by Joan Gilbert
Jan 11, 2017
Jan 11, 2017
This is a blog about travel. As we age we find ourselves spending more time at home due to health or monetary reasons. Especially on a dreary day we enjoy sitting and reading about the adventures of others. On The Gardens Gazette we can share the adventures of as many residents as would agree to jot down a few sentences.
Maybe you visited Hawaii and would like others to feel the sand beaches and warm breezes. Or maybe during your enlistment you were stationed in the Orient or Europe. Been on a cruise? Not one to venture far? We’d love to hear about the east coast, the sunny southwest or a cold Minnesota morning.
Even closer to Seattle, what can you tell us about the river basin Lewis and Clark traveled to the Pacific? What are Victoria Island and Butchart Gardens like? Has a trip you’ve taken with Arrowhead reminded you of another place you visited?
My first article was about exploring a bomber, on our Arrowhead trip to Joint Base Lewis McCord, that reminded me of a bomber I’d been on in my teen years in Civil Air Patrol.
As an aside, on an Arrowhead trip to Fort Nisqually I met a woman, from Civil Air Patrol, who was volunteering for the candlelight tour at the fort. It turns out the woman’s mother and I were CAP cadets in Michigan at about the same time! It’s a small world and one full of tales of fascination and wondrous places to read about.
Maybe you visited Hawaii and would like others to feel the sand beaches and warm breezes. Or maybe during your enlistment you were stationed in the Orient or Europe. Been on a cruise? Not one to venture far? We’d love to hear about the east coast, the sunny southwest or a cold Minnesota morning.
Even closer to Seattle, what can you tell us about the river basin Lewis and Clark traveled to the Pacific? What are Victoria Island and Butchart Gardens like? Has a trip you’ve taken with Arrowhead reminded you of another place you visited?
My first article was about exploring a bomber, on our Arrowhead trip to Joint Base Lewis McCord, that reminded me of a bomber I’d been on in my teen years in Civil Air Patrol.
As an aside, on an Arrowhead trip to Fort Nisqually I met a woman, from Civil Air Patrol, who was volunteering for the candlelight tour at the fort. It turns out the woman’s mother and I were CAP cadets in Michigan at about the same time! It’s a small world and one full of tales of fascination and wondrous places to read about.
This little article is about a place called Leavenworth and one called Frankenmuth.
In the heyday of the Detroit automobile industry, when workers could afford a bit of luxury, they headed north to cabins, motels and cottages stopping in Frankenmuth for a chicken dinner. Huge hanging baskets and planters of bright flowers have always graced the main street of the town surrounded by farms. Most of the buildings have trim to resemble Bavarian architecture.
One of the chicken restaurants, Zhender's, sports an over-sized chicken out front that would give eggs the size of a baseball, if it could. The chicken is a topiary of seed begonia plants.
The second of the two big restaurants, the Bavarian Inn, has a 50-ft. glockenspiel tower housing a 35-bell carillon. The glockenspiel sounds a 5-bell Westminster chime before striking each quarter-hour.
In the heyday of the Detroit automobile industry, when workers could afford a bit of luxury, they headed north to cabins, motels and cottages stopping in Frankenmuth for a chicken dinner. Huge hanging baskets and planters of bright flowers have always graced the main street of the town surrounded by farms. Most of the buildings have trim to resemble Bavarian architecture.
One of the chicken restaurants, Zhender's, sports an over-sized chicken out front that would give eggs the size of a baseball, if it could. The chicken is a topiary of seed begonia plants.
The second of the two big restaurants, the Bavarian Inn, has a 50-ft. glockenspiel tower housing a 35-bell carillon. The glockenspiel sounds a 5-bell Westminster chime before striking each quarter-hour.
Remember the story of the boy who played his pipe to rid the town of rats and when the adults didn’t pay him he played his pipe again? This time the town’s children followed the piper into the woods and were lost forever. Some kind parents over the years have reassured their little ones that the town’s children did follow the piper back to town.
Eagerly anticipated by watching children, outside, beneath the bells is a stage where the legend of the Pied Piper is depicted with wooded figures moving on mechanized tracks. Behind the restaurant, next to the Cass River is a beer garten.
A wooden covered bridge crosses the Cass River and interesting gift shops grace the town’s main street. But one need not look up past shops and water toward aspiring peaks, as Michigan is an ancient ocean bed and pretty much as flat as the flapjacks made by lumberjacks, when the state was still covered in woods.
Eagerly anticipated by watching children, outside, beneath the bells is a stage where the legend of the Pied Piper is depicted with wooded figures moving on mechanized tracks. Behind the restaurant, next to the Cass River is a beer garten.
A wooden covered bridge crosses the Cass River and interesting gift shops grace the town’s main street. But one need not look up past shops and water toward aspiring peaks, as Michigan is an ancient ocean bed and pretty much as flat as the flapjacks made by lumberjacks, when the state was still covered in woods.
Long after the forests were leveled and after cars began to be imported to our country, not as many auto workers could vacation in Michigan’s north country. Frankenmuth tried festivals and waterslides and a myriad of other gimmicks to lure tourists. Bill and I got to hear one of my favorite singing groups there, The Inkspots. Today the accordionist still serenades diners at the Bavarian Inn, but the town is probably best known for the largest Christmas store in the world. By the way, Bronner’s is open almost every day of the year and if you can’t find the ornament of your desire there, well…
Now I said this article is about Frankenmuth, MI and Leavenworth, WA. Well, I forgot something. I’m leaving the part about Leavenworth up to someone else. Many Arrowhead residents have taken a trip to the European-like city tucked into the Cascades and I know many of our trippers would love to tell us about it. If you only write a paragraph about one facet of the town we can compile them: What’s the ride there like in the rain? Did you wander down to the river? Try a new food? Watch the Morris dancers?
Here are a few suggestions to start one of your articles/stories:
Don’t fret over grammar and punctuation. Our most capable and efficient editor, Laura Ramsey, will keep our stories readable.
Here’s to arm chair travel to a new or favorite place, may it be in a far-off galaxy or a fishing spot on Lake Washington. Thanks for reading.
Now I said this article is about Frankenmuth, MI and Leavenworth, WA. Well, I forgot something. I’m leaving the part about Leavenworth up to someone else. Many Arrowhead residents have taken a trip to the European-like city tucked into the Cascades and I know many of our trippers would love to tell us about it. If you only write a paragraph about one facet of the town we can compile them: What’s the ride there like in the rain? Did you wander down to the river? Try a new food? Watch the Morris dancers?
Here are a few suggestions to start one of your articles/stories:
- A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… I know: it’s been taken. If you don’t sell your story or article, George Lucas shouldn’t mind.
- I always puked on trips ‘cept this one time… Humor is the best medicine. Now who said that?
- Once upon a time…
- If we’d only had GPS…
Don’t fret over grammar and punctuation. Our most capable and efficient editor, Laura Ramsey, will keep our stories readable.
Here’s to arm chair travel to a new or favorite place, may it be in a far-off galaxy or a fishing spot on Lake Washington. Thanks for reading.
Editor: You can use the Submission form to submit your text and photos. Request blog location "Travel Adventures." If you have questions about the submission process send them in the @Contact form.
RSS Feed