles 15 min drive from Leavenworth: www.parks.wa.gov/565/Peshastin-Pinnacles
• Visit Grand Coulee Dam (2 hr drive). Guided tours are 1hr starting at the visitor center. Book ahead.
• www.usbr.gov/pn/grandcoulee/visit/gcvc.html

We will have a group dinner Saturday night and catch up on the day’s activities.

On Sunday we will head south on 97 thru the central Washington Teanaway Forest near CleElum.  Then it’s on to Ellensburg, and thru the Toppenish Wildlife Refuge. From there it’s thru the Yakima Indian Reservation and on to Goldendale and The Dalles thru the spectacular Columbia River Gorge home.

Booking a hotel for two nights is required. You can stay anywhere but Leavenworth city center is good idea. The following hotels are recommended and can be booked at www.leavenworth.org/

• Bavarian Lodge
• Enzian Inn
• Hotel Pension Anna
• Linderhof Inn
• Obertal Inn

Act quickly to book your hotel accommodations. Weekends in September sell out and get more expensive the longer you wait. After your room is booked, please register here. There is a fee of $30 per car for this drive.

We will have a mandatory Drivers’ Meeting at 9:00 AM to explain the route and safety rules and sign the waiver. We will head out shortly thereafter.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. All *drivers* MUST be pre-registered online (by August 31st) and be a current BMW CCA member. No “Day Of” registration is allowed. And no “guest” drivers are allowed. 
2. You do not need a separate registration for any passengers in your vehicle BUT all drivers AND passengers need to sign waivers. (see #4)
3. Registration is limited to 16 cars.
4. ALL DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS MUST SIGN A PAPER WAIVER WHICH WE WILL DO ON THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 22, 2023.
5. Drivers meeting is mandatory.
6. There is a fee of $30 per car for this driving tour.