Next up: Wenatchee, Washington, aka the “Apple Capital of the World.” And they mean it. The valley is packed with orchards, and the air smells faintly of cider and ambition.
This place takes apples seriously, so seriously, in fact, they throw an Apple Blossom Festival every spring with not one but two parades, international food vendors, and a carnival. I didn’t time my visit right for the party, but you can feel the apple pride in the atmosphere. Or maybe that was just me, hungry again.
Wenatchee was named after the Wenatchi people, who lived in this valley long before apples rolled in. Archeologists found ancient Clovis tools nearby that are over 11,000 years old, proving people have been calling this place home since the Ice Age. Honestly, if I had stumbled on a river this big and mountains that beautiful, I’d have stuck around too.
That said, Wenatchee doesn’t have a spotless past. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan had a strong presence here burning crosses, marching in parades, and pushing hate under the guise of community values. It's a dark part of the town’s history that shouldn't be forgotten, even in the middle of sunshine and blossoms.
The Great Northern Railway showed up in 1893, helping Wenatchee boom by moving apples, wheat, and people to and from this mountain-ringed valley.
