KITTITAS VALLEY
From the Cascades to the Columbia | Q3 2015
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TABLE of
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Former Central professor turns passionate hobby into flourishing business.
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KITTITAS VALLEY LIVING Q3 2015
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The stars are out and a celestial view awaits those willing and ready for romance.
Allyson Klutenkamper serves dual roles as an artist and educator.
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• Kruisin’ Kittitas Car Show and Burnouts • Frontier Village • Ellensburg Film Festival
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NEW VIEW BLINDS & DRAPERIES VOTED BEST WINDOW COVERINGS New View Blinds and Draperies provides FREE in-home consultations, FREE perfect fit measuring , great design ideas, lifetime warranty, great service, and repairs for Kittitas County including: Ellensburg, Thorp, Cle Elum, Roslyn, Easton, Kittitas, Vantage, Ronald, Suncadia and Tumble Creek. All with low competitive prices!
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GALLERY ONE VISUAL ARTS CENTER VOTED BEST ART GALLERY/MUSEUM Gallery One Visual Arts Center is a nonprofit organization that relies on community involvement and donations to keep its doors open. In addition to rotating exhibits of contemporary art, Gallery one offers a variety of quarterly classes, an art after school program, a gift store featuring regional artisans, a full ceramics studio available for rent and classes, inexpensive studio spaces for artists and facility rentals for the community.
408 N. Pearl 509-925-2670 | www.gallery-one.org
C.W. BARBERSHOP
C.W. BARBERSHOP
VOTED BEST BARBER SHOP Open 6 days a week, C.W. Barbershop, tops the category again this year. Kelsey Schmidt has owned the shop since 2007 and takes pride in her wide variety of clientele; from baby’s first haircut, to old timers, locals and students. Kelsey enjoys the barbershop atmosphere where she considers her customers her family and has learned that an important part of her job is being a good listener. Drop in, you’re always welcome.
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OLD MILL COUNTRY STORE VOTED BEST FARMER-FRIENDLY SUPPLIER Old Mill Country Store’s premier goal is to provide a unique shopping experience and complete customer satisfaction for their patrons. The employees at Old Mill are deeply knowledgeable in all things related to farm, ranch, and country living.
500 W. Third 509-925-5397
ARBOR CARE LAWN & PEST CONTROL, INC. VOTED BEST PEST CONTROL Providing quality conscience pest control, lawn care, tree service, and more to Yakima, Ellensburg, and the surrounding areas of central Washington.
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LINDER CHIROPRACTIC, MYRON LINDER VOTED BEST CHIROPRACTOR Dr. Myron Linder and Dr. Sandy Linder graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic . They have been practicing for 25 years, specializing in a wide range of the latest adjusting techniques. Linder Chiropractic is located next to CWU, within walking distance for students. We are accepting new patients! Call to schedule an appointment.
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SCOTT ROLLINS, STATE FARM INSURANCE VOTED BEST INSURANCE AGENT Serving you for 33 years, at State Farm we offer Auto Insurance, Home and Property Insurance, Life Insurance, Health Insurance, Banking Products, Annuities, Mutual Funds. Office hours are M-F 8:30-5:30. www.ScottYouCovered.com
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NANCY BARNES – BLOOMTIME NURSERY & DESIGN VOTED BEST PLANT NURSERY Bloomtime Nursery & Design has offered the best in quality plants and friendly service since 2000. You can shop with Bloomtime at their location or call for custom landscape design and services.
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WOODS ACE HARDWARE VOTED BEST HARDWARE STORE Let the knowledgeable staff at Woods Ace Hardware provide you with great hardware products, tips, and advice on lawn care, painting, decorating, plumbing and electrical. Locally owned and operated, the Woods family has been serving Ellensburg since 1944.
FEVERGEON FINANCIAL, INC. - DAVID FEVERGEON VOTED BEST FINANCIAL PLANNER Fevergeon Financial is a wealth management practice devoted to educating, serving, and coaching you to meet your goals and objectives. We’d love to assist with your financial planning and investment management needs! SECURITIES OFFERED THROUGH KMS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC Disclosure: The Best of Kittitas County award was created and conducted by the Ellensburg Daily Record. Voters submitted online and print ballots to write-in their selection for Best Financial Planner for Kittitas County. This award does not evaluate the quality of services provided to clients and is not indicative of investment performance.
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THE ROOST TATTOO STUDIO VOTED BEST TATTOO BUSINESS In business for two years, at the Roost we value our craft and our love for tattooing. We promise to give the highest quality tattoo experience in the valley. We value our client relationships and that is part of the quality experience!
315 N. Main St 509-9331001
SUGAR THAI CUISINE BEST ASIAN FOOD Sugar Thai has a beautiful traditional Thai interior that looks simple but striking. With authentic fresh recipes that come straight from the homeland, and service that’s not only friendly but makes you feel at home. Not to mention prices that are affordable for any family.
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AROUND THE
County
F
or a full list of events in the region, go to the Daily Record’s online calendar at dailyrecordnews.com.
Make a dent on the bucket list You can’t say you really live here unless you’ve: • Climbed Manastash Ridge • Floated the Yakima River • Picked berries in the Upper County
Burn some rubber It's safe to say there is no other event on the community calendar like the Kruisin’ Kittitas Car Show and Burnouts. The event is part car show, part community gathering and celebration and part spectacle as vehicles will be allowed to perform burnouts on Main Street in Kittitas. It's a must-see events for residents and visitors. Aug. 8, contact: Kittitas County Chamber of Commerce 8 KV LIVING
Smoke rises while one of the cars competing in the 12th annual Kruisin’ Kittitas. Powerbreaking and showmanship were encouraged in the competition
Cinch Shoot-Out The Ellensburg Rodeo is big on tradition, but there’s a new twist this year. The Cinch Shootout, on Sunday evening of Labor Day weekend, will feature seven worldclass contestants in highlighted events. The top three will move on to a sudden-death round where fans will see a champion crowned at the conclusion of the
performance. Featured events will include bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, team roping (equal money), tiedown roping and barrel racing. The champion of each event will walk away $10,000 richer. The total purse for the performance is $80,000. Sept. 6, Contact: ellensburgrodeo. com
Visitors gather in the Frontier Village at the Kittitas County Fair
Frontier Village
The event includes a juried show, wine tasting, music and try-it art stations in downtown Roslyn.
If you’ve never been to the Kittitas County Fair, it’s worth going just to make a stop at Frontier Aug. 22-23, roslynartfestival.org Village. Children and adults can pan for gold, buy penny candy, stop by the schoolhouse and Buskers reunite saddle up to the bar at the Rocky Saddle Saloon This event brings top street performers from for a cold root beer. across the region to entertain in downtown Sept. 3-7, kittitascountyfair.com Ellensburg. Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands will highlight the closing concert at Rotary Pavilion. Roslyn Art Festival People who attend the Roslyn Art Festival can do more than look at art — they can try it, too.
Sept. 25-26, buskersintheburg.org
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AROUND THE
County
Ellensburg Film festival This is an opportunity to see some of the best independent films in the nation over two days in downtown Ellensburg. The film festival has become increasingly popular, drawing more than 2,000 people to view the films. Oct. 2-4, ellensburgfilmfestival. com.
Manastash Metric Starting at Mount Stuart Elementary School. This bike century and half-century bike tour is a fundraiser for RSVP and Volunteer Center of Kittitas County. Oct. 3, 7:30 a.m.
Clymer Rendezvous This event is the major fundraiser of the year for the museum and gallery that features the art of Ellensburg native John Clymer. Oct. 3, Clymer Museum and Gallery.
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A Manastash Metric competitor rides past a lush hillside along Highway 10 near the Thorp Highway.
KITTITAS VALLEY
LETTER FROM
The Editor
The Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the U.S. border with Mexico to the Canadian border, has received significant attention since the publication of Cheryl Strayed’s book, “Wild,” and a subsequent movie. The attention has resulted in more hikers this year on the 2,267- mile trek through California, Oregon and Washington. Starting this year, only 50 permits are available each day for hikers planning to complete more than 500 miles of the trail. One of this year’s hikers was Elizabeth Ketterer of Cle Elum, who shared her story in the Daily Record before ending her journey in early July. While the hike is far from easy, Ketterer soon found her stride. She made it through almost 1,000 miles in the Mojave Desert and Sierras in California before taking a new path to graduate school. She recaps the experience in this edition of KV Living.
It’s not necessary to commit to the full hike to experience some of the beauty of the PCT. Part of the trail runs through Kittitas County, and it’s possible to do a short section, starting from a trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass. We have two other stories about life’s journeys in this month’s edition of the magazine — retired Central Washington University professor Bill Owen’s quest for excellence on the golf course and artist Allyson Klutenkamper’s path toward fine art photography. Some of Klutenkamper’s pieces are up at Gallery One in Ellensburg in July. We’ll also share some tips for stargazing in Kittitas County from student writer Maria Harr. I hope you have a chance to get outside this summer and explore, whether it’s on the trail, on the golf course or in the sky.
Joanna Markell Editor
Q3, 2015
Editors: Joanna Markell and Nicole Klauss Writers: Maria Harr, Matt Carstens, Brittany Allen, Elizabeth Ketterer Photographer: Brian Myrick Designers: Matt Carstens and Tim Johnson of JohnsonDesign Publication of the Daily Record 401 N. Main St. Ellensburg WA 98926 509-925-1414 To submit a story idea or upcoming event, email newsroom@kvnews.com. For information about advertising, email: advertising@kvnews.com. www.dailyrecordnews.com
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OUTDOORS
Photos P Ph h and d story b by ELIZABETH KE K KETTERER TT T ER ERE ER ER
“The Trail Angel will mail you my broken phone. Please see if you can do anything to fix it. I really need it! It has all my trail maps uploaded to it and it was the only thing I had to take pictures with.” This is not the way I expected to begin my through-hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. I was standing at the southern terminus of the trail, at the Mexico-California border, with a broken iPhone, calling my recently exboyfriend on another phone to save the day. This was the exact opposite direction I wanted to go after our four-year relationship ended. I had intended to reunite myself with the strong, confident woman I knew was deep inside me. I was full of hope that she would resurface. Step by step my own two feet would pound out toxic, raw emotions by hiking 2,267 miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. Or so I thought. This seemingly weak and demoralizing start to the trail was causing sharp doubt in my timid mind as to whether taking a six-month hike from Mexico to Canada was really such a good idea.
THE WHIRLWIND I started my preparations just a few months prior to my April 12 start date. The trail was not something I planned to do in 2015. While I put backpacking the PCT on my mental bucket list three years ago, I figured it would take just the right moment in life for things to line up and at least a year of planning to embark on such an adventure. Like many things in life, I was wrong. Instead of positive, exciting life circumstances driving me to make the trek, it was a bunch of life’s lemons that caused me to throw my hands up in the air and declare my intentions to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. My heart was reeling with sadness after a break up from my longtime boyfriend with whom I owned a home in Cle Elum;
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the dogs I left with him. Then, I was passed over for a career changing promotion at work. Simultaneously, I was rejected from one graduate school program, and shoved on to a stale waitlist for another. I had no reason to stay where I was, physically or mentally. It was time to move on and make drastic changes in my life. It was time for me to take life’s lemons and make lemonade. It was January, the middle of winter in Central Washington and just a month after the breakup. I had plenty of time alone to research gear and read blogs of people who had hiked the PCT in previous years.
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I did not have an abundance of money. I knew the gear would be expensive, and I would need funds to cover not only my portion of the mortgage and cell phone bill, but I would need enough money to buy food for my six-month journey, health insurance and the incidentals along the way. I started listing my belongings on Craigslist, including my car. I was excited when the car sold, only to be discouraged when all the funds were drained with the purchase of my well-researched gear. Even with the use of coupons and timing purchases alongside REI sales, I was going to need more money for my trail food. I started having big garage sales, selling anything I was not going to carry in my backpack. Neighbors poured in from everywhere. People I had never met were interested in details about my outlandish idea to hike a trail some had never heard of. I was encouraged by their excitement. My officemate, Skylar, decided to join me for the first two weeks of the trip. Each time I told someone about my intentions, I believed in my heart more and more that I could actually do it. After numerous trips to Costco, long hours dehydrating food, and with the faithful help of my mom and dear friend back in my childhood hometown in California, my resupply boxes were stocked with food, maps and toiletries, ready to be shipped to me every week along the trail. Even as the details were wrapping up, fear began to set in. Could I really do this? Was I in shape for something like this? Would I fail? Would the renters trash the house while I am away? Would my body adjust to sleeping without the comfort of a bed? Could my heart bear to be out of contact from the person I have loved for so long? Did I know how to survive if I got lost? Could I endure the heat of the desert? Did I buy the right gear? Would other hikers believe I am a real hiker? Did I have what it takes to take on this challenge? Overlooking Chief Lake from Silver Pass
LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT Despite my doubt and fears, I put my 65-pound backpack on my back and took my first step. I thought I could not go without anything in it — the 25-pound base weight, a week of food (18 pounds) and 10 quarts of water (22 pounds).
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PCT hikers have trail names they use on the journey. Grapefruit (Elizabeth Ketterer, right) hikes with Plug through the Sierras
In spite of the ridiculously heavy pack, I was ecstatic the entire first mile. I was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail! I wanted to cry I was so excited. No more preparations to worry about, no more fears to think about in my head. I was there. I was hiking. The excitement lasted a full mile. At the 1-mile marker, I wondered how I would walk 2,666 more miles. While my mind raced and the uncomfortable feelings in my body set in due to the weight of my pack and the heat of the desert, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left, right, left, right. The first evening I was exhausted. I already had an emotional, heat-induced breakdown when Skylar and I took our lunch break during the heat of the day. I had packed my snacks at the bottom of my bag and not everything would fit back in place after I retrieved them. I literally kicked my pack and then started punching it, while swearing at it and crying. My poor hiking buddy sat silently as she waited for me to be done. After crumbling to the ground, I laid over my wretched bag more exhausted than when I started the tantrum; somehow I was more peaceful. I had nothing left in me. No more energy for tears or anger. I was empty. I apologized to my buddy and we quietly hoisted our giant packs on our backs, clipped the straps around our waists and painfully began the second part of our first day. Blisters were already forming on
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our feet, and the skin on our shoulders, collarbones and waists was rubbed raw from the rough straps in the sweaty desert heat. We went through periods of talking mixed with silence, though we were both thinking the same thing: “What am I doing hiking in the desert?! I am in so much pain! I just want to stop and quit.� We just kept walking. Eventually we decided to stop for the night after hiking nine miles the first day. We were exhausted and starving. After making dinner with our new stoves and sparingly using our water, we sat on a rock and looked out over the valley we had just hiked all day. It was a gorgeous view with a cool breeze. We felt accomplished with our mileage, yet it was discouraging that we were only nine miles from the border. All night we heard border patrol helicopters and ATVs racing around. It was unnerving and I wondered if someone would jump in my tent in the middle of the night, looking for refuge. I slept within reach of my pepper spray and the hefty Benchmade knife my brother gave me as a gift for the trail. I was surprised I got any sleep that night and even more surprised when I woke up the next morning alive and unharmed. I had survived my first night on the trail, and was greeted by a beautiful sunrise. What a treat! It took us two hours that morning to make breakfast, pack
up our tents and gear, and get dressed for the day. I used a lesson from Day 1, packing my food for the day at the top of my pack to avoid another midday meltdown. The next few days were similar. I questioned if undertaking this hike was the best use of my life. The desert sun beat down on me, as my body screamed about the head-to-toe pain for hours on end. Yet there was something within me that caused me to keep taking one step at a time. We learned to take water breaks and snack breaks more often. We woke up early to beat the rising of the sun. Preparing our food and water the night before helped us cut down on our morning routine time. I still had no idea if I could stand to be this dusty and dirty for six months, or if I could set up and take down my tent every single day without going insane.
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GROWING WITH HIKING BUDDIES Though my hiking buddy decided to shorten her trail experience from two weeks to four days, I was incredibly grateful for the emotional support and encouragement her presence had provided. Our time together was cemented in my memory through the sweat and tears we shed. We were trail war buddies. We had made it together through four days in the desert and I truly do not know that I would have made it without her. As I said goodbye, I worried whether I’d make new friends. There is a saying on the trail,
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Every day was unique on the Pacific Crest Trail. The scenery varied; whether it was the terrain, plants, weather, or animals, no two days felt the same. At the same time, there was routine to each day out on the trail. Once I woke up, I would fire up my stove to make oatmeal for breakfast. Then I would change into my hiking clothes, tend to my foot blisters, roll up my air mattress and sleeping bag, and take down my tent. Before I put my backpack on to start hiking for the day, I would send a message from my SPOT Personal Beacon Locator to my family to give them my GPS location and let them know I was alive. In the desert, I woke up between 4:45 and 6 a.m. to get mileage in before the heat of the day, and took a long rest break for four to five hours in the middle of the day until it cooled down again. Depending on my mileage goal or my energy level, I would hike a few more hours. Just before dark, I looked for a flat place not too far off from the trail to make camp. After setting up my tent and sleeping bed, I cooked a hot meal for dinner (I ate 4,000 plus calories a day) and filtered water for the next day. I had little energy at the end of the day, but I reviewed the next day’s maps and mustered up the discipline to write in my journal. By the time I reached my sleeping bag, I was incredibly grateful for the rest. Through the desert, water was the number one factor that influenced all decisions. The location of water sources gauged my daily mileage. I planned my breaks and camp spots around water sources. As water was scarce through the desert in a drought year, watering holes became the place that people gathered. I loved meeting new people and hearing about their experiences on the trail. News would spread at the water sources: where the next water was, which hikers were ahead or behind, who was stopping to camp at which mile marker for the night. Conversation on the trail shifted away from topics which were typical in civilization such as politics, money and social status. At the beginning of the trail, conversations revolved around where someone lived before the trail, how much water one was carrying, or blisters and body aches. As the miles went on and we all became more confident hikers, the conversations revolved around mileage, crazy food combinations concocted on the trail, and stories about how people earned their trail name. 16 KV LIVING
“The trail provides.” Anyone who has done a thru-hike can testify to the truth of this saying. When a hiker is in need of anything from socks to a companion, the need is always met, in just the right time. Before my hiking buddy left, I had already met three people with whom I would soon spend many of my trail days. Through the trying beginning of the trail in the desert, they would be my friends in the good, the bad and the ugly. Most people who hike the trail are given a nickname used by other hikers — Banjo, Burgundy and Nailz would become my trail family. After my trail family, “The Bus” (Blueberries, The Engineer, Bro-tein, and Plug) came along, scooping me up with their entertaining humor and fun filled perspective. I’d join them on and off just like a bus, until my last day on the trail. In the Sierras, I reunited with Plug, a fellow Californian native and lover of the Sierras, with whom I enjoyed the gorgeous section of the trail at a “Sierra pace.” I met many people in between, as well, more than I can note here. With each of them, I would share food, water, moments of frustration, protection, smelly motel rooms and an abundance of laughter.
HIKING SOLO Some days there was not much interaction with other people. Another hiker could pass by me, or vice versa, but once conversation was had, we would continue at our own hiking pace. On those days I would
feel lonely. Those times were rare enough and I enjoyed the freedom solo hiking allowed me. I met so many hikers and spent time with a variety of people. Another advantage of hiking solo is the ability to decide when to stop for breaks and how many miles I wanted to do each day. I enjoyed the freedom of hiking until I wanted to stop. There was an incredible sense of satisfaction at the end of each day, knowing I had accomplished a certain number of miles. It was fun to hike with different speeds of hikers, too. As I was building up my endurance, I was motivated by the pace or mileage of others and soon started impressing myself with my hiking regime. I never imagined I would hike numerous marathon-length days, back to back, ever in my life. The heat of the desert and a desire to get to a water source or a town motivated me to reach beyond my imagination. Some of those days I accomplished through pacing with hikers faster than myself. The most rewarding days were those I accomplished long mileage through my own mental strength. I was becoming stronger both physically and mentally, and the rewards were encouraging. At some point, I transitioned from a newbie PCT hiker to a confident hiker who had no doubt she could accomplish the miles set out for her in each section, regardless of the weather or conditions of the terrain.
Grapefruit, as Eliza beth Ketterer is kn own on the trail, ou top of Muir Pass. tside
A NEW BEGINNING After seven weeks hiking through the desert, I finally reached the Sierras. What a beautiful reward! The blisters on my feet were healing, my knee pain disappeared, and my body aches were minimal. I had been looking forward to the shade the trees would provide, the abundance of drinking water and the resulting ability to rinse my dirty
stinky clothes out as I pleased. The views were amazing and the natural beauty of the mountains, trees, lakes and streams that surrounded me was breathtaking. A tree lover, I delighted in the variety of trees and the different stages of life they displayed. Wildlife warmed my heart with the sense of life they provided. I saw marmots for the first time in my life and learned about their quirky characteristics. I never grew tired of watching deer up close in their natural habitat.
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My Sierra hiking buddy, Plug, loved to fish. We would stop often as he flyfished along the way. Like two children in a candy store, we were overjoyed by the new beauty that unfolded before us each day. No longer needing to beat the heat of the sun, we woke up on a leisurely schedule. We hiked at a slower “Sierra pace” due to the challenge of the elevation and steep climbs. We stopped at almost every lake and stream along the way, too, to soak up the beauty. My time in the Sierras was absolutely incredible and I could not have asked for anything more in life. I was wholly content. I was blissfully enjoying hiking when I got news that the graduate school program I was on the waitlist for was offering me a seat in the program for this fall. I was elated — I screamed, jumped up and down, and ran over to Plug to share the great news.
Continued on Page 34
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When I first started the trail, I worried about camping alone. It was common to chat with other hikers through the day about where they intended to stop that night. I found comfort in knowing I would see others at the end of the day and looked forward to the camaraderie. As I became more confident on the trail, I no longer worried about camping alone. Toward the end of the desert section, I sought out places to camp solo. I enjoyed the peace of falling asleep alone under the stars. I felt connected to nature and often cowboy-camped with my sleeping bag on the ground without a tent. The connection with nature cultivated a deep sense of contentment and peace within me. I began to recognize this was something for which I’d been searching. I realized this was the very reason I had come to the trail. A calm sense of centeredness through my entire body, mind and soul was present.
John Muir Hut at
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By MATT CARSTENS | Photos by BRIAN MYRICK
FORMER CENTRAL PR
Nam Bill Owen Name: Business: Linksmaster Golf Contact number: 509-925-3323
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on the
Life Links
AL PROFESSOR TURNS PASSIONATE HOBBY INTO FLOURISHING BUSINESS
When you visit Bill Owen’s house just outside of Ellensburg, you notice two buildings. One is for sleeping, eating and other normal daily living. The second building is for the other essential part of life: golf. Owen’s second house is a state-ofthe-art club fitting center, a regular Disneyland for golf enthusiasts. Inside you’ll find a hitting bay and launch monitor with 12-foot ceilings and a projector that shows your ball flight along with all of the necessary data that helps him build custommade clubs to fit any swing.
Different club heads, shafts and other components line the walls of the cozy workshop. Owen said he wishes he built it a little bit bigger, but the intimate setting is still a big step up from working out of his garage, which he did from 1994 until he built his new sanctuary to golf in 2007. Just like on the golf course, there are certain rules and etiquette you have to follow when you’re around a man who taught statistics at Central Washington University for the better part of 40 years. KV LIVING 19
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Bill Owen follows his drive off a tee box at Suncadia's Rope Rider course
“The first day in class I would tell my students there’s two ways you can flunk this class,” Owen said. “You can put an ’S’ on my name or you can say ‘data’ incorrectly. Of course someone had to chime in with the same joke every quarter. “Well Dr. OWENS, where do you get your DAH-ta from?” they heckled. “I had a lot of fun in class,” Owen said. “I would start the first week of class, whenever someone would pronounce it incorrectly I would turn around and put a little mark up on the board. After a while they figured out what I was doing. I was keeping score.”
Beating Nicklaus It was quite the journey that brought Owen to Ellensburg, but throughout the adventure one variable was never too far off, even if it seemed like it: golf.
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Growing up in Colorado, Owen was a serious golfer by the time he was 10. A few years later he was competing in some of the biggest amateur tournaments in the country. After winning the Colorado State Junior Championship in 1954 when he was 15, a 16-year-old Owen qualified for the National Junior Chamber of Commerce Tournament by placing in the top four at a state qualifying tournament in Pueblo, Colo., where he had to beat one of his best friends in a playoff. The next stop was Fargo, N.D., where Owen crossed paths with the greatest golfer of all time, and for one nine-hole stretch, beat the Golden Bear himself. “I wasn’t even really playing with him,” Owen said. “I was playing real close to him, and when I finished up I watched him play a couple of holes because I knew he was a big shot.”
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ABOVE: Golf club craftsman Bill Owen adjusts a club display in his Ellensburg workshop. RIGHT: Golf balls litter the putting green in Bill Owen’s backyard. BELOW: A selection of clubs on display in Bill Owen’s workshop
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Owen shot a 44 on the front and a 33 on the back, with the 33 beating Nicklaus’ back nine. “I just knew about him,” said Owen, who is 16 days older than Nicklaus. “He was considered the best junior golfer around. Even when he was 16, he was unbelievable. Every time I got a chance I watched him. You could just tell he was on a different planet than the rest of us. He was something, and he was very nice. He’s never been that arrogant type.” Owen made the mistake of telling a few friends about the back nine he would remember forever. They still give him a bad time about it to this day. When Owen told his father, his father didn’t think much of it, but ended up being one of Nicklaus’ biggest fans. Even though it was only nine holes, it’s quite the feather to have in a golfer’s cap. “A very small feather,” Owen said with a laugh. Even though the Nicklaus story has the star power, Owen’s favorite early accomplishment was beating the eventual French national amateur champion in a direct match play event.
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Turning down space Owen attended Colorado State University where he was on the golf team and held the captain title his senior year. After earning his Ph.D. in mathematical statistics, and going through ROTC, he spent two years in the Army. 1310671.KVLivQ315.cnr
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When Owen started active duty, he traveled to Palo Alto and was ready to work with NASA. Before he could sign in, they told him to go look for housing and he could sign in when he got back. Later he received a phone call from Washington, D.C. It was Robert McNamara’s office, the Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968. “We have an opportunity for you,” the voice said on the other line. “Robert McNamara wants a Ph.D. in statistics on his staff, so you think about it and I’ll call you back in a couple of days.” Owen thought about it, but decided he didn’t really want to do it. He called the Pentagon back, but the voice might as well have laughed at him from 2,844.5 miles away. “Did you think you really had a choice?” they asked. “I had a brand new baby and was sitting there in Palo Alto having just rented an apartment,” Owen said. “Fortunately I got out of the lease because they have a deal like that with the Army people.” So Owen spent two years working at the Pentagon, and surely used all of his Ph.D. statistics skills. Or not. “Did I get to use my Ph.D. in statistics?” Owen asked facetiously. “No. The stuff I did could have been done by a junior high kid that was good at math.” After his service, Owen departed from the Army early due to a pro-
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Golf club craftsman Bill Owen shapes a club head in his Ellensburg workshop
vision that let you go if you had a job lined up. Owen was offered a job at Clemson University, and despite urgings from the military that he could be a major if he stayed another year, he was eager to start using his degree. Shortly after starting at Clemson, NASA came knocking on Owen’s door one more time. “I got this letter asking me to participate in the scientific astronaut program down in Houston,” he said. “I’m not sure if I could have made it, but I was in good physical shape at the time, and it’s just one of those things. It was a good opportunity. You don’t get a lot like that I don’t think, but I was just ready to teach.”
“It was a great time to be a Ph.D. in statistics,” he said with a laugh. He was flown out to interview at a few schools including the University of Denver, San Diego State University and the U.S. Naval Graduate School in Monterey, Calif. But despite all these ideal destinations, there was a little town in Washington that was calling his name. “Central was the only one that didn’t pay my expenses to come out and interview,” Owen said with a laugh. But they were going to offer him a chance to head up the entire department. “I ended up staying here thinking, ‘Well I’d really rather be a big fish in a small pond.’” Owen didn’t stay at Clemson long Little did he know that pond was before being offered a plethora of windy as hell. jobs.
Moving to Ellensburg
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Owen golfed consistently after college except for a few years where he was busy with grad school and the military. But after moving to Ellensburg the wind just beat him down. “After I’d been here a while I started to notice some of the trees were growing at an angle,” Owen said. “I didn’t notice that when I was interviewing. The weather was beautiful when I was interviewing. It was one of those three days that year that was windless.” He picked up the clubs every once in a while, but ended up putting them down for about 15 years. I played a little bit, but not a whole lot, not enough,” he said. “I was always depressed because I had been good, and I was far less than good when I started up again. It was depressing, very depressing.”
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A renewed passion Around 1994, Owen decided to dust off his clubs and noticed they were more than dusty, they were just plain old. After looking at the cost of new clubs, he decided to try to make his own. He ordered components from the only vendor he knew, and followed the instructions to a tee. The results were a mixed success. “It turns out that (what I was doing) is not at all how you build a club,” Owen said.
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“Some of them felt pretty good, some of them didn’t feel as good.” That’s when he delved a little deeper. Owen started taking exams and now has more than 20 different certifications. His reignited passion for golf showed up on the course, too. He lowered his handicap into the single digits. While it’s not quite that low any more, he did shoot his age when he was 72 a couple years ago at Suncadia.
A client’s perspective Dan Whitaker grew up in the Upper County and has been swinging a club for as long as he can remember, but it wasn’t until he swung some of Owen’s clubs that he really figured out what custom fitting meant to a game. “I’d always kind of researched it and done some hand-to-theground measurements and just ordered them, but it was a total shot in the dark,” Whitaker said. “It was so nice when I met up with Bill to actually know what was going on. There was a lot of variables I wasn’t taking into account.” For Whitaker, who holds the course record at the Ellensburg Golf Course, it isn’t just Owen’s knowledge of the game or the equipment, but the setting that makes him go back to the shop time and time again. “He’s always cracking jokes and keeping things light, and that’s the kind of atmosphere I want,” Whitaker said. “He’s extremely attentive
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Golf club craftsman Bill Owen lines up a drive on a computer-controlled launch monitor in his Ellensburg workshop. With the help of this device, Owen is able to test the performance of his clubs
to details, but he’ll still crack jokes … An hour will go by like nothing. Just hitting balls and talking golf with him, it’s a great experience.” Besides the sign in the pro shop of the Ellensburg course, Owen doesn’t do any advertising, but being one of two Swing Surgeon certified club fitters has customers flocking to Ellensburg from all over North America. From FBI agents in Minnesota to Canucks in Toronto, Owen’s business is strictly word of mouth, but the word is pretty good.
“I always recommend people to go get fitted,” Whitaker said. “If you’re a just a beginner I suppose it wouldn’t matter too much, but if you’re coming out and trying at all to improve your game and you actually care, if you golf more than a couple times a year, it really helps to go get fitted. To have clubs that actually match your physical stats … you want eliminate the possibility that your equipment is the issue. That’s what Bill does — and he’s great at it.” ■
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Romance in the By MARIA HARR | Photos by BRIAN MYRICK
THE STARS ARE OUT AND A CELESTIAL VIEW AWAITS THOSE WILLING AND READY FOR ROMANCE.
The night sky looking south from Ellensburg
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A clear night, warm air and your partner: The perfect recipe for a night of romance and stargazing. Going stargazing is one of the most romantic ideas for a date: It’s dark, solitary and looking up at the beauty of the stars together can be awe-inspiring. As far as dark-sky locations go, Kittitas County is an ideal place.
It’s all in the location One of the first things to decide is where you’ll take your date to stargaze. Bruce Palmquist, professor of physics and science education at Central Washington University, said you don’t need to go out into the middle of nowhere to stargaze. “Certainly you can go really far away to some isolated area, but I don’t really like to suggest that, because you might get lost,” Palmquist said. He also warns against pulling off the road to stargaze, as it may be dangerous to you and other drivers. Any location that is sufficiently far away from light sources will be dark enough to stargaze.
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A few apps to help with skygazing ■ Google Sky Map – free, avail-
able for Android on Google Play. With Sky Map, you can hold your phone’s camera up to the sky and it will map out and name the stars. According to Sky Map, the app uses GPS and a compass to determine what stars you’re looking at, and can help guide you to stars and planets you’re searching for. ■ SkySafari – $2.99, available for IOS on the App Store and for Android on Google Play. CWU professor Bruce Palmquist uses the $2.99 version on his iPad, which he says will show you anything you would see with binoculars and a telescope. Similar to Sky Map, SkySafari can be held up to the night sky to help you find and identify celestial bodies. It also comes with a low light setting that helps to keep your eyes adapted to the dark, encyclopedic information on the history and mythology of the stars and images from NASA space missions and the Hubble Space Telescope. ■ Planets – free, available for IOS on the App Store and for Android on Google Play. Planets offers a 3D view of the sky and various planets. According to their description, the app can show you what the sky looks like “at frequencies outside of the visible spectrum.” ■ Star Walk 2 – $2.99, available
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Apps for the
sky th App A Store St (th on IOS ffrom the (the original Star Walk is available for Android on Google Play). This app not only maps the stars for you, but also offers visual renderings of the constellations. Star Walk’s renderings offer a look into how all those dots and lines could be recognized as people and animals. However, the renderings of constellations are only available through in-app purchases. Star Walk also has a soundtrack and sound effects. ■ Palmquist also suggests doing research online at SkyandTelescope.com and looking on SkyMaps.com for printable sky charts.
Even going out into the middle of local parks at night will make it dark enough to see quite a bit of the night sky. That's one of the beauties of living in a rural area — no city lights to diminish your view. The darker the area, the easier it will be to see specific cosmic wonders, such as the center of our own Milky Way galaxy.
The summer night sky The night sky has more to offer than just stars. There are planets, moons, meteors and even entire galaxies to see out there, if you’re looking in the right place at the right time. The summer months are a great time to see the center of the Milky Way galaxy in the southern sky, Palmquist said. In dark enough locations, the center will appear lighter, and almost milky, against the night sky. Its milky appearance is what originally gave the Milky Way its name. The summer is also a good time for meteor showers. The Perseid meteor shower, which can regularly be viewed in August in the Northern Hemisphere, is predicted to occur on a perfect night this year. According to SkyandTelescope. com, a site Palmquist suggests for pre-gazing research, the best time to catch the Perseid meteor shower this year is Aug. 12, and there will be little light from the moon to overshadow the shower. The site suggests viewings start in the evening, from the time the Perseus constellation clears the
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Romance is planning Stargazing may not require too much planning, but romance does. “Romance demands preparation,” Palmquist said. “So whether that preparation is putting a marriage proposal in a fortune cookie or knowing what there is in the sky to look at beforehand, that’s definitely a plus.” One of the best ways to make sure your night is as romantic as can be is to plan ahead. Before you even tell your significant other about your date night, decide where you’ll go, what you’ll bring and what your partner should bring or how they should dress.
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horizon to as late as you can stay up. While Palmquist recommends doing research in advance to discover what to look for in the night sky, he also warns against over-preparedness — deciding what you want to see that night and getting your hopes up about it. “There’s a good chance maybe you won’t be able to find a couple of them,” he said. Having some research under your belt when you take your date out can help make stargazing even more interesting. Explaining the mythology behind planet names or constellations will give you and your partner something to talk about while gazing.
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Consider making your stargazing a full-on date night packed with dinner, a lovely walk and then hunkering down in a dark spot to gaze at the celestial wonder of the cosmos. Michelle Broweleit, a counselor with Christian Care Services specializing in individual, couple and family therapy, enjoys the night sky together with her husband, Bruce. “One of the most romantic times for me was during one of the meteor showers,” she said. “We were up at about 2 in the morning, just standing on our porch wrapped in blankets.” Make sure you’ve brought enough blankets or warm clothes to keep you and your date warm — being cold will end your stargazing experience rather quickly.
operated ones. Bruce Broweleit suggested painting the tips of the candles with red nail polish or covering them with red cellophane. While less romantic, red glowsticks may be easier to find and will still offer a light source that won’t ruin your view of the night sky. For safety’s sake, be sure to bring a flashlight — a red flashlight would be best, but if you can’t find one, don’t forgo safety just to see the stars better.
Equipment you don’t need, but might want
If you’re not planning on taking on astronomy as a hobby, or stargazing consistently, you really don’t need to invest in a telescope. Especially because a good one will cost upward of $100. While there are cheaper tele“Light is the enemy,” noted scopes out there, Palmquist Bruce Broweleit. Palmquist suggested that if you’re going to agreed, but notes that you don’t buy one, it’s better to not waste need extreme darkness to see money on a cheap one. Cheaper most stars and planetary phetelescopes sometimes have good nomena. If you go far enough lenses, but oftentimes have out to get true darkness, you’ll wobbly stands that make it hard want to bring special “red light” to focus on what you are trying gear so you don’t ruin the dark- to find in the sky. ness you’ve found. If you’re on a budget, or don’t Red lights don’t blow out your plan on using your telescope eyes or make it hard to see the more than once, Palmquist stars like other color lights. For suggested buying binoculars those who’d like to bring candles instead. Unlike telescopes, to decorate their date-night binoculars can be used for more spot, consider using batterythan just stargazing, and are a
No light is good light
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much better buy for those who only want to stargaze once in a while. You can make your binoculars sufficiently stable enough to replace some cheaper telescopes. For this DIY trick to work, your binoculars must have a screw thread somewhere on the bottom. Camera owners are likely familiar with the ¼ inch 20 bolt that attaches a camera to a tripod. Some binoculars have this thread hole and can be attached to a tripod this way. If you don’t own a tripod, you can create a cheap monopod by buying a dowel, attaching a ¼ inch 20 bolt to the dowel and screwing on your binoculars. If your binoculars have a thread, but they’re in an awkward place, you can buy a tripod adapter and mount it that way. For the simplest form of stargazing, which is, of course, just going outside and looking up at the stars, you won’t need either a telescope or binoculars. Palmquist suggested not using binoculars for viewing meteor showers. “Watching a meteor shower with binoculars is sort of like watching an (Indy 500 race) with binoculars,” Palmquist said. “Because the cars would go by your binoculars so incredibly fast, it just wouldn’t make sense.” ■
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Stargazing locations Central Washington University’s athletics field, south of the football stadium The area is grassy, far enough away from light sources to get rather dark and there’s lots of parking around the field. Not many people walk through the field late at night, so it’s solitary enough to lay down a blanket and stargaze for several uninterrupted hours. There is a lot of college housing nearby, so you may be able to hear loud speech or music, especially on weekends. No public restrooms. ■ Irene Rinehart Riverfront Park The park borders the Yakima River on one side and I-90 on the other. Apart from the possibility of hearing interstate noise, the park is large enough to afford some privacy, even if there are other stargazers sharing the grassy lawn that overlooks the water. The road to the park closes at dusk. Parking, public restrooms and a picnic shelter available. ■ Road crossings on the John Wayne Trail In some places where the road and the John Wayne Trail intersect there are places to park and enter the trail. Be sure to set out some sources of light where you settle down to stargaze to warn off night hikers or bikers using the trail. Discover Pass needed for parking. ■ Other parks Be sure to check signage to find out the closing times of parks before stargazing. Some area “day use” parks have varying hours and generally close at dusk. To avoid trouble, it’s worth a quick call or perusal of the Washington Parks and Recreation or City of Ellensburg websites. ■
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Continued from Page 17 We had just arrived into a town for a quick resupply. I only read the first paragraph of the email I was so excited. My hiking buddy congratulated me and shared in my excitement before asking me when the program started. At that moment, I realized this great news meant I would not get to finish the trail by crossing into Canada. For the next few days, I debated whether I wanted to speed up and try to log as many miles as possible, or to continue my “Sierra pace� and enjoy the short amount of time I had left to spend on the trail. Maybe I could still make it to the halfway point of the trail, or at the very least hit 1,000 miles. After a bit more thought, I knew I had to leave sooner rather than later. Graduate school is not free and I would need to earn as much money as I could during the summer before classes started. In the end, I continued my Sierra pace and enjoyed every moment I had left on the trail. The last days were bittersweet. The beauty was at an all-time high and every day was filled with unforgettable moments. Yet, I knew it was coming to an end. I said goodbye to the trail and my hiking buddy at Mammoth Lakes in California. I logged in 906 trail miles, with additional mileage traveling in and out of towns for resupply.
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Elizabeth Ketterer takes a sip of a hot drink on a cold day during her journey on the Pacific Crest Trail
The mileage may have been less than I intended, but I gained what I was looking for from the trail. Healing, contentment, happiness and a pure love for myself were mine. The lemons in my life were squeezed and filtered through the dirt, sweat and blood I shed on the trail, and were now lemonade.
The trail had given me what I needed. I was ready to embark on the next adventure in my life. Elizabeth Ketterer moved from Cle Elum to Boston for graduate school after spending three months hiking the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Central Washington University photography professor Allyson Klutenkamper works with students during a class
Still
By BRITTANY ALLEN | Photos by BRIAN MYRICK
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ALLYSON KLUTENKAMPER SERVES DUAL ROLES AS AN ARTIST, EDUCATOR Allyson Klutenkamper didn't always want to be a teacher, but she’s wanted to be an artist since high school. As Central Washington University's only photography professor, her life now consists of long hours on campus, which she tries to balance with summers on the road with her camera. Klutenkamper’s path to being a professor was made easier by mentors who inspired her to follow her passions for art and teaching. In turn, she’s now a mentor for a new generation of photographers. Klutenkamper was inspired at
an early age to pursue art as more than just a pastime by her high school art teacher. For a student who had moved a lot as a child and had difficulty making friends, the encouragement stuck. Klutenkamper’s parents were less than enthusiastic about the idea of their daughter making a career out of art. They simply did not see a job in it. They pushed her to aim for a creative field with more professional opportunities, like graphic communications or photojournalism. So she did. She started her formal edu-
cation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, then transferred to the University of Missouri, which is known for photojournalism. In her first years in the photojournalism program, Klutenkamper came up against some issues that made her question her newly chosen profession and the role of the photographer as journalist. She was conflicted by the push to take an "objective" stance on topics about which she found herself passionate. When asked by a news organization to take photos of the victim of a tragedy, she refused. KV LIVING 37
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“I kept thinking if this were my sister or my friend, this is not a way that anyone should see. And I kept thinking about (her) parents and I just refused,” Klutenkamper recalled. This realization that journalists and photojournalists are, as writer Susan Sontag described in her seminal book, “On Photography,” either “set up as scientists, (or) as moralists,” was a big reason why Klutenkamper changed majors to focus on photography as a standalone art form. “Either you’re a participant in an ‘event’ or an observer/voyeur,” Klutenkamper quoted from Sontag. “You cannot be both.” Her parents were not supportive, but she was following her dream. She had wanted to do art the whole time. “I finally had a reason that I felt so strongly about, I would want to take on all of the student loans myself,” she said.
Refocusing One of the first photographic inspirations for Klutenkamper was Sontag’s references to “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” in “On Photography.” “We only see what we’re allowed to see,” Klutenkamper said about the social commentary in Plato’s Cave. This allegory notes how people’s perceptions of reality and truth differ. Her first photography professor in the Missouri program was Oliver Shoecard, a man she credits with teaching her about composition and the art of printing. One of Kutenkamper’s first projects was inspired by a Take Back the
Night event she attended with a friend who had been a victim of sexual assault. This series involved photographing victims like her friend in the nude. In retrospect, Klutenkamper says she thinks this was an early attempt to address body image issues. She delved further into the subject when another professor, Vaughn Wascovich, suggested she turn the camera on herself. At the time, Klutenkamper weighed between 250-275 pounds, and she was not interested. But she did it. Klutenkamper says self-portraiture got increasingly easier after losing weight. Wascovich was eventually the person who prompted her to go into teaching, and after graduating Klutenkamper decided to go to graduate school. She was offered a full ride to Notre Dame to learn and work as a teaching assistant under Martina Lopez, an expert on 19th century portraiture. Klutenkamper’s hands-on teaching experience got a jumpstart when Lopez became pregnant and could no longer be around darkroom chemicals.
A photograph taken by Central Washington University photography professor Allyson Klutenkamper entitled “Circumstance 30”
away from,” Klutenkamper said. She hopes she can represent for at least one student what her Missouri mentor Wascovich meant to her. “He really just changed me and my whole mindset. I just felt like he cared and I felt like I mat-
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Klutenkamper got her first tenure track job at the age of 25 at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Klutenkamper moved to Central almost two years ago, and was the third person in three years hired for the photography position in the Department of Art. The turnover left some students irritated, and slow to warm to Klutenkamper. She’s not giving up, though. Her goal, she said, is to “touch the life of one person” the way her mentors touched hers. “It’s a challenge I’m not walking
tered.” Photography student Sabrina Stoutamyer said Klutenkamper is dedicated to her roles as a teacher and artist. “She’s basically working two fulltime jobs,” Stoutamyer said.
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“And she’s trying to put her all into both of them and I really feel like she tries to put her all in, I’m not just saying that to be nice, because I do feel like she cares. She cares as an artist and as a teacher and I think that definitely says something about her passion for teaching.”
Behind the Lens Gregg Schlanger, chair of the Central Art Department, called her photography a big part of what drew the Central faculty to her in the first place. “Her creative work and her own artwork reinforced her abilities in teaching, the technical aspect of it,” he said. “The other attraction to her work is that it’s very contemporary work in a sense,” he said. “It is currently what’s really happening in photography, in fine art photography. It’s very narrative, it’s personal, and even the
staging, the setting up of that photograph, what happens, what goes into just that. You know: a model and every little element that’s a part. You look at that photograph and everything in there is there for a reason and it’s part of the whole narrative behind it.” Much of Klutenkamper’s work is narrative. She uses objects that hold sentimental value to her and can often be seen not only figuratively, but literally in her work. When she has no other model, Klutenkamper returns to that idea Wascovich once pushed her toward and turns the camera on herself. Although, nowadays, much of her work has a piece of her in it. Whether she is the physical subject of the shot or not, there is usually a narrative which aligns somehow with her own life. With teaching a full-time demand, Klutenkamper has had to make summers the time when most of her personal work gets done. Last summer,
her first in the Pacific Northwest, Klutenkamper took on a project that assigned photographers to a create an homage to a particular artist. She refers to this collection as her “pilgrimage to Mary Randlett.” Klutenkamper’s main focus was on the landscape work of Randlett, the Northwest-bred photographer she was assigned. What started out as an avenue through which to create work and learn more about another great artist eventually taught Klutenkamper a bit about herself and also the idea of having a sense of place. “I realized that place does leave a mark on your identity and it is part of who you are,” Klutenkamper said. “Finding a sense of place is a way of kind of finding out our identity and who we are, to some degree anyway. For me it was fantastic to explore. I mean, I already knew I liked being here. “Coming out here, I could kind of feel like I was myself again.” ■
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Central Washington University photography professor Allyson Klutenkamper works with students during a class
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