The Seattle Section started the morning of December 11, gathering in the large parking lot across the street from Mercedes-Benz of Seattle. Enjoying some fellowship and sharing coffee and donuts.  Once all registered persons had signed their release forms, we had our drivers briefing and then we were off and running.

Our first leg took us on to Eastbound Interstate 90 to Issaquah, exiting on Front Street and arriving at our first stop, the world-famous Boehm’s Candies chalet.

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Boehm’s Candies of Issaquah, WA has been handcrafting a variety of confections for over 75 years. From the most exquisite, rich, European-style, hand-dipped chocolate truffles to our classic, chewy caramels and nut clusters, perfection is found in every bite that bears the Boehm’s name.

 

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After we all finished sampling and shopping the delicious confections, we hopped back in our Mercedes chariots and headed out the backroad toward Maltby.  Enroute to the regionally famous Flower World in Maltby, we passed over a section of the original cobblestone wagon road that served as part of the original Snoqualmie Pass.

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Originally part of the Snoqualmie Pass wagon road through the rural Evans Creek Valley, this route became part of the 3,300-mile-long transcontinental Yellowstone Trail completed in 1923.  The dirt and gravel road was surveyed in 1901 to traverse a one and one-half-mile-long bottomland pass to redirect traffic from a steep and dangerous route between Redmond and Seattle. Local landowner James Mattson filed the petition with King County to have the road

constructed and posted bond for the survey. The road remained gravel until 1913 when, responding to increased use, the County extended the road by an additional mile and repaved it with bricks brought from nearby Renton. Laid in a stretcher bond paving pattern by a professional bricklayer and local residents, the improved surface transformed the former wagon road into a major route used by local farmers, loggers, and transcontinental traffic.

Primarily straight and running north-south through agricultural fields and woodlots, the brick section stretches between Union Hill Road and Redmond Fall City Road. One 90-degree bend known as Dead Man’s Curve at the intersection with Union Hill Road marks the location of an early automobile accident. Today, at just over one mile in length, the brick road is among the last remaining sections of the Yellowstone Trail to retain its historic character. The bumpy road

preserves a track of broken brick along its western edge caused by a tractor with a spiked wheel in 1915. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, King County restored much of the route in 1989.

 

Flower World is a 200-acre nursery started in 1965 by Norwegian immigrants John and Marijke Postema.

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Our retail nursery is situated on a picturesque fifteen acres in the small town of Maltby in south Snohomish County. A unique one-of-a-kind nursery that has grown over time into what Flower World is today. As you drive into our nursery you will see a five-acre park like setting where one can wander thru the gardens, pathways and view the waterwheel, ponds, ducks, and geese which roam freely. We invite you to browse thru our tropical plant greenhouses which feature an indoor pond that has turtles and fish for your enjoyment. Even on a typical Pacific Northwest rainy day there is so much to see, you can stay dry since there are over three acres of greenhouses undercover. If perennials, shrubs, and trees or any other plant is what you are in search for, then you have come to the right nursery. We have over 200 acres that our growers and plant specialists cultivate plants from the very beginning, from seeds to cuttings to finished products, you are truly getting your plants directly from the grower. We encourage you to take your time, enjoy the displays, flowers, plants, shrubs, trees and so much more.  At Flower World we are always thinking about the environment and sustainability, for that reason we incorporate and encourage a plastic pot recycling program to help keep used plastic nursery pots out of the landfill as well as a composting and garden waste program that enables you to drop off your clean greens to us.

 

Now getting hungry we headed over to the delightful Maltby Café for a world class brunch, featuring cinnamon rolls that fill a dinner plate!

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It was nice to sit and relax and enjoy talking about our drive, plans for the New Year, and just reconnecting with our Mercedes Club friends.  A quick survey of the 22 members and 15 cars present, this was a very successful last drive of 2021.