Over the last few years there has been much debate in neighborhoods near Leavenworth about whether or not allowing vacation rentals is a good idea. Does it make for a healthy community or does banning them have a negative effect on home prices? Chiwawa River Pines, after much debate and legal wrangling, decided earlier that vacation rentals are not to be allowed in their neighborhood. Ponderosa Estates (Ponderosa Community Club) has been mulling the vacation rental question over as well and had a well attended community meeting on the topic last year. Apparently, Ponderosa Estates has recently decided to continue to allow vacation rentals. 10/20/2010

Plain's Ponderosa neighborhood will be the site for the 6th Habitat for Humanity home built in the Leavenworth area.  Last year our Windermere office helped paint the house in Dryden. I am sure we will try and help with this project too. This year the home is on the corner of Camp 12 road and Bridle Lane in Ponderosa.  I think this is a great spot and the Ponderosa neighborhood is an up and coming location.  I saw two new foundations on Palomino road and the delapidated trailer on the corner of Primitive Park and Colt has been removed. To get more information about the new house in Plain call the Upper Wenatchee Valley Habitat for Humanity in Leavenworth at 509-548-2031. 04/21/2007

      Most visitors to the Stevens Pass and Leavenworth area are familiar with Lake Wenatchee, but fewer know about it's smaller neighbor, Fish Lake. 500 acre Fish Lake is popular with anglers and well stocked with Largemouth Bass, German Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Yellow Perch. In the winter it is a popular ice fishing destination. In the summer, visitors can rent boats, buy tackle and bait and rent cabins from the Cove Resort.   Most of Fish Lake (80%) is surrounded by public land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. I will discuss the other 20% held in private hands in another post.   A good source of information about Lake Wenatchee and Fish Lake is www.LakeWenatcheeInfo.com You can also see a live webcam of Fish Lake here.   Supplies and some groceries can be purchased at the Midway ... 04/13/2007

I got an update from Lake Wenatchee State Park about work they are doing this winter. They have had a tough time keeping equipment running and dealing with all the wind storms this winter. Rick Halstead, the Park Manager writes:   If all goes as planned with the contract loggers and the weather, the South Park area will close as early as January 25th due to our forest thinning project.  The area will be closed at the gate and no pubic entry allowed due to hazardous logging activities.  The closure will likely last for several weeks - - no sledding or camping will be offered by the state park during this time.  Thinning operations should be complete in the North Park in just two or three more days. Right now the contractor is "cleaning up" the 1-2 k of ski trails which were messed up by ... 01/16/2007

The newest t-shirt from Plain Hardware says it all. "Where the *!@# is Plain?" Plain, Washington is located in the Beaver Valley near Lake Wenatchee and Leavenworth. It's a small place. (They share the 98826 zipcode with Leavenworth) Home to Just Plain Grocery and Plain Hardware and a newly opened Napeequa Winery. Mountain Springs Lodge is also in town along with numerous other vacation rentals. It's a sunny open valley filled with pastures and pine trees and views north to the Glacier Peak Wilderness. It's not far from Kahler Glen for golfing or Stevens Pass for downhill skiing.Anyhow, Plain is great. There. The cat is out of the bag. Vacation home buyers have known about Plain for the past few years and now you do to.The folks at Plain Hardware have a new website. I think it is fabulo... 09/26/2006