Gorgeous by the Gorge: Area

 

About Quincy

You might call it sun soaked. Or sun drenched. Or sun-sational. OK, that last one isn't really a word but the North Central Plateau of Washington State gets a lot of sunshine. And the small town of Quincy sits right in the middle of this sun-sational location.

And it is in a handy location for traveler's going east and west across the state, one a sojourn to the famous "Gorge and George" concert venue that rocks all summer. You are in the middle of wine country. Plus it is just an easy 7 miles drive to the hot house resort of Crescent Bar on the Columbia River home of boating, water spots and revelry.

So why stay here? Quincy is a good center point for lots of fun things to do. The town has all services including restaurants and the rental homes are big and comfortable and bright. Oh, and did I say they get lots of sun? If you love to get away from the big city, be handy to a wide variety of activities or just want to sit in the sun and bask, this is the place.

 

About Crescent Bar

Just 30 minutes from Wenatchee Washington is a resort area many visitors do not know exists. Those that do come back year after year, keep the secret to themselves.

Crescent Bar is in a truly unique setting, on a narrow strip of land on the East side of the Columbia river and tucked directly below towering basalt cliffs. This gives it 300 days of sunshine and warmer temperatures year round. In summer it is downright hot but the mighty Columbia river is right there for boating, swimming and other water recreation fun.

If you want fun then this is the place. There is a 9 hole golf course, swimming pools, hot tubs, tennis & basketball courts. Plus there is a gym, club house with concerts at the "Gorge at George"and plenty of Wineries in the area.

The resort area boasts camp grounds, restaurant and stores along with a variety of condos and townhomes for rent by the week or night. Sunspot resort offers over 30 of the best homes for rent.

 

About Washington

The Evergreen State lives up to its name. In Western Washington vast forest once covered most everything and even today new visitors are sometimes stunned by the ever present green that can be found in the forests of course, but also in the vegetation that seems to spring up everywhere.

Much maligned as a rainy place, most areas of the state such as Seattle actually get less rain than New York City, Chicago and Florida. And in Eastern Washington vast stretches of high plateau and vast agricultural areas are actually hot and bright in summer and have a great many days of sun even in winter.

THE COAST:
Washington also has some of the most diverse coastal areas in the U.S. To the Southwest, the Long Beach Peninsula is the longest beach in the world and visitors can even drive their cars right out on the sand. There they'll find color kiting, legions of shore birds and a brisk ocean environment.

Further up the cost are Willapa and Grays Harbors home to forest industries, fishing fleets and moderate year round climates. From Seattle and the larger cities, visitors flock to both Harbors during the spring, summer and fall. Many come for fishing, claming and beach front activities.

Still further North is the vast Olympic Peninsula where beaches rise steadily to numerous snow capped summits including Mount Olympus, the Hoh rain forest and the rain showed Sequim recreational areas. The Peninsula is also home to numerous low land lakes where spring fishing gives way to summer water skiing and other great fresh water fun.

PUGET SOUND:
Tucked between the Olympic Mountains to the West and the metropolitan areas of Seattle, Tacoma and Everett to the East is a vast salt water estuary known as Puget Sound. It is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the pristine Straight of Juan De Fuca. State ferries and the engineering marvels of floating bridges, allow visitors to move around "the Sound" with ease. The Sound has been reshaped by the scouring action and till deposition which extended as far south as Olympia.

SAN JUAN ISLANDS:
At the Northern edge of Puget Sound lies a cluster of spectacular rocky islands known and the San Juan’s. A ferry or float plane is required to access the islands but worth the trip.

SOUND CITIES:
Almost dead center on the East coast of Puget Sound lays the large city of Seattle and its cross lake cousin Bellevue. Home to big industries such as Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks Coffee the cities of Puget Sound offer much to visitors. There are restaurants, tours and places to visit such as the Pike Place farmers market. Professional spots teams and major arts organizations including Opera, Ballet and many Live Theatres provide things to do on every night of the year.

CASCADE MOUNTAINS:
Running North-South and splitting the state in half are the Cascade Mountains. Sometimes forgotten in comparison to the Montana, Idaho and Colorado Rocky mountains, the Cascades are vast and sheer. Mt Saint Helens eruption in 1980 brought attention to the area but there are a dozen other major mountain climbing areas including Mt. Rainer and Mt Badams. All are within easy driving distance of major cities and international airports.

At the Northern End of Washington State's Cascades is Mt. Baker, birthplace of snow boarding and still one of the snowiest ski areas in the world. Just to the south is the North Cascades Wilderness area which boasts one of America's most scenic roads. So precipitous, in fact, that it closes in winter due to immense snow falls.

EASTERN WASHINGTON:
From the Eastern Slopes of the Cascades spreads the sprawling areas of Eastern Washington. On the south it is bordered by the Columbia River gorge how to numerous dams and world famous wind surfing. Above that lay the deep rich fields and wine grape vineyards of the Yakima Valley which compares in longitude and composition of renowned French growing areas.

The Columbia river flows north through the middle of Eastern Washington State where dams have created long and winding lakes surrounded by campgrounds and recreational areas. North Central Washington is home to the Replica Bavarian Village of Leavenworth which boasts over four million visitors per year, as well as to Lake Chelan a 50 mile long natural lake one of the cleanest in the United States. Its gorge - if it were emptied of water - would be deeper than the Grand Canyon. North of that can be found the Wild West town of Winthrop Washington where real live cowboys ride the ranges during hot summers and frigid white winters.

On the border shared with Idaho and about central North to South, lays the Inland Empire city of Spokane headquarters to industry and agricultural activities. To the south likes the Palouse region known as the bread basket of the world because it produces more grain per acre than anywhere else.

In short, the Evergreen state is a very diverse place full of recreational activities like boating, fishing, water sports, professional sports arenas, high class arts organizations and so much to do you'll need a month just to begin to see much of it.