But Western Washington weather is not a big deal to someone who once got stuck walking in knee-deep snow on the sidewalk of a lakeside town (yes, really - it was embarrassing). The sky could be as gray and foreboding as anything in a Lemony Snicket book or "The Fall of the House of Usher," but with no snow and milder temperatures in winter, it's like a heat wave.
And still, one or two days a year, it seems appropriate to take a day trip to the snow that you no longer have to drive in...
Winterfest is a beautiful time to go to Lake Chelan in January. This is the view at dusk:
Points of interest depend on the weekend you're going, but highlights include horse-drawn sleigh rides, fireworks, a Wish Lantern lighting, a Wine Walk, and the lighting of an ice tower. And for those who are, like me, babies about the cold, there are tons of places to get warm, from bonfires to hot chocolate vendors. Or, if you're like my husband, a place that specializes in alcoholic cider - one of the many businesses that are popping up around Washington that the Midwest has never heard of.
Wish Lanterns Lighting
At 6:00 p.m., as soon as the sun went down, five hundred floating "wish lanterns" went into the air over Lake Chelan. If you've ever seen that scene in Tangled where Flynn and Rapunzel are surrounded by these lanterns on a boat with no concern for them landing and setting said boat on fire, you basically know the gorgeous visual that was on display over the lake that night. And because these are wish lanterns, the Chamber of Commerce has provided stations with markers to make sure you write your wish down before you let your lantern float away.
And even if you didn't want to buy a lantern, you should still come and check it out as a free event, because these pictures speak for themselves:
Fire + Ice: The Ice Tower Lighting
Not to keep you out in the cold for too long, a half hour later is the burning of the ice tower. Like an open box stacked with wood in the middle and then torched from within, the fire erupts from the top of the ice blocks like a volcano, then surges, and finally crumbles. While this an interesting watch for two younger adults, the ones who really ate this up were the kids.
Check out the before and after:
Cider, Wine, and Beer - or Children's Activities
If the hot chocolate and bonfires don't warm you up, there's a lot for adults to try in the beer, cider, and wine department. The other group Winterfest seems to have a lot for is children, but as my husband and I are childless, we had little incentive to try those activities. Before I focus on a couple of tasting rooms, I wanted to say that while children and wine-drinking adults seem like two opposite crowds, the main events (such as fireworks, the wish lantern lighting, etc.) appealed well to both.
Rootwood Cider Co. - The first place we tried a flight was in downtown Manson at Rootwood Cider Co. In Seattle, we are used to crazy cider combinations, like being infused with pineapple or coffee, but at Rootwood, they look at cider like one looks at a fine wine. Drier, sweeter, hints of vanilla, subtle fruit flavors all went into the $5 flight of four we tried.
My recommendation is for the limited release "Dry Hopped," with a sweet-yet-tart flavor infused with hops - the blend is hard-to-describe but mellow and smooth, the flavors complimenting each other. And this from someone who doesn't typically like hops.
Tsillan Cellars - Atop a hill right outside Chelan (and overlooking Lake Chelan) sits gorgeous, Tuscan-style Tsillan Cellars. With its its roaring fireplace, velvet throws, and vauted ceilings, it's a decadent stop for wines with bold flavors. A flight of five of these wines will be about $10.
IETM recommends the sweet, full-bodied, and oak-infused 2013 Reserve Syrah, and the fruit-filled notes of the 2015 Riesling.
If you've never been to Lake Chelan in the winter, this is the weekend to go. The snowy mountains are picture-perfect, and the free activities (or buy a button from The Chamber of Commerce for sleigh rides and in-town discounts) are a great way to enjoy the season.
