1889 Washington's Magazine + Special Insert: Destination Resorts Northwest | December/January 2023

TRIP PLANNER: SPOKANE PG. 86

Destination Resorts of the PNW

Elevated Wild Game Recipes

Pushing the Boundaries of Walla Walla Wine

WINTER ESCAPES CROSS-COUNTRY ADVENTURES • RELAXING SPA RETREATS • SMALL-TOWN STUNNERS

BEST WASHINGTON ALBUMS OF 2023

1889mag.com $5.95 display until January 31, 2024

LIVE

THINK

EXPLORE

WASHINGTON

December | January

volume 40

The hills (and beaches, rainforests, trails, and towns) are alive with silence.

It’s official. The summer crowds have vanished and the slooow season has arrived.

Get in sync with our quiet season … more nature, more space and a slower pace on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula.

OlympicPeninsula.org

Freehand Cellars

WaterFire Restaurant & Bar

Treveri Cellars Wine Tasting Igloos Photo by @itstashhaynes

GET YOUR FREE TRAVEL GUIDE AT VISITYAKIMA.COM

2 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Crossing Spokane photography by Aaron Theisen

Follow your passion, sense of adventure and history to a snow-covered Spokane. (pg. 86)

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 3

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023 • volume 40

60

70

Walla Walla Wine

Climate Change as Art

Once a viticulture backwaters, Walla Walla (and surrounding areas) are rising stars among AVAs.

Art meets climate change at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner.

Carina Skrobecki Swain/State of Washington Tourism

FEATURES

written by Daniel O’Neil

52 Self Gift Five of the most pampering spas for your holiday recovery. written by Emma Giffin

4

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Rosario Resort on Orcas Island is one of our top spa getaways for the new year.

DEPARTMENTS Spokane Nordic Ski Association

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023 • volume 40

LIVE

80

14 SAY WA?

The best albums of the year, holiday tea, Sonora Jha’s The Laughter.

20 FOOD + DRINK

Hellbent Brewing Company, Side Hustle Syrups.

24 FARM TO TABLE

Three Washington chefs and creative wild game.

30 HOME + DESIGN

Three bathrooms, one designer—Jessica Nelson.

38 MIND + BODY

Teresa Skinner’s ParaSport Spokane.

42 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

H.R. Emi

Maddy Porter

H.R. Emi finds small moments for inspection.

THINK 46 MY WORKSPACE

David Boyd’s culinary homage.

50 GAME CHANGER Spokane Riverkeeper.

EXPLORE 78 TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT Winthrop.

80 ADVENTURE

Five cozy cabins for your cross-country outings.

84 LODGING

McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge.

42

28 10 Editor’s Letter 11 1889 Online 94 Map of Washington 96 Until Next Time

COVER

photo by Stephen Matera Methow Valley (see Adventure, pg. 80)

6

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

86 TRIP PLANNER Spokane.

92 NW DESTINATION Rossland, B.C.

seaside is for Making big plans with best friends

We could all use more time with friends. And somehow it can feel easier to make big plans than to find time to get coffee. So here’s an idea. Break out the calendar, start a text chain and make plans to spend a few days with a good friend or three here in Seaside. Long walks, hikes and bike rides await.

@visitseasideOR seasideOR.com

CONTRIBUTORS

REVA KELLER Photographer My Workspace

MELISSA DALTON Writer Home + Design

ELLEN HIATT Writer Artist in Residence

CORINNE WHITING Writer Farm to Table

“I’m drawn to food photography because it allows me to merge my interest in cooking with visual storytelling. The ability to connect with other makers and share their artistry and stories is a fulfilling blend of creativity and connection that continues to inspire me in my work.” (pg. 46)

“As a design writer, I’ve come to understand how bathroom design can be deceptively trendy—wanting era-appropriate looks and a functional plan is why it took me a decade to figure out my own 1907 bungalow remodel!

Fortunately, we all have the work of Seattle designer Jessica Nelson for inspiration.

Her approach to bathroom remodels in historic homes strikes the perfect balance between modern amenities and timelessness.” (pg. 30)

“The thoughtfulness of an artist as young as H.R. Emi is so completely mesmerizing. And yet, I see in her—through her art and our conversation—a sentimentality that I can align with my own youth. The artist’s drive to give shape to ideas and emotions, whether through pen or paintbrush, is lifelong, and a thing of beauty in itself. I hope you enjoy reading Emi’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.” (pg. 42)

“Writing a feature for the magazine’s food section each issue, for many years now, has allowed me to truly delve deeper into the PNW’s thriving agricultural scene. I’ve been lucky enough to speak with dozens of talented and fascinating farmers, purveyors and chefs who consistently help bring delicious and seasonal items to our tables, to be enjoyed with family and friends.” (pg. 24)

Ellen Hiatt is a Puget Soundbased writer who also enjoys managing Leadership Skagit at the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County.

Corinne Whiting is a freelance travel and lifestyle writer with a master’s in cultural studies from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s spent extensive amounts of time in both Washingtons—the city and the state—and she loves to trot around the globe whenever opportunities arise, too.

Reva Keller is a James Beard Award-winning food photographer based in Seattle. Besides photography, she enjoys ceramics, travel and going canoe camping with her partner and their dog.

Melissa Dalton is a PNW-based freelance design and architecture writer who is always tinkering with her Portland home. She would love nothing more than to nerd out about your next remodel project and discuss the life-changing magic of her new backyard sauna.

8 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

EDITOR

Kevin Max

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Allison Bye

WEB MANAGER SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Aaron Opsahl Joni Kabana

OFFICE MANAGER

Cindy Miskowiec

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Jenny Kamprath

BEERVANA COLUMNIST

Jackie Dodd

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Cathy Carroll, Melissa Dalton, Emma Giffin, Ellen Hiatt, Joni Kabana, Lauren Kramer, Kerry Newberry, Daniel O’Neil, Ryn Pfeuffer, Lauren Purdy, Ben Salmon, Jen Sotolongo, Cara Strickland, Corinne Whiting

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Nancy K. Crowell, Jackie Dodd, Reva Keller, Young Kwak, Stephen Matera, Daniel O’Neil, Skye Stoury, Aaron Theisen

Mail

Headquarters

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1627 NE 3rd St. Suite 300 Bend, OR 97701

www.1889mag.com/subscribe @1889washington

All rights reserved. No part of this publiCation may be reproduCed or transmitted in any form or by any means, eleCtroniCally or meChaniCally, inCluding photoCopy, reCording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of Statehood Media. ArtiCles and photographs appearing in 1889 Washington’s Magazine may not be reproduCed in whole or in part without the express written Consent of the publisher. 1889 Washington’s Magazine and Statehood Media are not responsible for the return of unsoliCited materials. The views and opinions expressed in these artiCles are not neCessarily those of 1889 Washington’s Magazine, Statehood Media or its employees, staff or management.

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 9

FROM THE

EDITOR

I FIND that I can focus, to find some lesser peace, to go forward through the holidays by doing some small act of humanity (because my life can’t afford a big act of humanity right now). The International Red Cross is one of the causes I turn to when the world is a mess, as it is now. Forget taking sides—choose salvation and health through organizations such as The Red Cross. I mean, can you imagine that work-life? I can’t fathom it either.

In this issue of 1889, we wander north and east across the North Cascades and then out to Spokane, where the needle is moving.

The Travel Spotlight on page 78 centers on the jewel of the Methow Valley—Winthrop.

NARPs (non-athletic regular people) encounter Winthrop as a quaint Western-themed town with excellent restaurants and a placid river that runs through town. The rest of us see more than 100 miles of NARP-less groomed Nordic ski trails and revel.

On a related note, we double down in Adventure (pg. 80) with five cozy cabins for your cross-country ski vacation. Too much? We don’t think so. XC skiing can take you to the most spectacular places in Washington that you might not otherwise go. It’s more than skinny skis—it’s a bold sense of adventure!

This issue’s Trip Planner (pg. 86) slides into Spokane, a vibrant city that is always changing

10 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

with every new musician, chef, entrepreneur, distiller and brewer who make it their new home. Spokane has the patina of history and the buzz of a startup. It also deserves high marks for its recreation opportunities. It’s a bit like a mood ring in that you can find in it whatever you’re feeling.

A bit south of Spokane, Walla Walla was once known for its sweet onions. Then wine growers started digging in the soil. Today Walla Walla is one of the premier American Viticultural Areas in the Pacific Northwest. As climate continues to push wine growers north and to higher elevations, this region is becoming more interesting to those in the industry. Turn to page 60 to read an incisive piece about the land and its bounty.

Up your game over the holidays or the new year to impress your friends and influence people. This is no boring self-improvement book (which should have been an email, but publishers can’t sell emails). This is how you can improve your life by learning how to cook wild game. In Farm to Table (pg. 24), we offer up inspiration and recipes, such as pan-seared quail with sautéed radicchio and fresh cherries. Then there’s the grilled elk rack, vegetable giardiniera, lacinato kale and bagna cauda. As I write, I’m planning my next two weeks around these dishes and the friends who can pronounce any of this. Cheers!

1889 ONLINE More ways to connect with your favorite Washington content www.1889mag.com | #1889washington | @1889washington

WASHINGTON: IN FOCUS Have a photo that captures your Washington experience?

Share it with us by filling out the Washington: In Focus form on our website. If chosen, you’ll be published here. www.1889mag.com/in-focus photo by Nicholas Swatz Snowbanks alongside the flowing river on the trail to Franklin Falls.

GIFT WASHINGTON 1889 Washington’s Magazine celebrates all things Washington, from its incredible destinations and colorful personalities to its rich history and local food and drink. Gift a subscription to family and friends this holiday season, and share the state you love! www.1889mag.com/gift

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

E NTUR E V D A MAIL

YOUR PNW NEWSLETTER More PNW, delivered to your inbox! Sign up for our Adventure Mail newsletter and get access to the latest Northwest getaways, giveaways, dining and more. www.1889mag.com/ 1889-newsletter

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE

11

SAY WA? 14 FOOD + DRINK 20 FARM TO TABLE 24 HOME + DESIGN 30 MIND + BODY 38

pg. 30 One designer takes style and tradition to new heights in three bathroom makeovers.

Carina Skrobecki Swain

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE 42

SPEND A WEEKEND EXPLORING SOME

NEW GRAPE STOMPING DS. GROUNDS.

Experience an exceptional, intimate world of wine just west of Portland.

Find your new favorite pour at

Order Your FREE Wine Touring Guide

TUALATINVALLEY.ORG WCVA_1889_WA_Dec_23_Jan_24.indd 1

11/7/23 12:22 PM

say wa?

Tidbits + To-dos

Petite Wine and Bottle Shop

Salish Lodge & Spa

written by Lauren Purdy

Holiday Tea at Salish Lodge Warm up at Salish Lodge & Spa with its annual Holiday Tea celebration in The Dining Room. “Teas the Season” for this beloved annual tradition, limited to just seven days in December. This fanciful holiday event includes a variety of Salish signature teas, delicate tea sandwiches, scones and desserts, as well as the famed Honey from Heaven presentation.

Tea festivities run December 13-15 and 18-21 from 2-4 p.m. Call to reserve your table, or book online. Pricing runs $79 for adults and $30 for children 10 and younger.

Petite Wine and Bottle Shop Explore Old Town Ballard and stop by Petite Wine and Bottle Shop for a small but mighty selection of fun and funky natural wines, beer, cider, sake and zero-proof bevs. Petite carefully curates tastings from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, most recently featuring women-owned Loop de Loop winery in the Columbia Valley AVA and a limited selection of natural Italian Lambruscos as standalone pours or dressed up as a refreshing spritz. Stop in for tastings, a glass pour or a bottle purchase at its location across from the Ballard bell tower, next to September boutique. www.petitewine.com

www.salishlodge.com

ca mark le you nd r ar

ur yo r rk da a m en

ca

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Sunnyside Lighted Farm Implement Parade

Sunnyside Lighted Farm Implement Parade

14 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Celebrate the season with Sunnyside’s Lighted Farm Implement Parade. This enchanting festival of lights is a beautiful celebration of the Yakima Valley’s agricultural heritage. As the oldest farm implement parade in the nation, it features dozens of tractors, combines and antique farm equipment. Local participants from Sunnyside’s agricultural industry carefully decorate each piece with thousands of twinkling lights. Come early for the Christmas street market and food vendors. Festivities kick off at 6:30 p.m.

December 2 in downtown Sunnyside. Entry is free. www.lightedfarmparade.com

say wa?

Shannon Mahre/Mahre Media

New York New Year’s Eve Skiing Party at White Pass Ring in the new year slopeside while soaking in majestic views of Mount Rainier at White Pass’ New York New Year’s Eve Skiing Party. Located about a three-hour drive southeast of Seattle, White Pass Ski Area offers sweeping trails through the Cascades accessible for all levels of snow sport participants. Night skiing festivities kick off at 2 p.m. until 8 p.m. on December 31, followed by a family-friendly dance party to commence the start of the new year at 9 p.m. The countdown will begin around 9 p.m., so you’ll be able to hit the slopes bright and early January 1. Lift tickets are available online. www.skiwhitepass.com

LEFT: Shane Wilder/Icicle TV; BOTTOM RIGHT: Icicle Village Resort

Icicle Village Resort

ur yo ar k r d ma en

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Dreaming of a white Christmas this holiday season? Look no further than Icicle Village Resort. Nestled in the heart of Leavenworth’s whimsical alpine scenery, Icicle Village is designed for those looking for the perfect holiday getaway. This winter, guests can enjoy holiday cookie in-room delivery, featuring six scratch-made cookies and two glasses of milk. After a day of sledding or snowshoeing, shed your gear and take advantage of the on-site outdoor fire pit table where you can kick back, relax and catch your breath while enjoying panoramic views of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains. Reservations available online.

ABOVE Find a winter wonderland in Leavenworth. AT RIGHT Icicle Village Resort is a cozy, convenient home base for exploring the area.

www.iciclevillage.com

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 15

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THE 23 BEST WASHINGTON ALBUMS

OF 2023

Stephanie Anne Johnson Jewels

written by Ben Salmon

FROM GOLDENDALE to Spokane to Seattle’s eternally fertile music scene—and points in between— musicians across Washington created some incredible sounds in 2023. Here are the twenty-three best albums released by artists across the state this year.

16

After the incredible success hometown gal Brandi Carlile over the past decade, it’s easy to imagine Stephanie Anne Johnson following a similar path. The Tacoma artist sounds incredibly comfortable on Jewels, whether they’re singing easygoing Americana music or rootsy pop ‘n’ soul. Either way, the centerpiece is

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Johnson’s voice, an instrument of peace, power and prosperity.

The Sons of Rainier Take Me Anywhere The two guitarists in this Seattle-based country band—Devin Champlin and Dean Johnson—both made great solo albums in 2023. When they come together with their fellow Sons of Rainier, though, they conjure up a lovely, laid-back take

say wa?

Breeze Golden Season

on twang, with vintage influences like reverberant surf-rock, swingin’ ’60s soul, Everly Brothers-style pop, harmony-heavy gospel music and more.

This Seattle four-piece is the latest in the city’s long tradition of bands—back to Nirvana and beyond—that can’t help but take a perfectly nice pop song and rough it up a bit. The seven tracks on Golden Season are equal parts dreampop, shoegaze, noise-rock and punk, and the end result is a sound that’s pretty and prickly and catchy and weird, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

Photos, clockwise from left: Kadabra, courtesy of Kadabra; Margo Cilker, photo by Jen Borst; Generifus, photo by David Hoekje; Stephanie Anne Johnson, photo by Ernie Sapiro Photography

Yahritza Y Su Esencia Obsessed Pt. 2 After hitting it big in 2022 with their song “Soy El Unico,” this Yakima Valley sibling trio returns with another group of affecting songs in the regional Mexican music style known as sierreño.

Brothers Armando and Jairo Martinez provide vital support, but the star of the show is the soulful vocals of their sister Yahritza, which feel emotionally raw and rich no matter what language you speak.

Kadabra Umbra If you ever hear a rumble coming from the east, that’s probably Kadabra, a heavy psych-rock trio from Spokane that formed in the uncertain darkness of the year 2020. On Umbra, they wail about clergy and serpents and mountains and midnight, all while whipping up a chest-caving maelstrom of sludgy riffs, psychedelic melodies and thunderous rhythms, plus a thick layer of gloriously mind-bending fuzz.

Margo Cilker Valley of Heart’s Delight Down on Washington’s southern border in the town of Goldendale (pop. 3,500-ish) lives one of the fastest rising artists on the surging Americana scene. Her name is Margo Cilker, and her second album, Valley of Heart’s Delight, is a delightful blend of tender folk, wandering country, raucous roots-rock and clever songwriting. If you like Lucinda Williams, do not sleep on Cilker!

Kassa Overall Animals To get a sense for Kassa Overall’s stature in his corner of the musical universe, just look at the guest performers on his third album, Animals: adventurous rap-

Generifus Rearrangel

Kassa Overall bends the genres of jazz and hip-hop. (photo: Nayquan Shuler)

pers Danny Brown, Lil B and Shabazz Palaces; contemporary jazz giants Theo Croker and Vijay Iyer; and more.

The multifaceted Seattle musician’s wildly inventive collision of jazz and hip-hop seems to be pushing further out toward the cutting edge, bringing both genres along for the ride.

Prolific singer-songwriter Spencer Sult was uncharacteristically quiet from 2020 to 2023, slowed artistically by the COVID-19 pandemic, a relocation of his home studio in Olympia and a songwriting drought.

Rearrangel marks his return to music, and it showcases his mellow folk jams and melancholy country-rock, like a DIY Neil Young. Sult’s songs feel likable and lived in; it’s good to have him back.

Skating Polly Chaos County Line Tacoma-based stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse formed Skating Polly when they were just 9 and 14 years old, and they’ve been rocking in a distinctively Northwest sort of way ever since.

Chaos County Line is their first album since 2018, and at eighteen tracks long, it delivers a heaping helping of the grunge-y, punk-y pop-rock goodness that Skating Polly is known for.

Polyrhythmics Filter System Over the past thirteen years, Polyrhythmics have become one of Seattle’s most reliable bands, thanks in part to their longevity, their consistency, their omnipresence and their dedication to their craft.

More importantly, though, it’s their music, a powder keg of kaleidoscopic jazz, psychedelic funk, cinematic soul and effervescent Afrobeat that somehow feels both timeless and forwardlooking at the same time.

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

13 MORE

ALBUMS WORTH HEARING AJ Suede & steel tipped dove | Reoccurring Characters Breaks and Swells | Entomology Dean Johnson | Nothing For Me, Please Fell Off | Fell Off Gifted Gab | G-Body Music Loose Wing | Miracle Baby Melancholia | Book of Ruination Midnight High | Swimming Lessons Morgan and The Organ Donors | M.O.D.s Ragana | Desolation’s Flower Sea Lemon | Stop At Nothing Telehealth | Content Oscillator Wimps | City Lights

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE

17

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Bibliophile

Laughter Meets Lolita A darkly funny, modern and iconoclastic new novel from Seattle author Sonora Jha interview by Cathy Carroll

THE LAUGHTER, the latest novel from Sonora Jha, is gaining national acclaim as one of the smartest, most powerful and darkly funny books of the year. Jha, who is a professor of journalism at Seattle University, grew up in Mumbai and was chief of the metropolitan bureau for The Times of India. She also teaches fiction and essay writing for Hugo House, Seattle Public Library and Hedgebrook writers’ retreat on Whidbey Island.

In The Laughter, Dr. Oliver Harding, a tenured professor of English, is long settled into the routines of a divorced, aging academic. But his quiet, staid life is upended by his new colleague, Ruhaba Khan, a dynamic Pakistani Muslim law professor who ignites Oliver’s long-dormant passions. The work is being hailed for its nuanced, non-preachy and illuminating portrait of privilege, radicalization, class and modern academia.

Tell us how the voice of Oliver, the narrator, came to you.

I had earlier thought of Oliver as just one of three narrators in the novel, but when I started to write the story, his voice kept interrupting and just took over. I decided to go with it and see how far he’d go.

He kept going. I realized this voice, this white male unreliable narrator, was the best way to deliver this story, and I, as the author, a woman of color, would have to tell it from under his skin.

This male voice is the canonical voice in literature, and it’s the voice I grew up reading, for the most part, in India. We should all wonder what stories have been left untold because this voice took over most literature. I wondered what would happen if I used his voice against him. And, as a filmmaker friend remarked after reading 18

Sonora Jha’s novel The Laughter packs an astonishing conclusion.

The Laughter, “If you’re going to tell a story about power, you may as well tell it from the point of view of the one who has it.”

How did your idea unfold to combine racism, sexism, elitism and suspense with dark humor in a campus novel?

Well, academia sort of lends itself to dark humor. It’s a site of some brilliant minds often occupied with the most trivial matters, driven by flailing egos. It makes for some truly humorous moments in meetings. I also wanted to tell a story about Islamophobia in France, in South Asia, and in the U.S. I was drawn to tell a story about radicalization—who is getting radicalized in America?

Once I inhabited the white male professor’s perspective on all this, a strange thing happened—my gaze switched around and got sharper

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

as Oliver decided to weigh in with his often misplaced humor. I saw his gaze on me. I saw his gaze on women and people of color in general. I saw his gaze, and I saw his fear.

The story is about his gaze and yet de-centers him.

What do you hope The Laughter may do to further understanding and improve issues around race and power?

Literary fiction is known to create empathy. When we have characters who confound our expectations (as I have tried to do with each character in The Laughter), we may question our own perceptions and correct them in our lived experiences thereafter. I want readers to question power, to question stories, to question who gets to tell which story. I want readers to enjoy the novel but feel uncomfortable about our world. What they do next is up to them.

Home of the Boeing Everett Factory Tour Step inside the world’s largest factory and see how the Boeing 777 is built.

Plan your tour visit today!

BoeingFutureofFlight.com @FutureofFlight

8415 Paine Field Blvd. Mukilteo, Washington

food + drink

Hellbent Brewing Company in Lake City has award-winning beers and a comfortable setting to kick back with friends or your laptop.

Beervana

Hellbent on Success written and photographed by Jackie Dodd

BEER PEOPLE are communal by nature, evident in the welcoming ambiance of any taproom.

This camaraderie within the craft beer community sets it apart from other fiercely competitive industries. With nearly 10,000 breweries in the United States, consumers are spoiled for choice when it comes to where and what to drink. In this decision-making process, I’ve established my own criteria: Good beer is the price of entry, the brewery must be run by people you want to root for and the space should be a place where it’s easy to spend hours, with bonus points for dogs.

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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

food + drink

ABOVE, FROM LEFT A flight at Hellbent Brewing Company. Taps at Hellbent Brewing, where its brewers are always eager to collaborate for good causes.

Additionally, for those like me who frequently turn breweries into makeshift offices, I’ve added an honorary category for a location that’s conducive to an afternoon of working remotely.

Presently, my top pick that ticks all these boxes, including the bonus features, is Hellbent Brewing Company in Lake City.

As you step through the back patio, past the customary food truck and a cluster of adorable canines, you enter the open taproom. There, you’re greeted by an assortment of couches, tables, armchairs and a bar, inviting you to settle in where you’re most comfortable. The staff is fast and cheerful, the patrons are friendly and the space is often packed. Why is it always crowded? Because it’s good beer from a great team in a space that’s hard to leave. The team members, including Jack Guinn, Chris Giles, Randy Embernate, Stephanie Embernate and

Brian Young, are the type who won’t hesitate to jump in when a beer is being brewed for a good cause. Hellbent collaborated with Métier Brewing Company and Boon Boona Coffee to contribute to the Black is Beautiful project, and, more recently, they organized a fundraiser, Kokua Maui, to aid in Maui fire relief efforts— just a few examples of many.

Hellbent Brewing has extended its reach beyond its Lake City origins to introduce The Taproom by Hellbent Brewing in Pybus Public Market in Wenatchee. This location still serves their award-winning beers but also boasts a kitchen with an impressive menu, featuring dishes such as pork belly nachos, the beloved French dip and a skillet cookie that’s worth a journey in itself. With two accessible locations, chances are you’re not too far from one, so it’s high time to drop by for a pint.

Cocktail Card recipe courtesy of Bluewater Organic Distilling / EVERETT

Washington Harvest

HELLBENT BREWING COMPANY

13035 LAKE CITY WAY NE SEATTLE www.hellbentbrewing company.com What to Know: • Dog-friendly • No minors • Food trucks daily

THE TAPROOM

BY HELLBENT BREWING

7 N. WORTHEN ST., STE W8 WENATCHEE www.pybuspublicmarket.org What to Know: • Kid-friendly

• 11/2 ounces Bluewater Organic Distilling Halcyon Gin • 2 ounces organic carrot and tumeric juice

• 1/2 ounce ginger simple syrup • 1/4 ounce honey • 3 drops clove tincture

Combine ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake, and strain into a coupe glass.

Garnish, if desired.

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 21

food + drink

CRAVINGS BURGERS Woody’s Drive-In has been making burgers for the Moses Lake community since 1983. It’s the perfect destination for old-fashioned burgers, fries, onion rings and tater tots. Make sure you don’t miss the shakes.

829 FRONT ST. MOSES LAKE Woody’s Drive-In on Facebook

BRUNCH Stop by the buzzing LU LU Craft Bar + Kitchen, right on the Columbia River, for a smashing brunch to match the view.

Be sure to check out the cinnamon waffle (with strawberries and candied pecans) as well as the smoked steelhead Benedict.

Side Hustle Syrups

606 COLUMBIA POINT DRIVE RICHLAND www.lulucraftbar.com

Elevate your cocktail (or mocktail) game with Side Hustle Syrups.

Gastronomy

Side Hustle Syrups written by Cara Strickland WHAT STARTED as a side hustle has now become something more—and it’s delicious. You may want to start with the simple (or not so simple) syrups designed for craft cocktails. (They work great in mocktails as well.) Choose from elderflower, lemon lavender or even tonic syrup, among others. These people are passionate about good drinks, whether that looks like a cocktail, a coffee or something non-alcoholic but just as refreshing. Now you can sample their wares—along with light food offerings—at their tasting room, The Boneyard, in the Spokane Valley. All the products from this company are small batch and thoughtfully crafted to avoid high-fructose corn syrup. Don’t miss Side Hustle’s angostura sugar cubes and cocktail infusion kits (just add the spirit of your choice).

17905 E. APPLEWAY AVE., SUITE A SPOKANE VALLEY www.sidehustlesyrups.com

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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

COUGAR GOLD LOBSTER MAC There might not be much that is more decadent than this college town staple.

At Birch & Barley, Washington State University’s famous Cougar Gold cheese is added to Gruyère, then used to top orecchiette pasta and sautéed lobster.

It comes with freshly baked baguette slices, just in case you needed more carbs. If you want, you can skip the lobster and make it a Cougar Gold mac.

1360 SE BISHOP BLVD. PULLMAN www.birchbarley.com

SOMETHING COLD + SWEET You probably know Ellenos for its delicious Greek yogurt in flavors like passionfruit and marionberry, but you may not know it has a new sister location in Pike Place Market. Meet Hellenika Cultured Creamery, a project from one of Ellenos’ co-founders, which serves a frozen treat they are calling “cultured gelato.” Be sure to try the coconut ube flavor.

1920A PIKE PLACE SEATTLE www.hellenika.us

food + drink

BEST PLACES FOR

GIFTS GIRL MEETS DIRT It’s hard to go wrong with a gift of preserves, shrubs, bitters and now wines made with fruit from heritage orchards on Orcas Island. Choose from flavors like shiro plum with mint and Hot Damn Pepper Jam spoon preserves, as well as chili lime and tomato or quince shrub.

208 ENCHANTED FOREST ROAD, SUITE A EASTSOUND www.girlmeetsdirt.com

D’OLIVO You’ve probably never seen so many olive oil and vinegar flavors in one place. Best of all, you’re welcome to taste them. Imagine the beauty of a salad, a soda or anything that needs a little extra flavor drizzled with an oil or a vinegar from sweet to savory or a combination of both. Add some of their other specialty food items for the perfect present.

OLYMPIA COFFEE ROASTING CO. Since 2005, Olympia Coffee has been roasting coffee of exceptional quality. They started with wholesale but have gradually expanded to include many blends, teas and coffee equipment. If you’re looking for a gift that will wake someone up in the morning, try a subscription or just a bag of their exceptionally smooth coffee.

LOCATIONS IN OLYMPIA, TACOMA, SEATTLE AND AVAILABLE AT SELECT RETAILERS AND ONLINE www.olympiacoffee.com

Crowell Photography

3 N. WORTHEN ST. WENATCHEE www.dolivopybus.com

Slough Food, inspired by Rome then brought home to Edison.

Dining

Slough Food written by Cara Strickland

You’ll have no trouble finding a gift for anyone with a sweet tooth at this spot, located in a sunny yellow house in Langley. Choose from a variety of house-made treats, including fudge, chocolate bars with all sorts of add-ins, chocolate-covered fruits, caramels, brittle and toffee.

R. JOHN DEGLORIA got the original idea for Slough Food while living in Rome. At a farmers’ market there, he discovered a traditional delicatessen (or an alimentare) where the owner greeted everyone himself. In 2004, DeGloria brought the idea home with him to Edison, where he grew up and created a meeting place for the area. Over the years, it has evolved into a cafe as well, providing a spot to eat as well as purchase foods that might not be available without a trip to Seattle. DeGloria’s background in the restaurant and wine industry make him the perfect person to run this lovely spot in Washington’s best kept secret—the Skagit Valley.

221 SECOND ST., #16 LANGLEY www.sweetmonas.com

5766 CAINS COURT, SUITE B EDISON www.sloughfood.com

SWEET MONA’S CHOCOLATES

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 23

Farm to Table

Local Chefs Step Up Their (Wild) Game

RockCreek Seafood & Spirits

farm to table

Three chefs serve seasonally appropriate dishes featuring lesser-used meats written by Corinne Whiting

THESE DAYS, adventurous chefs stretch beyond meat and poultry offerings of beef, pork and chicken in their recipes, while adventurous diners happily get in on the wild game trend. The game meat you find served at restaurants typically comes from trusted ranches and enclosed pastures. We spoke with three Washington chefs about their experiences—and preferences— when it comes to incorporating game into their Northwest recipes.

Restaurateur Eric Donnelly, owner and executive chef of CircleSpey Restaurant Group, is recognized as a leader in the local dining scene, thanks to twenty-five-plus years at lauded Pacific Northwest restaurants. Although his restaurant group also includes RockCreek Seafood & Spirits and Bar Sur Mer, it’s FlintCreek (located in Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood) that highlights several wild game options on the menu. “The mission at FlintCreek Cattle Co. is to serve premium meats sourced from well-managed, small-scale farms and ranches that produce responsibly raised, pastured, grass-fed animals without added hormones and antibiotics,” he said. “We want our guests to experience lean meats with bold flavors in a fun and inviting atmosphere. We were inspired by the free-range cattle and cattlemen roaming the golden hills of Western Montana.”

As the seasons shift, so do the venue’s game offerings. “Fall is always venison,” Donnelly said. “We use birds, pheasant, quail and duck year-round. Spring brings wild boar from Texas along with lamb and goat.”

For home chefs wanting to purchase and cook wild game, Donnelly suggests starting with something familiar like venison, elk rack or duck. The texture and consistency of these will feel similar to meats folks have already cooked, such as a classic steak.

“The access to readily available, high-quality, local, seasonal ingredients as well as so many small-production meat farms and ranches in the Pacific Northwest makes it easy to expand upon cooking our normal go-to meals,” Donnelly said.

Among Donnelly’s favorite wild game-centric dishes? New Zealand venison loin with rosemarypeppercorn crust, parsnip purée, brandy-cranberry 24 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Restaurateur Eric Donnelly sources small, well-managed ranching programs to bring lean meats to his guests.

B A I N B R I D G E I S L A N D , WA

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farm to table

gastrique, sea salt and sage; and fennel-braised wild boar shoulder with garlic, sage, roasted tomato-fennel sugo and Parmesanpotato gnocchi.

Stuart Lane, executive chef at Seattle’s Spinasse and Artusi, also serves more game in fall and winter months. “The darker meats lend themselves well to braising and spices,” he said. “We use wild boar, quail, squab, venison and sometimes pheasant.”

Their principal resource is Nicky USA, which tends to offer more variety, though sometimes they also purchase from Preservation Meat Collective. “When deciding sourcing, we look for best quality and fresh game, when available,” Lane said.

Lane’s suggestions for home chefs is to find a great butcher who knows quality game. “If not braising … don’t overcook it,” he said. He finds elk and venison to be reliable for cooking. Most wild game is not as fatty and as forgiving, and can get dry. “Cook to medium-rare temperature, at most,” he advised.

“We are lucky that the Pacific Northwest has a fantastic variety of landscapes,” Lane said. “Eastern Washington lends itself to being a great environment for birds. There are forests and mountains for elk, venison and lots of water habitats for wild game.”

On this topic, a favorite dish of Lane’s featured a quail moussestuffed quail leg with fermented quail egg, smoked quail consommé and a fried quail mortadella chip garnish.

Tanner Smith, executive chef for Brimming Hospitality— which encompasses Seattle neighborhood favorite Brimmer & Heeltap, The Coalman and Halfseas Wine + Bottle Shop— discusses how weather patterns influence his menu planning.

“In Seattle, autumn means rain gear, turning leaves and pumpkin spice lattes on every corner,” he said. “Normally rabbits are my go-to, but occasionally I’ll bring in some duck and even wild boar as we move into the winter months for something a bit heartier.”

He said much has changed within the last few years due to sourcing post-pandemic, but Preservation Meats is a top contender for his team. “We are so impressed with their heritage and heirloom growers, not to mention the wealth of knowledge they have for small businesses in a big city!” he said.

Brimming Hospitality executive chef Tanner Smith shows off The Coalman’s duck rillette with pickled mustard seed, mostarda and crostini.

Speaking to home cooks, he emphasized, “Trust your source, if it’s your local meat vendor, butcher shop or a hunting friend using a processing house to finish it. Don’t be afraid of cooking these, and best to treat them as if they were chicken, pork or beef. If you’re averse to the ‘game’ flavor, braising the meats is ideal to subtly get other aromatics introduced to the proteins, especially this time of year.”

A memorable dish for Smith involved wild rabbit rillette with tart cherry mostarda and pickled mustard seed. Another, a variation showcasing duck, is being served at their new Newcastle restaurant, The Coalman.

Smith concurs that this corner of the country proves a prime spot for such creations. “We’re completely surrounded by wild nature here,” he said. “From the sea to mountains to the large prairies east of the Cascade Range. This provides an excellent source of wild game.”

“Trust your source, if it’s your local meat vendor, butcher shop or a hunting friend using a processing house to finish it.

Don’t be afraid of cooking these, and best to treat them as if they were chicken, pork or beef. If you’re averse to the ‘game’ flavor, braising the meats is ideal to subtly get other aromatics introduced to the proteins, especially this time of year.”

— Tanner Smith, executive chef for Brimming Hospitality 26 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Northwest Carriage Museum

Find Romance Here

Over 60 horse-drawn vehicles and thousands of 19th-century artifacts!

314 Alder Street (At Hwy 101 & SR 6) Raymond, WA 98577 • (360) 942-4150 nwcarriagemuseum.org Open Daily 10am-4pm

Bellingham, WA | 360.756.1005 Paid for by PCLT

www.thechrysalisinnandspabellingham.curiocollection.com

UNWIND IN SMALL TOWN SPLENDOR

UnwindGigHarbor.com

farm to table

Chef Eric Donnelly’s Grilled New Zealand Elk Rack, Roasted Vegetable Giardiniera, Lacinato Kale and Bagna Cauda.

Washington Recipes

Game On Pan-Seared Quail with Sautéed Radicchio and Fresh Cherries

Spinasse / SEATTLE Stuart Lane, executive chef at Spinasse and Artusi SERVES 1-2 FOR THE QUAIL • 2 quail, cut in half, all bones removed except drumette and wing (not wing tip) • ½ tablespoon wildflower honey • ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil • Kosher salt, to taste • Black pepper, to taste

The day before you want to serve the dish, put the quail pieces in a bowl with the honey and extra virgin olive oil. Gently toss everything together to evenly coat the quail. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat a 10-inch sauté pan over high heat. Season the quail on the skin and flesh sides with the kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the oil to the pan and, when it is just beginning to smoke, add the quail skin side down. Turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for about 30 seconds. With tongs, flip each piece of quail over, cook for another 5 to 10 seconds and carefully fold the breast over on top of the thigh so it is not in contact with the pan. This will help ensure the breast is not overcooked while still giving the leg a little more time. Once the breast is folded over, cook for another 15 to 20 seconds. Remove all the quail to a plate, skin side up.

Immediately add the radicchio and sauté until it starts to wilt, about 45 seconds. Add the thyme and cherries. Sauté for another 15 seconds. Turn off the heat and deglaze with the Barolo vinegar.

Give the radicchio a taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (add a touch more vinegar if it still seems flat; some radicchio is more bitter than others). Spoon the radicchio and cherries on a warm plate. Artfully arrange the quail skin side up, and pour the resting juices from the plate on top.

Drizzle with the balsamico.

Maddy Porter

FOR SERVING • 2 tablespoons pure olive oil • ½ head of radicchio, core removed, cut in 2-inch pieces • ½ teaspoon thyme leaves, roughly chopped • 4 bing cherries, pit removed, cut in half • 1 tablespoon Barolo vinegar • 1½ tablespoons aged balsamico

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farm to table

Grilled New Zealand Elk Rack, Roasted Vegetable Giardiniera, Lacinato Kale and Bagna Cauda FlintCreek Cattle Co. / SEATTLE Eric Donnelly, chef and owner of CircleSpey Restaurant Group SERVES 4-6 FOR THE ELK RACK • 1 fresh elk rack, should have 6-7 bones when cleaned and Frenched, scraping the bones of sinew and meat clinging to the rib bones • ¼ cup fresh sage • ¼ cup fresh rosemary • 2 tablespoons olive oil FOR THE GIARDENIERA • 1 cup cauliflower, broken down or cut into bite-sized pieces • ¼ cup red bell pepper, cut into half-inch cubes • ¼ cup yellow bell pepper, cut into half-inch cubes • 1 cup fresh patty pan squash, cut into quarters • 1 tablespoon garlic cloves, chopped • ½ cup roasted tomatoes • ¼ cup green olives, cut in half • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, picked from the stem • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1 pinch black pepper • Kosher salt, to taste FOR THE BAGNA CAUDA • 1/3 cup olive oil • 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped • 1 tablespoon capers • ¼ cup basil leaves, chopped • ¼ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped • 2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar FOR THE KALE • 1 bunch of lacinato kale (stems removed, washed, dried with a towel) • Olive oil • Kosher salt FOR THE ROASTED ELK RACK Marinate the cleaned elk rack with the sage, rosemary and olive oil at least 6 hours prior to cooking the dish.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Preheat a large cast iron skillet to medium-high smoke point to ensure you get good caramelization on the meat. Season the elk with a good amount of salt and pepper, add to the pan on the exposed

meat side of the elk rack, and allow the meat to brown well.

With a large tong, flip the elk rack over and place into the oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the internal temperature of the rack is 110 degrees. (We suggest serving this meat on the rarer side because of how lean the meat is; if it becomes overcooked, it will tend to be dry and lose its integrity.)

Remove the pan from the oven and let the meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes minimum, allowing the juices to re-absorb into the meat and not bleed out when you slice into the rack upon plating.

FOR THE GIARDINIERA In a large sauté pan on high heat, add olive oil to the pan until it starts to reach smoke point, then add the cauliflower, red and yellow peppers, and patty pan squash to the oil. Season with kosher salt, and allow the vegetables to caramelize well.

Add garlic to the pan, and allow it to slightly toast.

Remove the veg mixture from the heat and leave at room temperature.

Add the roasted tomatoes and olives to the veg mixture and gently mix. Finish the mixture with the red wine vinegar and fresh oregano. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

FOR THE BAGNA CAUDA In a small sauce pot, warm the oil just a bit, and add the garlic, capers, basil and parsley. Allow the mixture to come up to a simmer until the garlic is soft and the oil is fragrant with garlic, capers and herbs.

Remove from heat. Add the white balsamic vinegar, and leave at room temperature.

FOR THE WILTED KALE WITH BAGNA CAUDA In a large sauté pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and allow to come up to a pretty high heat. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the kale to the pan, season with kosher salt, and allow the kale to wilt in the pan.

Once the kale has wilted, add it to a small stainless-steel bowl. To the bowl, add a generous amount of the bagna cauda, mix the two together, and reserve to plate the dish.

TO SERVE Place a “nest” of the kale and bagna cauda in the center of each plate. Slice the well-rested elk rack between the bones. Arrange an elk chop in the center of each plated kale mixture, and spoon a generous amount of the giardiniera over the top of each elk chop.

Optional: Finish the dish with a drizzle of coldpressed finishing oil over the meat and a sprinkle of crunchy finishing sea salt.

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 29

home + design

Jessica Nelson follows the lead of the architecture, then brings new life to it.

Home + Design

Three Bathrooms, One Designer

Three thoughtful designs from Jessica Nelson turn a utilitarian space into something timeless, rather than trendy written by Melissa Dalton photography by Carina Skrobecki Swain JESSICA NELSON started her career in fashion design at Nordstrom, but then she and her husband bought their first house: a 1910 Craftsman that had been “butchered in the ’70s,” said Nelson. “We bought a true fixer-upper. Then we DIYed everything ourselves, from the tiling to re-siding the exterior. And I just fell in love with the world of interiors.”

That was eight years ago, and now Nelson manages her own Seattle-based firm, Jessica Nelson Design, completing multiple houses a year. “Every project is so different that I’m never bored,” said Nelson. “There are always things to learn, and new things to troubleshoot.” Consider the bathroom—for a smaller comparative area, it can be more complicated than clients expect. “It’s just a really complex space,” said Nelson, referring to required codes, clearances and the many costs. “We try and help guide people through all those tiny little things that they need to know.”

When it comes to the finished design, Nelson “follows the details” of the home’s architecture to achieve a timeless look with modern functionality. “I have a passion for old homes and staying true to those bones,” said Nelson.

“But I promise if you have a Tudor, it doesn’t need to be frumpy or granny.

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home + design

Jessica Nelson expanded the footprint of the Jack-and-Jill kids bathroom and kept it in the Tudor family with playful details.

MONTLAKE

A Timeless Kids’ Bathroom The main floor of this Montlake Tudor was roomy, but the Jack-and-Jill bathroom shared by the family’s three children was not. “It was so tight in there before, I don’t think the toilet and vanity were to code at all,” said Nelson. She first combined the existing bathroom with an adjacent small room to expand the overall footprint. Despite layout challenges posed by retaining the historic windows and accommodating two entry points, Nelson was able to comfortably fit a double vanity, extra storage, walk-in shower and soaking tub, with each wall an artful composition.

Now, the frameless glass shower is an airy counterpoint to the custom red oak vanity with a soapstone counter across the aisle.

The vanity has inset door and drawer fronts to match the home’s Tudor stylings and conceal clutter, topped with arched mirrors flanked by sconces. A large soaking tub was placed below the windows before a wall of soft green tile spanning from the floor to the crown molding.

In a twist on Tudor tradition, Nelson designed a custom black-and-white pattern on the floor using classic penny tile.

“We wanted to do a nod to the traditional tile border, but make it feel fresh and updated,” said Nelson. “We don’t like to do kids’ spaces super on-the-nose. We want the room to be able to grow with them and be more timeless, but also have a little touch of playfulness to it.”

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 31

home + design

SUNCADIA This small hallway bath in Suncadia has a warm, dark moodiness to it with a custom wood vanity and Ann Sacks terracotta tiles.

A Moody Hall Bath for a New Build This small hall bathroom might be brand new, but it has more than a little gravitas that comes with age. “We didn’t want anything to feel builder-grade or too perfect,” said Nelson, who worked with WoodRidge Custom Homes on the project, a Suncadia new build finished in 2021. Nelson started by making the floor a focal point, splurging on handmade, hand-painted terracotta tile from Ann Sacks. Vintage finds, including the mirror and ceiling pendant, infuse character and help the space feel like it’s been curated over a longer time period.

The custom wood vanity fabricated by the builder is topped with a cast cement vessel sink, both of which bring lived-in texture, as do the walls covered in an inky dark green lime wash paint. Because the room doesn’t have any windows for natural light and is located close to the front door, Nelson wanted to lean into its constraints with a more daring treatment. “We intentionally made it moody and more of a statement,” said Nelson. “You can see this room from the entryway as you enter the house.

With the door open, I love that peekaboo moment of drama.”

“We intentionally made it moody and more of a statement. …

With the door open, I love that peekaboo moment of drama.”

32 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

— Jessica Nelson, interior designer

OCTOBER 21, 2023 – FEBRUARY 11, 2024

highdesertmuseum.org

LAURELHURST

A Serene Primary Bath Sanctuary in a Tudor The key to getting the look just right in this primary bathroom overhaul was picking materials that would have been around when the home was built in 1928. To that end, Nelson chose marble for the floors, vanity counter and shower seat, and unlacquered brass for the faucets. Another emphasis was on 34 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

craftsmanship and the handmade, as seen in the shower walls clad in zellige tile, and the bespoke double vanity with tower storage cabinets on either end. Fashioned by a local carpenter using white oak with reeded fronts and carved feet, the vanity looks very current but was inspired by a close examination of 1920s-era furniture.

In order to cozy up the substantial walk-in shower and eliminate drafts, Nelson surrounded it with a pony wall that doubles

as a nice backdrop for the soaking tub. A wainscot accent is a final touch, painted the same color as the walls and ceiling, lending texture without too much contrast, and is another historic nod that works well for today’s needs. “It can really elevate a space to paint it all the same color,” said Nelson. “And the beadboard is another 1920s architectural reference that we wanted to incorporate in here. It adds great dimension, and is so wipeable and easy to clean.”

In this 1928 Laurelhurst primary bath, Nelson goes back in time with materials but brings them forward into a serene modern update.

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 35

home + design

stays. Plunge sessions tend to last between five and ten minutes.

People use stock tanks, allin-one kits, ice barrels or even converted chest freezers for these installations. As far as size, smaller might be better—the larger and more gallons of water the vessel holds, the more it will cost to run the mechanical system to cool the water and keep it cold. Also consider the vessel’s insulative qualities. For instance, a metal stock tank would need some form of exterior insulation, like a wooden framework surround lined with spray foam or waterproof cement board. Many cold plunges also have a lid, which is why a large cooler or chest freezer is such a popular vessel.

DIY

Cold Plunge Basics COLD PLUNGES are very trendy right now—in the DIY world, on social media, among celebrities and influencers—but they’ve had a long history of popularity, with practitioners going as far back as Hippocrates and Charles Darwin. The term “cold plunge” describes the physical act of submersing your body in very cold water, and also refers to the tub or tank in which to do that. The benefits are said to be numerous, including improved muscle recovery and inflammation reduction, not to mention the rush when it’s over. Whether you’d like an add-on for your at-home sauna, or just need a dunk pool in the backyard during hot weather, we break down the basics below.

THE TUB A couple of factors will go into this decision. Most obviously, the tub will need to be watertight and big enough for you to get in and out easily. Regarding shape, know

whether you prefer to lie down, or stay upright for a quick sit, and if there needs to be enough room to dunk your head beneath the water.

Typically, there’s no need for fancy seats—this is not a place for long

36 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

SANITATION The water needs a filter that screens for debris, like rocks and leaves, so no organic matter clogs the mechanical system. Also, it’s important to sanitize the water regularly to prevent bacteria growth. UV light and ozone filters are two types of add-ons that accomplish this.

Illustration: Allison Bye

If cold plunges are your thing, here are a few essentials to know when building your DIY chilled tub.

TEMPERATURE + CIRCULATION Cold plunges are, as you might guess, cold, clocking in between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit on average, depending on personal preference and local climate.

The water is kept consistently cool by a water chiller, which needs ventilation and most likely protected from the elements if installed outside. (Always check manufacturer instructions.) The size and power of the chiller is chosen depending on the size of the tank and amount of water inside. The water will also need to be circulated, typically via an in-line or submersible pump, which should have a similar flow rate as the chiller.

home + design

Decor with Tudor Flair Ditch the boring cotton bath mat in exchange for this World Market take on a vintage Turkish kilim. The bright colors and pattern will elevate the utilitarian piece, while the machinewashable cotton and polyester construction are sure to dry more quickly. www.worldmarket.com Want just the right touch of nostalgia? Go for a Paris faucet from Watermark Designs, a Brooklyn, NY-based manufacturer of decorative bath fixtures and accessories.

It has all the right vintage touches, like cross handles and a gooseneck spout, and comes in a polished natural brass finish that will patina in the best way over time.

Available at Chown Hardware. www.products.chown.com

The Hicks Pendant by designer Thomas O’Brien manages to strike that perfect balance between modern and traditional thanks to a mix of metals, including bronze and hand-rubbed antique brass. Exposed rivets bring that little extra edge, while the white glass globe delivers a soft glow.

In the oil-rubbed bronze finish, these metalframed mirrors from Rejuvenation are an elegant and sly reference to the classic Tudor arch. Hang them over the vanity sink for a streamlined addition to any historic home.

www.visualcomfort.com

www.rejuvenation.com DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE

37

mind + body

ParaSport Spokane founder and executive director Teresa Skinner at the Valley Christian School track in Spokane Valley as athletes Bob Hunt, right, and Lauren Fields pass on racing chairs.

Athletic Agency Teresa Skinner’s ParaSport Spokane inspires people with different abilities to challenge themselves in sport written by Lauren Kramer | photography by Young Kwak

FOUNDER AND executive director of ParaSport Spokane Teresa Skinner oversees sports programs for 183 athletes with disabilities. Her organization offers track and field, swimming, sled hockey, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair fencing and strength and conditioning, and participants range in age from 1 to 73 years old.

“The amount of change that occurs when a person with a disability participates in sports is immeasurable,” she reflected. “And it doesn’t just change their lives and their perspectives on what they can accomplish. It also changes the lives of everyone around them, and how those people treat them and others with disabilities.”

38 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Courtesy of Teresa

Skinner

mind + body

Skinner, 56, was a newly graduated occupational therapist back in 1993, when she traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, for an internship at the Shepherd Center, a spinal cord and brain injury rehab hospital that was gearing up for the Paralympic Games of 1996. There, she witnessed a center that was determined to involve patients with disabilities in sports before they left the rehabilitation hospital. Its patients were exposed to a wide range of athletic possibilities including swimming, kayaking, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball and track and field.

“Many of them were going to be wheelchair users for the rest of their lives, and their self-perception was that there would be lots of things they couldn’t do anymore,” she recalled. “But when they were exposed to all this possibility with sports, I saw how much it changed their perspective on their future.

Shepherd did an amazing job of showing its patients what was ABOVE Teresa Skinner stows a racing chair at ParaSport Spokane’s headquarters at the Valley Christian School campus in Spokane Valley. AT LEFT Skinner, left, poses with three-time Paralympian and medalist Chelsea McClammer at McClammer’s first games in Beijing in 2008.

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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

mind + body

possible, and that they could do anything they wanted. From that day forward it inspired me and completely changed the way I treat my clients.”

A full-time occupational therapist, Skinner volunteers up to fifty hours a week at ParaSport Spokane, along with all the coaches and staff who work alongside her.

“People often don’t see what’s possible, and just telling them isn’t enough. You have to show them that it’s possible, and it doesn’t always come easy,” she said.

In her first workplace, a nursing home in Spokane, she met a 29-year-old quadriplegic who lived there. “He’d been placed there because everyone around him thought that was the norm and that was what should happen, and that’s opposite of what I was exposed to at Shepherd,” she said.

Frustrated with what she was seeing, Skinner called the Shepherd Center for advice, and they suggested she start a wheelchair rugby team. She approached St. Luke’s Rehabilitation in Spokane, and together they fundraised to purchase wheelchair rugby chairs, hosted an introductory clinic and began training athletes and participating in tournaments around the country.

Skinner recalls knowing nothing about wheelchair rugby when she first started. “I’d spend hours watching videos and trying to stay one step ahead of the team,” she recalled with a laugh. For the next fifteen years she helped run the adaptive sports program at St. Luke’s Rehabilitation, adding junior wheelchair racing and junior wheelchair basketball programs to the mix. Participation was open to anyone with a physical disability or visual impairment who wanted to join.

In 2013, Skinner began her own nonprofit, ParaSport Spokane, with seven athletes. Over the next ten years it would grow to more than 180 athletes, some of them seriously competitive, and others engaging in sports recreationally.

“It can be whatever the athlete wants it to be,” she said. “Our 73-year-old participant is playing wheelchair basketball, and she’s awesome!”

Chelsea McClammer, an athlete Skinner coached in middle and high school, went on to become a three-time Paralympian and medalist. She just moved back to Spokane to get her doctorate in occupational therapy, and Skinner was overjoyed to hear the news.

Teresa Skinner

NUTRITION

ParaSport Spokane Executive Director and Founder Age: 56 Born: Pasadena, California Lives: Spokane

WORKOUT “I love cycling and train with the athletes whenever I can. When we’re doing road races leading up to competitions, I’ll join them on my bike.”

“I’m gluten-free, which has been a good thing in terms of keeping me healthy,” said Skinner, whose favorite meals are fish, fruit and vegetables.

INSPIRATION Witnessing the changes that occur when athletes with disabilities engage with sport. “It changes their perspective on what they can accomplish, not just in sports, but in their lives in general,” Skinner said.

“It’s such a true honor for her to come back to Spokane to work in the same career as me,” she said. “She’s an incredible person and friend, and it’s an honor to have that opportunity to watch someone grow and explore their potential.”

“When people ask how I manage to volunteer forty to fifty hours per week, I tell them I can’t imagine not doing this,” she said. “The ripple effect and impact of providing an opportunity for someone with a disability to compete, play with their friends, set goals, understand how to handle winning and losing—all those things you get from sport, is really unbelievable. I feel like my reason for being on the planet is to help create opportunities, and I hope I’ve managed to change lives in the process. The friendships I’ve gained because of adaptive sports have been priceless.”

Skinner’s only regret is the lack of awareness of adaptive sport that prevails in the U.S. “The opportunities in adaptive sports are incredible, and the number of experiences possible are endless, but so few people know about it,” she said. She encourages anyone who wants to learn more about the paralympic movement to reach out to her organization, www.parasportspokane.org, so she can connect them to the right resources.

“The amount of change that occurs when a person with a disability participates in sports is immeasurable. And it doesn’t just change their lives and their perspectives on what they can accomplish.

It also changes the lives of everyone around them, and how those people treat them and others with disabilities.”

— Teresa Skinner

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 41

artist in residence

H.R. Emi brings tender art to where words end.

For the Love Emerging artist H.R. Emi captures life in little moments written by Ellen Hiatt

“I paint flowers so they will not die.”

— Frida Kahlo WHAT MUST it be like to fear squandering your blessings, but take them for granted at the same time? Life passes by in moments big and small, soul-fulfilling and mundane. A snapshot in time can be filled with the power of love infused into a gift given freely, or the joy in a fleeting moment of a celebration, as the last balloon floats to the ceiling.

“It’s really important to take a step back and value those little moments in life that bring you all together where you are at,” said artist H.R. Emi. Emi, her first name, goes by an artist’s pseudonym. The pseudonym, taken from family names, is a story she’s still exploring without yet having the words for it. Perhaps that’s why she paints: a method to explore feelings that haven’t yet claimed a language.

As a first-generation child of Mexican immigrant parents, the Yakima Valley resident first took up art as a 16-year-old college student in Yakima, graduating from Central Washington University in 2021 with a bachelor’s in fine art.

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Balloon, by H.R. Emi, pictures a balloon floating around after an occasion.

artist in residence

She’s acutely aware that her parents, and the broader Latino community, were not granted the same opportunity as herself.

Just to be an artist, she said, is a kind of a luxury. To have the time and the resources to devote herself to art is “just kind of not heard of. … Just the idea of being an artist in the Latina community is such a privilege.”

Emi has shown her work in Ellensburg, Yakima, Tieton and Seattle, receiving several awards, including being granted affiliate membership to Gallery 110 in Seattle, where she was among the top artists chosen for Gallery East, a showing of emerging artists.

“I met her at the reception” for EmergEAST, said Shayley Timm, director of Gallery 110.

“She was so wonderful. We had her pieces Objetos Preciosos and Balloon. … She is coming into her voice with stunning technique.”

Through Emi’s work you can see her heart, and the “love” she speaks of so frequently when talking about the process of making and appreciating art.

“Tender comes to mind a lot,” Timm said.

“It kind of feels like when I look at her work I am seeing snapshots or memories, at the same time vibrant and personal. She’s absolutely incredible.”

Photos: courtesy of H.R. Emi

“I fell in love with the idea of creating moments in life that have happened to you,” Emi said. “Take a step back and bask in the moment.

That’s really what was happening in the impressionist era. Looking at light and capturing it in a way that resounds to you. Creating moments in life—kind of like snapshots, really profound or really simple. But I think it’s so beautiful.”

Asked to paint a portrait of herself in college, she painted Objetos Preciosos (“Precious Objects”) in oil paint and graphite pencil on canvas. The painting depicts a tabletop dimly lit by a rock salt lamp—a scene from her bedroom. On the table are everyday things that are important to her, like her contacts case (“I can’t see without my contacts!”). There are also reminders of the people she is afraid to let down: Our Lady of Guadalupe, gifted by her mother; the wood block of Frida Kahlo that her sister bought for her in Mexico; and the plant she and her father grew from a cutting.

Emi stumbled searching for the words for the piece and what those things mean to her.

It was, she said, just a feeling, a visceral feeling that you take for granted what you have, but also “have a little bit of fear. … I think it’s just a fear of growing up and hopefully what you are doing is right.”

H.R. Emi’s Objetos Preciosos depicts a scene from her bedroom filled with important everyday and sentimental objects.

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Reva Keller

MY WORKSPACE 46 GAME CHANGER 50

pg. 46 David Boyd follows his dreams as an homage to his mother.

my workspace Not many people would take a harrowing and painful event and make it into a lifetime framework for ongoing inspiration. David Boyd did just that, and took it several miles beyond. As a child, Boyd would stand alert in his mother’s kitchen offering assistance as she made family meals. It was his way to be able to be near her, a woman he loved and admired as a creative cook. His early shared love for cooking led him to jobs in high school working for various food establishments.

In 2010, Boyd lost his mother in a car accident. Always his steadfast cheerleader, she had high hopes he eventually would attend culinary school. In her honor, Boyd used her life insurance money to move to Atlanta to attend Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. After graduating, he worked in many acclaimed restaurants in Atlanta and in Washington state, but increasingly became disillusioned by the long weekend working hours, hectic and unfulfilling lifestyle and the witnessing of massive amounts of food and packaging waste that occurs in many restaurants. Not wanting to leave the food industry, Boyd developed a culinary concept that aligned squarely with his values.

A Culinary Legacy David Boyd looks to change cooking culture with Down to Earth Cuisine written by Joni Kabana photography by Reva Keller 46

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my workspace

“I believed food should be done better, and, more importantly, that it could be done better,” he said. “I set out to do that. At Down to Earth, we focus on organic, non-GMO, wild caught seafood. We reduce plastic and food waste in every way possible. It is a core fundamental value of ours, and we train all of our new chefs to adopt this mindset shift. It doesn’t require a huge time commitment. It’s just a slight shift in perspective that over time takes you farther away from consuming so much plastic.

We also reduce food waste by purchasing the not so perfect piece of produce when possible. If a butternut squash has a blemish, we can cut around it and still make an amazing dish with it. We find creative ways to use leftovers in client’s homes. It is a core fundamental that leads to the growth of chefs. When creating new menus each week and considering the approach to not wasting food, it turns up the creative side of the brain. It’s in the same vein as ‘necessity is the mother of all invention.’ The clients enjoy it as they are exposed to new items, and we are able to avoid waste. It is a win-win for everyone.”

Down to Earth Cuisine offers an in-home meal prep service for clients in the greater Seattle area including Lynnwood, Everett and Tacoma. It also offers private dinners for special occasions. Soon Down to Earth Cuisine will expand to San Diego, Irvine and other West Coast cities.

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my workspace In addition to donating meals locally and abroad, Boyd has adopted a philanthropic approach to running his business. Down to Earth Cuisine has donated thousands of trees through One Tree Planted, and they have made donations locally in the Pacific Northwest to provide spawning habitat for the local Chinook salmon population to provide more food to help the local J Pod orca whale population regrow. They also donate to the Dollar Donation Club that removes plastic from the oceans.

“I am just trying to change the landscape of the culinary industry, show people that they can do what they love and they don’t have to do it in a toxic environment,” Boyd said. “I want to give chefs more balance in their lives where they can work a typical Monday-through-Friday nine-to-five rather than working long weekend hours. I want to be the company that sets the standard to say, money can come and go, it’s more important to focus on making a living while positively impacting your surroundings. The legacy that we’ve left behind and the impact that we’ve made on the world is what matters most in the end. I read a quote that included the line that we can’t eat money. And that resonates with me.”

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on

C a d n o a o l!

H

Ninety volunteers removed 3,200 pounds of trash during a Spokane Riverkeeper public river cleanup event in 2022.

Spokane Riverkeeper

game changer

Returning to the River Spokane Riverkeeper brings awareness and life back to the Spokane River written by Daniel O’Neil WHETHER RAFTING, fishing, floating or walking along its banks, the greater Spokane area loves the Spokane River. The waterway flows past tribal lands and public parks and pours right through downtown, connecting people up and downstream and across Washington’s largest eastside community. If something is only as strong as its weakest link, the Spokane area is only as strong as its river is healthy.

The Spokane River has supported riverine life and human civilization since time immemorial. But ever since the City of Spokane’s founding in the late 1800s, industrial and municipal pressures have degraded the river’s health. In 2009, Spokane Riverkeeper formed to protect this aquatic artery.

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“Our goal is a clean and healthy Spokane River for everyone to enjoy, including the non-human inhabitants of the river,” said Jule Schultz, the nonprofit’s lead Waterkeeper. “It’s a common environment for everyone, but not everyone can be a policymaker or lead river cleanups. They have other jobs. Our job is to restore and maintain a healthy river for them.”

Over the past century, toxins have accumulated in the Spokane River. Today, additional pollutants like trash and wastewater deteriorate water quality and habitat for plants and animals above and below water. Local policy has begun to address these issues, in part because of Spokane Riverkeeper’s role in outreach and awareness, but also due to legal pressure via the group’s Clean Water Defense program.

“The largest issues have come from Spokane, but Spokane has also put the most back into it, celebrating the river and doing things to clean it up,” Schultz said. Spokane Riverkeeper breeds new connections between Spokanites and the river. Cleanup initiatives, for example, annually remove 40,000 pounds of trash from the river and creeks.

Joshua Duplechian/Trout Unlimited, courtesy of Spokane Riverkeeper

game changer

A Spokane Riverkeeper cleanup event with Trout Unlimited.

MORE ONLINE “Spokane Riverkeeper’s role in the watershed is “That’s a river connection,” Schultz said. “We’re really important in helping make sure that when collecting trash from places that people may never For information on how donate or get involved, visit these fish return, they have a clean, cold river and have been to along the banks of the Spokane River towww.spokaneriverkeeper.org adequate habitat,” said Conor Giorgi, anadroand our local creeks. We’re connecting people to mous fish program manager for the Spokane Tribe of Indians. the river to get them to love it.”

Spokane Riverkeeper also participates in restoration programs “They’ve been able to reach audiences and help draw people that plant trees along the banks and the bottoms of floodplains back to the river, especially regarding the history of the Spokane in the Spokane River. The group’s community science program River, which has been heavily used for industrial and municipal engages local residents in simple yet crucial ways. Some volun- purposes. The Riverkeeper has helped people see the nature and teers regularly collect water samples to evaluate turbidity in the the beauty in it.”

The arrival of Spokane Riverkeeper has coincided with a reriver. Others catch crayfish to be tested for mercury. Actions like these make citizens into stakeholders and gradually help surgence of respect for the water that tumbles through the city.

The momentum is not lost on Schultz. “In the last ten years, improve fish habitat.

While redband trout has become the river’s iconic fish, its sal- we’ve gone from treating the river as a polluted toxic mess to monid cousins tell a broader story. Until dams blocked fish ac- really trying to embrace it, clean it up and drive people to it as a cess to the Pacific Ocean, various runs of salmon thrived in the centerpiece of our community.”

Spokane River and its tributaries. The indigenous Spokane people ate and traded their ample supply of salmon, and that fish formed an integral part of their culture and identity. Now the Spokane Tribe of Indians and partners, including other tribes and Spokane Riverkeeper, are bringing salmon back.

Using state, federal and other funding, the twenty-year plan has already reintroduced summer chinook to the Spokane River watershed for cultural, scientific and educational purposes.

Once completed, the effort will provide food security, cultural — Jule Schultz, Spokane Riverkeeper program director significance and added nutrients for the river.

“Our goal is a clean and healthy Spokane River for everyone to enjoy, including the non-human inhabitants of the river.”

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Semiahmoo Resort on the Semiahmoo Spit brings together body relaxation and pastoral views of the Salish Sea. (photo: Semiahmoo Resort)

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Top Spas in Washington for a Holiday Retreat (or Recovery) written by Emma Giffin

HOLIDAYS ARE GREAT in small measures. When the detritus of wrapping paper has settled and the last annuals have gone back home, it’s time for self care and relaxation. There is almost no better way to hit reset for the new year than with an all-in spa retreat. These five spa resorts across Washington offer many ways to get you to that point where you feel refreshed and ready for the new year—come what may! (And if you’re looking for locally made, natural spa products, we have recommendations for those, too.)

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ORCAS ISLAND

Rosario Resort Begin with a retreat to Orcas Island and Rosario Resort. This historic and elegant destination offers stunning views of Cascade Bay and the surrounding mountains. The resort features a full-service spa that provides massages, facials, body treatments and more. You can also enjoy the indoor and outdoor pools, hot tubs, saunas and fitness center. For the holiday season, Rosario Resort is offering a special package that includes a two-night stay, a $100 spa credit, a $50 dining credit and a bottle of champagne.

The package starts from $399 per night, based on double occupancy.

ABOVE, FROM TOP Rosario Resort’s indoor pool in the historic Moran Mansion. Massage rooms are located in the original bedrooms of the mansion. (photos: Rosario Resort) BELOW The glow of a fire and a welcoming massage table awaits your visit. (photo: Carina Skrobecki Swain/ State of Washington Tourism)

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LOCALLY MADE SPA PRODUCTS TO TRY AT HOME

Deluxe Spa Collection

by Made In Washington

1

This gift set includes a Seattle Candle Company scented candle, organic lavender essential oil from OrcaSong Farm on Orcas Island, lavender zest soap, sugar scrub and whipped body butter.

The products are made with natural ingredients and good for your skin—and make a great gift that supports local businesses. { $100 }

Neroli + Pink Peppercorn Luxury Moisturizing Lotion at Handmade La Conner This rich lotion uses mango butter to soften and jojoba to heal dry cracked skin. A blend of natural ingredients and botanical oils (mango butter, sweet lemon oil, avocado oil and jojoba) make this small-batch moisturizer a perfect self gift for your skin. { $36 for 8 ounces }

Lavender Bath Fizzies

by Estrella Soap These all-natural, Seattle-made bath bombs fizz and release a relaxing aroma of lavender— perfect for a stocking stuffer or your next soak. { $14 for 8 }

CLE ELUM

Suncadia Resort

2

Suncadia Resort is a sprawling luxury property near Cle Elum, 80 miles southeast of Seattle. Suncadia offers a 28,000square-foot spa that comes with a range of services, from aromatherapy to hydrotherapy. You can also enjoy the indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, yoga studio and meditation garden. For the holiday season, Suncadia Resort has treatments that run from the Toasty Marshmallow massage, done with shea, cocoa and mango butters, and the Very Merry mani-pedi that brings in a brown sugar exfoliator. If this sounds like your tasting menu, Suncadia is your retreat.

FROM TOP Suncadia’s Glade Spring Spa in Cle Elum. Glade Spring’s relaxing setting. The rolling hills around Cle Elum just over the Snoqualmie Pass. (photos: Suncadia Resort)

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3

WOODINVILLE

Willows Lodge

Willows Lodge is a cozy and charming retreat near Seattle, in Woodinville Wine Country. The lodge features a spa that specializes in vinotherapy, which uses grape-based products and techniques to nourish and revitalize the skin. You can also enjoy the outdoor relaxation pool, jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. For the holiday season, take it to the max. Willows spa’s Relax to the Max package includes a Swedish massage, a neroli wrap, an oxygen facial and a $30 lunch credit for $600 (Monday through Thursday). When you’ve rejuvenated, there are more than 130 tasting rooms in Woodinville for sipping some of the Pacific Northwest’s best.

FROM TOP Willows Lodge in Woodinville. The Spa at Willows Lodge. The Willows Lodge hydrotherapy pool for a soaking rejuvenation. (photos: Willows Lodge)

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BLAINE

Semiahmoo Resort Semiahmoo Resort is a seaside oasis thirty minutes north of Bellingham on the Semiahmoo Spit. The resort spa offers massages, facials, body wraps and more. You can also enjoy the indoor/outdoor pool, hot tub, fitness center and tennis courts. For the holiday season, try the meditative ninety-minute Tranquility Massage ($195) and the sixty-minute Hand and Foot Refresher ($135). After, take a stroll out to the area’s estuaries where you can spy thousands of bird species in this aviary mecca.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Relaxing at Semiahmoo Resort spa. The broader facilities include tennis courts and a pool. The resort sits on a spit in the Salish Sea. (photos: Semiahmoo Resort)

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5 LEAVENWORTH

Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort is a rustic and serene hideaway in the Cascade Mountains, near Leavenworth. The resort features a spa that lavishes organic treatments, such as herbal wraps, salt scrubs and stone massages on its guests. At Sleeping Lady, you can also enjoy the outdoor pool, hot pool, sauna and fitness room.

For the holiday season, go big with the Enchantment of Renewed Energy package, which includes a foot soak, a ninety-minute facial or detoxifying herbal mud treatment and a ninety-minute hot and cold jade stone massage ($460). Wind down sipping whiskey around the Sleeping Lady’s Grotto Bar fire pit.

FROM TOP Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort combines a bucolic getaway to Leavenworth and spa treatments that flush out last year’s toxins and usher in a sense of calm. (photos: Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort)

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Walla Walla 60 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

The Hors Catégorie vineyard grows in ancient basalt too steep for tractors.

on the

The pursuit → of cooler climes

and fresh terroir is leading vineyards toward higher ground

written and photographed by Daniel O’Neil DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

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drive up the Walla Walla River feels like a detour from that area’s world-famous vineyards. Canyon walls quickly build into dark rock outcroppings as the Blue Mountains draw nearer. Ponderosa pines begin to take hold on the ridgelines where bears, cougars and rattlesnakes roam.

Along the road, cattle graze, apples grow and there’s not a vine in sight until the elevation reaches 1,300 feet.

Then begins the future of Walla Walla wine.

Christophe Baron’s Hors Catégorie vineyard appears like a fantasy, sculpted into busted-up basalt slopes too steep for tractors, syrah with a Wild West backdrop. A turn up the South Fork leads to a valley-floor vineyard, the oldest one here. But continuing up the North Fork, vines again cling to the south-facing canyon wall and up onto the gentler terrain atop the ridge, at 2,000 feet, where new grapevines have taken hold.

A dozen miles north, just east of downtown Walla Walla, a more familiar winegrowing area is in rapid expansion. The Mill Creek corridor, which Chris Figgins helped put on the map, has grown award-winning wine grapes since the turn of this century. Yet its story has hardly begun. Longtime vintners and optimistic newcomers have staked new claims on the broad hillside above Mill Creek, each pushing farther east into the foothills of the Blues, all propelled by the same interests as those planting along the North Fork.

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Walla Walla is heating up. As wine drinkers across the country embrace the bold, expressive reds grown in this celebrated American Viticultural Area (AVA), outside and local investment follow suit. New reaches for Walla Walla wine country mean fresh terroirs to taste, which attracts tourism, a win-win for the region.

But the migration east into the Blue Mountains foothills makes sense for more pressing reasons. Growing season temperatures have already advanced enough to concern winegrowers and winemakers. Many also fear a water-scarce future here. Higher-elevation areas like the North Fork and Mill Creek offer cooler temperatures and more rainfall. For Walla Walla wines, there’s nowhere to go but upward.

Rick Small is not surprised to see new vineyards along these foothills. Small founded Woodward Canyon Winery in 1981, one of Walla Walla’s first, when the air was colder and the warmest sites still appealed to grapes. Over

→

With Hors Catégorie, Christophe Baron pioneered the rocky slopes of Walla Walla’s North Fork area.

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FROM LEFT Resurgent Vineyard looks into the Blues along the South Fork of the Walla Walla River. At Hors Catégorie, Christophe Baron practices biodynamic polyculture.

time, he planted farther up his hills, seeking cooler parcels.

In French, “hors catégorie” means “in a class of one’s Small’s four decades of consecutive red wine vintages now own.” Steep faces angled west, south and east, elevations beoffer perspective that’s more tangible than a meteorologi- tween 1,300 and 1,500 feet, very shallow fragmented basalt cal chart. soils of two distinct types: new terroir for Baron to bottle.

“When you start seeing what’s happening in the bottle, He planted two acres of syrah in 2011, and released his first seeing when the grapes get ripe and what the flavor profile is Hors Catégorie wine three years later. Critically acclaimed, it compared to forty or even thirty years ago, you start to taste is Walla Walla’s most elusive label. Every drop of wine from it, to see it, to smell it,” Small said. “You experithe tiny biodynamic vineyard goes into the final ence it. And it’s pretty obvious. We’re havblend, producing only 1,500 to 2,000 bottles ing less and less of the cooler vintages per vintage.

“When you start and more of the warmer ones.”

“Everyone said I was crazy to plant Nominally only a few degrees vineyards in The Stones,” Baron seeing what’s happening warmer than when Small first said, using his preferred term for in the bottle, seeing when the planted, the Walla Walla Valley The Rocks District. “Well, look already sees more intense heat at what’s going on right now.” grapes get ripe and what the flavor waves and earlier harvests, neiToday, that sub-AVA—which, profile is compared to forty or even ther a harbinger of fine wine. like the North Fork, is actually Ever since the late 1990s, hot located on the Oregon side of thirty years ago, you start to taste it, vintages have become the new the cross-border Walla Walla to see it, to smell it. You experience it. normal. Walla Walla has had to Valley AVA—is a bonanza. adapt, which has already yield“They said the same thing And it’s pretty obvious. We’re having ed some delicious surprises. about the North Fork: ‘He’s less and less of the cooler vintages crazy, he’s going to lose all his n 2005, grapevines had yet to money. ’ Now there’s new develand more of the warmer ones.” be planted on the North Fork’s opment going on there.”

— Rick Small, Woodward Canyon intimidating slopes when Baron Searching for new terroir expresWinery founder purchased the property that would sions and a haven from climate change, become Hors Catégorie. “It was like a Walla Walla’s wine industry has arrived on rough diamond, and I saw the potential,” he the North Fork. The remote area’s first vineyard, said. “For the last fifteen years, I have been polishing that Resurgent, was planted in 1998 on the South Fork, but it lies stone. It’s my American jewel.” on the alluvial flats. Today’s plantings follow the North Fork Founder of waitlist-only wines like Cayuse and Horse- upstream, basking in exceptional growing conditions along power, Baron is a superstar of Walla Walla wine. Originally the river canyon’s tall northern flank. from Champagne, France, where his family has produced Elevation proves a critical asset in the North Fork. In the sparkling wine since the seventeenth century, Baron made middle of summer, temperatures remain lower than in the his mark in 1997 when he was the first to plant wine grapes rest of Walla Walla wine country. This matters because when in what became The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, a the mercury rises past the mid-90s, grapevines shut down to sub-AVA of the Walla Walla Valley. protect themselves, disturbing the ripening process.

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The new Valdemar vineyard → currently sits the farthest east along the North Fork.

North Fork vineyards also sit above the temperature inversion that floods the Walla Walla Valley with frost in spring and fall. And on summer mornings, air temperatures can hover twenty degrees warmer than in the valley, extending the growing season. Baron harvests Hors Catégorie two weeks later than his vineyards in the valley-floor Rocks District, an important gain as climate change nudges harvest earlier, in discord with the grapevine’s natural rhythm.

Jesús Martínez Bujanda, fifth-generation CEO of his family’s Valdemar Estates, sees the same retreat to higher winegrowing ground in his native Spain. Bujanda’s Rioja-rooted wine family opened its Walla Walla winery in 2019. Three years ago, in partnership with Force Majeure Vineyards, they purchased and planted acreage in the North Fork. Elevations here begin at 1,800 feet and rise past 2,200 feet, suggesting a freshness and higher acidity in the wines, exactly what Valdemar seeks. As with Baron, Bujanda appreciates the North Fork’s promising terroir.

“I would not be invested there if I didn’t think that place was special,” Bujanda said. “Only time will tell. That’s the beauty and the problem with winegrowing and winemaking.

In ten years, I will be able to say if we were right or wrong, but it has all the potential to be a very unique winegrowing area.”

Valdemar has planted almost seven acres of chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah but still awaits its first harvest here. Once in production, Bujanda is confident that the ridgetop’s deep, windblown silt, or loess, soils will accommodate farming without irrigation.

According to the Washington State Department of Ecology, by the 2040s Walla Walla River flows will have decreased by up to 66 percent, and by as much as 89 percent by the 2080s. Dry farming, unthinkable in most vineyards east of the Cascade Range, proves viable in deep, water-retaining soils like atop the North Fork.

“You get some really interesting wines when the grape roots can penetrate into the underlying basalt because it’s a completely different suite of minerals down there,” said Kevin Pogue, a professor of geology at Whitman College and a vineyard site consultant. “But in the Columbia Basin, you’re limited to expand viticulture because of restrictions on drilling new agricultural water wells. The North Fork is great because you can choose what kind of terroir you want.”

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The Mill Creek Corridor → encompasses a mix of forest, farmland and vineyards.

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The North Fork has room to grow, but not much. Excessively steep forested terrain with unsuitable soil begins not far east of Valdemar’s new vineyard. Pogue figures only 500 to 600 acres of plantable vineyard land await on the North Fork’s south-facing slope. The South Fork could also see vineyards crawl up its northern wall.

Baron welcomes new vineyard expansion along the Walla Walla River. “It’s still a land of opportunity here, and that’s what I enjoy about this place,” he said. “There’s this feeling of being a pioneer, of being first. You can’t be a pioneer in Champagne or Burgundy—it has already been done.” few miles east of downtown Walla Walla, past the quiet airport, Mill Creek Road swiftly takes visitors into the countryside.

Heading toward the looming, folded Blue Mountains, rolling fields of wheat still dominate the landscape. But vineyards and wineries are catching up fast, spreading farther and farther east.

“Mill Creek is a great place for the same reasons as the North Fork,” Pogue said. “That area is poised to be a real star in the viticultural landscape of Washington because these people are well capitalized and have ambitious plans for vineyards, wines and facilities up there.”

If the North Fork proves how Walla Walla wines can push the boundaries of what’s viticulturally possible, Mill Creek reveals the growth happening within this wine region, and where it’s headed.

Less remote and abrupt than the North Fork, Mill Creek benefits from several of the same environmental factors.

Elevations here range from 1,500 to nearly 3,000 feet, after which the geography becomes unsuitable for farming. At such heights, Mill Creek rests above the cold air inversion and benefits from about 220 frost-free days annually.

Mill Creek’s diurnal shift can be extreme as temperatures drop by 25 degrees at sunset on hot summer days. Strong nightly winds off the Blues, evident in the shape of tree canopies, and a later harvest than for most of Walla Walla all help to thicken grape skins, darken color and preserve tannin and acidity.

“Rugged mountains, rugged fruit is kind of the style up here,” said Figgins, who knows Mill Creek’s vinous potential better than most. His father, Gary, founded Leonetti Cellar in 1977, now one of Walla Walla’s most prestigious labels.

“My dad once told me the south-facing slope of Mill Creek was like the Côte-d’Or, and it would all be planted one day,” Figgins said.

Out of college, Figgins’ first project was to create Leonetti’s Mill Creek Uplands vineyard, in 1997. “When we planted Uplands at 1,600 feet, people thought we were nuts, like, ‘That’s too high, it’ll never get ripe up there,’” he said. But the 2010 Leonetti Reserve cabernet sauvignon, which Figgins made entirely from Uplands grapes, scored 100 points from a prominent critic.

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TOP Chris Figgins helped plant →hisFROM family’s Leonetti Mill Creek Uplands

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vineyard in 1997, when people still believed winegrapes wouldn’t ripen at such elevation.

Echolands Winery chose to establish its vineyards, winemaking facilities and tasting room in the Mill Creek Corridor.

Now, his family has acquired another Mill Creek property, Walla Walla’s saving grace—elevation—makes Mill Creek two miles east of their Uplands and Figgins vineyards. Eleva- appealing. But it also limits inclusion in any AVA. In 2000, tions here span from 1,700 to 2,600 feet, but for now it re- Figgins helped expand the Walla Walla Valley AVA that his mains under wheat. dad and Small first delineated in 1984. “We decided arbitrari“In thinking about the future and hedging against warm- ly to make the eastern boundary the 2,000-foot contour line, ing, we couldn’t be better situated,” Figgins said. “One of which made sense at the time,” Figgins said. “But now we’re the things that’s really promising about Walla Walla is that getting petit verdot ripe at 1,700 feet, so for sure we can ripen as things warm, if we have to move vineyards to higher grapes successfully at over 2,000 feet.” ground, we’ve got higher ground to the east, and it gets more Everyone with a high-elevation interest in Mill Creek and precipitation.” the North Fork would like to see that contour line raised Due to their elevation in the Blue Mountains foothills, Mill one day. But matters get tricky because the Walla Walla ValCreek vineyards receive at least twenty inches of rain annu- ley AVA is itself a sub-AVA of the massive Columbia Valley ally—each mile east gains one inch of rain—hence the pon- AVA. Changes to the sub-AVAs require identical changes to derosa pines along the creek’s north-facing bluffs. Most rain the Columbia Valley AVA. falls outside of the growing season, but very deep “The entire Washington wine industry would loess soils retain this moisture and offer it to have to agree,” Figgins said. “So another regrapevines throughout summer, making gion in Washington could say they want irrigation optional. to raise their elevation or move their “In thinking about the “It’s inevitable that dry-farm borders. It’ll happen at some point, winegrowing will jump out of but it will take an industry-wide, future and hedging against the North Fork and Mill Creek concerted effort.” warming, we couldn’t be better into some of these larger, oldSome, though, like Small, school farm parcels,” Figgins would prefer a different apsituated. One of the things that’s said. “That is going to be the proach. “The compelling part really promising about Walla Walla is story of agriculture in the of an appellation [AVA] is its West. There’s not a water bathat as things warm, if we have to move integrity,” he said. “If you start sin that’s not over-appropriexpanding the appellation just vineyards to higher ground, we’ve got to fit in other desirable locaated. We need to be forwardlooking and sustainable.” tions, like higher elevations, higher ground to the east, and it Investors have taken note. then you’ve compromised the gets more precipitation.”

Besides Figgins’ own new winery whole concept of an appellation. under construction, other vineI wouldn’t think you could con— Chris Figgins, Figgins Family Wine Estates president yards and wineries have begun to stantly just keep rewriting an appeland winemaking director emerge along the Mill Creek corridor. lation because it would be meaningless Echolands Winery, a recent addition to the eventually. It would be better to develop an Walla Walla scene, is currently developing a 341appellation of some other kind.” acre property situated between the Uplands and Figgins vineIn the meantime, wineries can include county or state yards. Dry farming and the Figgins’ track record explain some names on high-elevation labels instead. Valdemar intends to of Echolands co-owner Doug Frost’s decision to set roots in do so, and it will sell those wines to its wine club members.

Mill Creek.

These, and eventual bottlings from Figgins’ new vineyard “Once you start looking at places like the North Fork and property, will help legitimize claims for a raised contour line Mill Creek, you realize there’s more,” Frost said. “I think and potential new sub-AVAs like for the North Fork. where we’re at right now in Mill Creek seems a little extreme Motivated by climate and terroir, Walla Walla’s wine into some people. But I bet in ten or fifteen years it’ll be like, ‘Oh dustry is on the hunt for new locales. Young vines grow in yeah, you’re kind of on the west side.’ The opportunity to wan- the Palouse north of Mill Creek, and experimental vineyards der up into the Blues is only limited by the AVA boundaries.” exist even deeper in the Blues. Walla Walla’s AVA map and cellars will look much more diverse by mid-century. ogue wrote the sub-AVA petition for The Rocks Baron found his diamond on the North Fork, and he has District, which became official in 2015. Today, no plans for new projects in Walla Walla. But a couple of he is drafting a petition for another sub-AVA: high-elevation hillsides have caught Baron’s eye farther up Mill Creek-Walla Walla Valley. It would en- the Walla Walla River and Mill Creek, for others to discover compass 5,000 acres. Pogue estimates that and develop one day. “I know a few places with great povineyards in Mill Creek currently occupy less tential like Hors Catégorie,” he said. “I just can’t say where than one-tenth of that. they are.”

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ARTISTS CONFRONT GLOBAL WARMING photography courtesy of Museum of Northwest Art WHAT DOES resilience and agency look like during the climate crisis? In partnership with the Skagit Climate Science Consortium, the Museum of Northwest Art explores this question with its exhibition Surge: Mapping Transition, Displacement, and Agency in Times of Climate Change. Over the past year, artists and scientists partnered on the artwork included in the exhibition.

Aimed at presenting new perspectives on issues related to flooding, storm surge, coastal erosion and glacier retreat, the multimedia pieces focus on climate change and its tangible effects on the Northwest’s coastal communities. Each piece of artwork addresses an essential, yet challenging, question: How can our society learn from the changes impacting our local and global neighbors, both human and non-human, to move forward in a restorative way? Visit the exhibit through January 21 or learn more at www.monamuseum.org.

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CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT Lisa McShane, 2023: North Fork of the Skagit before the Seas Rise, oil on linen on wood panel Lisa McShane’s painting is an oblique aerial view of the North Fork of the Skagit in 2023. This is the year the artist turned 64. A second painting in the series depicts the same view in 2085, with the projected likely sea level rise by that time. This is the year the artist’s grandson turns 64. Most who see these paintings this year won’t be alive to see 2085. But we can all touch and know and love someone who will live in this future. Our actions won’t change this future, but our actions today can stop it from getting significantly worse.

Kandis Susol, Radical Compassion, encaustic sculpture, artist-made kozo paper, wax, resin and iridescent pigment Radical Compassion is a collaboration between sculptor Kandis Susol and glacial geologist Jon Riedel. This encaustic sculpture is designed as a statement about climate change and its ability to influence everything in Skagit Valley, from the Skagit’s glaciers through the river to the Salish Sea. Kandis makes her work by infusing her handmade kozo paper with beeswax, resin and iridescent pigments. Each piece of paper is then fused to a panel to form the glaciers and mountains, the Skagit River and the Skagit Delta.

Crista Matteson, Diatom Meadow, kiln-cast, flameworked and pate de verre glass with mixed media Diatom Meadow is a term coined by the scientist Roger Fuller of Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Fuller is studying climate change’s effects on the mud flats near Padilla Bay. Since “mudflat” brings a barren image to mind, he prefers “diatom meadow,’’ which better describes the multitude of microscopic organisms that make up this vibrant and productive ecosystem.

Diatoms play an important role in keeping the ecosystem in balance. Diatoms not only release oxygen into the atmosphere, but they are also an important food source for many organisms, including native birds and crabs.

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FROM FAR LEFT Karen Hackenberg, Laughing Whale, oil on canvas Karen Hackenberg takes a lighthearted yet subversive approach to the serious subject of ocean degradation. In her painting Laughing Whale, a beachfound water bottle sports a cartoonish illustration of an orca whale promoting drinking water sales. Placed on a patterned toxic-green background of ailing fish, it belies the deadly effects of plastics on marine species, both salmon and orcas.

Tesla Kawakami, If the Tide Came and Stayed, oil on acrylic If the Tide Came and Stayed portrays an altered future of La Conner that was imagined in collaboration with Guillaume Mauger from the Skagit Climate Science Consortium after the king tide flood events in December 2022.

Occurring once or twice a year, king tides continue to increase with the effects of climate change, rising sea levels and storm surges.

This piece explores a world where flooding is so prevalent that it becomes a normal fact of life.

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Natalie Niblack, Spotted Owl, oil on linen The 66 Birds/3 Degrees project is a visual and sound environment of Western Washington birds that are at risk if global warming is not mitigated. Natalie Niblack conceived the project after seeing the publication Survival By Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink by the National Audubon Society. This study assesses the impact of climate change from 1.5° C (2.7° F) up to 3° C (5.4° F) on North American bird species. 66 Birds/3 Degrees is designed so that the viewer is confronted by the direct gaze of each bird while listening to their songs. Although the exhibit is based on a study about the current and future risks to birds, it is representative of all nature at risk.

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Natalie Niblack, Pine Grosbeak, oil on linen

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TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 78 ADVENTURE 80 LODGING 84 TRIP PLANNER 86

pg. 92 A quiet ski mecca to the north—Rossland, British Columbia.

Kari Medig/Destination BC

NORTHWEST DESTINATION 92

Enjoy Olympic Peninsula • Explore • Relax

• Reconnect

Enjoy iet u Q e th n Seaso

A Bounty of Experiences and miles of memories await on the Olympic Peninsula.

From Sea -to -Summit & Canal -to -Coast www.EnjoyOlympicPeninsula.com

travel spotlight

Remote Recreation Tiny Winthrop offers big trails for skiers, cyclists and runners written by Joni Kabana WHERE CAN you spend the day cross-country skiing and then bellying up to the oldest bar in the state of Washington? Just ask self-called “Winthroppers” and they will tell you to hightail it to the eastern part of the state to the Western-themed town of Winthrop.

There are 120 miles of groomed trails for your winter activity delights, and Three Fingered Jack’s Saloon will serve up a well deserved “Death Punch” libation and homemade meatloaf (Jack’s favorite) wrapped in bacon among many other comfort food options after your days of trail trekking come to a close. Named after a local character named Jack Lemma, Jack’s (as locals call the establishment) will take you back in time to rowdy western days sans the shootouts and bar fights. This old diamond-in-the-rough is kid-friendly.

Native Americans once lived along the banks of the Methow, Twisp and Chewuch rivers until the spring of 1868 when placer gold was discovered in the Slate Creek District bringing permanent settlers. One of those settlers, Guy Waring, settled into what he referred to as his “castle” which can still be visited now as the Shafer Museum.

When State Highway 20 was completed over the North Cascades in the early 1970s, several townspeople developed a plan for travelers passing through the town, landing on the concept of restoring the town into a western-themed location, which still exists today.

Winthrop is located in Okanogan County, north of Twisp and east of Mazama. Watch your speed when you drive through this little gem of a town.

It has been listed as one of National Motorists Association’s “Worst Speed Trap Cities” in North America. Slow down, cowboy!

Winthrop in the Methow Valley offers a quaint Western-themed town and miles of perfectly groomed Nordic trails. (photo: Jason Hummel Photography/ State of Washington Tourism)

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adventure

With a network of more than 100 miles of Nordic ski trails, the Methow Valley is a winter getaway for skinny-skiers.

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Adventure

Ski and Stay Cozy cabins for cross-country adventures in Washington written by Jen Sotolongo

Stephen Matera

WHEN THE WINTER CHILL lingers in the crisp air and the mountains are blanketed in white, there’s no better way to embrace the season than with a cross-country skiing adventure. The state offers an array of options for Nordic skiers of all levels, from the world-class Methow Valley to the peaceful solitude of Mount Spokane, and the rugged beauty of Mount Rainier. After a day on the trails, warm your body by the fire while sipping on a hot beverage in a cozy cabin.

Here are five fantastic cross-country ski-and-stay options throughout the state to enjoy a winter getaway.

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Spokane Nordic Ski Association

adventure

METHOW VALLEY

A Cross-Country Paradise For cross-country enthusiasts, the Methow Valley is nothing short of a winter wonderland. Located in the North Cascades, the Methow Trails is the largest cross-country ski area in North America, boasting more than 120 miles of meticulously groomed trails, with terrain suitable for skiers of all levels. Dog owners will appreciate the 25 miles of canine-friendly trail options.

If you can manage to find availability, book a Rendezvous Hut for a unique ski-in-ski-out overnight adventure in an off-grid hut. Otherwise, plan to stay at Mazama Trails Cabins, a set of six petfriendly cabins of varying capacities with easy access to the ski trails.

Mount Spokane State Park

Methow Trails

SPOKANE

An Urban Cross-Country Retreat

MOUNT RAINIER

High-Elevation Elegance Nordic skiing may not initially come to mind when you think of Mount Rainier, but there are some majestic trails to be explored.

The volunteer-run Mount Tahoma Trails Association (MTTA) maintains some 25 miles of trails, which mostly follow Forest Service roads located

outside of the national park, which means dogs can join on some trails.

In addition to the trail network, MTTA also manages a hut system, famous for its affordability. Starting at just $15 per night, the four huts can accommodate a total of forty-two people, ranging between six and fourteen occupants per cabin. All huts are equipped with solar lighting, propane fireplaces and stoves, full kitchen amenities and sleeping mats.

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where dogs wearing specific harnesses pull skiers.

The Spokane Nordic Ski Association hosts several fun annual events, including a skijoring clinic, Winterfest and Ski-a-Thon.

Stay at the nearby Bear Creek Lodge, a property committed to maintaining a small-town atmosphere with a cabin-like feel.

Mount Tahoma Trails Association’s High Hut

Gene Glasnow/Mount Tahoma Trails Association

Early Winters Studios

When you think of Spokane, you might not immediately picture a cross-country skiing destination. However, this vibrant city is surrounded by abundant Nordic skiing opportunities, at Mount Spokane State Park.

Here, you can explore nearly 40 miles of trails, including several that allow skijoring—a sport

adventure PALOUSE TO CASCADES STATE PARK TRAIL

Ski Across the State

Cabin Creek Lodge

OK, maybe you won’t ski across the state, but adrenaline junkies could cover a significant portion of the state on the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. This scenic rails-to-trail system stretches more than 285 miles across the state following the historic route of the Milwaukee Road from Cedar Falls to the Idaho border, offering crosscountry skiing enthusiasts several options for a day—or more—of fast skiing. The section along Snoqualmie Pass is particularly scenic and easy to access from the Seattle area for a quick weekend vacation.

Gather some friends for a few days of fun and stay at the Twin Ponds Cabin in Easton. Located in between the Yakima River and two small ponds, the cabin rental includes three buildings—the main cabin, bunkhouse and shower house—and can accommodate up to eight guests.

Twin Ponds Cabin, Easton

LAKE WENATCHEE

Lake Wenatchee

Hidden Gem

Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce

If you seek a more rugged cross-country skiing adventure, consider the options near Lake Wenatchee, located in between Leavenworth and Stevens Pass. The greater Lake Wenatchee trail system, which includes the Lake Wenatchee State Park trail system, the Kahler Glen community and the Nason Ridge trails, covers some 25 miles of groomed trails. Additionally, skiers wanting more of a backcountry experience are welcome on the snowmobile trails.

Stay in the nearby Leavenworth Rental Cabins, modern cabins located adjacent to the trail system that feature large decks, full kitchens, outdoor gas firepits and a selection of board games for post-ski fun.

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Like other McMenamins properties, Kalama Harbor has stories, intrigue and nostalgia in one place.

Lodging

McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge written by Cara Strickland ONE OF THE best things about staying or dining at a McMenamins property is that there is always a story just below the surface. The Kalama Harbor Lodge is no exception. Right on the Columbia River and just a whisper away from Oregon, this spot marries both the legacies of a Hawaiian transplant and the tribe that continues to live in the area.

215 HENDRICKSON DRIVE KALAMA www.mcmenamins.com/kalama-harbor-lodge

Photos: McMenamins

lodging

ACCOMMODATIONS + AMENITIES Enjoy knotty pine walls and thoughtful art, the perfect blend of cozy and kitsch you might already expect from a McMenamins property.

You’ll have your pick of king rooms—single, double or either of these with an additional pull-out couch.

DINING + EVENTS When it comes to eating and drinking, you have options at the lodge. Enjoy a hearty lunch or dinner at the Pub, and make any hour happy with the Cloud Bar (be sure to try the signature mai tai), located on the roof, or settle in for a river view and a snack at the lounge. Take a short walk to the Cove Bar, which features game rooms and an event space (choose from pinball, shuffleboard, pool and TVs for sports viewing), enough to keep everyone happy. You may want to wander to the Ahles Point Cabin for some indoor or outdoor wine and a dogfriendly patio. If you’re looking for a wake-up call in the morning, don’t miss the Harbor Lodge Market for coffee and pastries. Keep an eye out for live music throughout the year.

HISTORY

ABOVE, FROM TOP Knotty pine abounds in the nostalgic rooms of Kalama Harbor Lodge.

The rooftop Cloud Bar overlooks the seductive Columbia River. In the Cove Bar, visitors can play pool, pinball or shuffleboard.

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While the building itself is new, it takes a lot of cues from the past. The lodge itself borrows from the Pioneer Inn at Lahaina and is a nod to John Kalama, for whom the town is named. He came to Washington from Hawaii in the 1800s to work for the Hudson’s Bay Company as a fur-trapper and farmer. Kalama married a Nisqually woman and settled in the area. Long before he came, however, the Chinook and Cowlitz people made their home here. The whole property seeks to pay homage to these legacies.

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trip planner

Spokane A city of historic romance feeds its love for its outdoor spaces written by Ryn Pfeuffer

Aaron Theisen

OFTEN CONSIDERED an unspoiled secret among travel destinations, Spokane beckons travelers with its unique blend of urban charm and natural beauty. From the picturesque Spokane River winding through the city to a flourishing culinary scene and countless outdoor adventures, this destination has something to captivate every traveler’s heart. If you have a few days to explore, you’ll see why Spokane stands out as a memorable Washington getaway.

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Spokane is many things to many people, but Mount Spokane is all about the snow.

Fashion the

P fect Wint Weekend

Family Fun

AMC 20 WITH IMAX • THE LEGO STORE • WHIZ KIDS POLKA DOT POTTERY • FLATSTICK PUB

Winter Style ANTHROPOLOGIE • NORDSTROM • ATHLETA • PENDLETON THE NORTH FACE • NIKE FACTORY STORE

Fresh Eats MAC DADDY’S • SHIKI SUSHI • WHIM WINE BAR TWIGS • P.F. CHANG’S • BEN & JERRY’S

808 WEST MAIN | RIVERPARKSQUARE.COM

Downtown Spokane

LESS THAN A MILE FROM I-90. USE EXIT 280 EASTBOUND OR EXIT 280B WESTBOUND. CONVENIENT COVERED PARKING IS NO MORE THAN $4 AFTER 5PM FOR ALL YOUR ADVENTURES.

Day THE OPEN ROAD • CHOOSE YOUR STAY Let’s kick off the adventure bright and early from Seattle. With your favorite road trip playlist on, head east on I-90.

In just 30 minutes from Seattle, you’ll hit the brakes for a pit stop at Snoqualmie Falls. This isn’t your average waterfall. It’s a 268-foot natural marvel that demands your full attention. Take a stroll to the viewpoint, snap some Insta-worthy photos and take in the breathtaking scene.

By midday, you’ll roll into Ellensburg, a charming town that takes its lunch game seriously. Go to the beloved food truck turned beloved brick-and-mortar restaurant The Red Pickle and try the Gauchito, a beef burger marinaded in chimichurri sauce and topped with cheese, with a side of wasabi fries.

As you keep pushing east, the Kittitas Valley Wind Farm will grab your attention. These colossal wind turbines dot the landscape, silently spinning. It’s a chance to embrace innovation while surrounded by stunning views.

Your journey continues toward Spokane with a must-see detour at Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park. It’s all about the petrified wood here, and you’ll spot it more easily when the sun’s a bit kinder. Explore the Interpretive Center and hit the trails for stunning views of the Columbia River. If you visit in the spring, the season will treat you to a desert bloom, transforming the landscape into a photographer’s paradise.

Choose your home base in downtown Spokane, a vibrant hub where dining, shopping and entertainment are just steps away.

Boutique hotels or budget-friendly options—it’s your call. The Davenport Grand Hotel oozes elegance and spoils you with topnotch amenities. At the same time, The Centennial Hotel Spokane promises riverfront views and a shortcut to Riverfront Park.

After checking in, it’s time to unwind and tantalize your taste buds at Steam Plant. This restaurant and brewpub set in a lovingly restored steam plant offers an industrial-chic experience. Try everything from brisket-topped fries to miso-glazed Northwest salmon, complemented by a fine selection of local craft beers.

Day one, down.

Day RIVERFRONT PARK • BITES • ARTS + CULTURE The sun peeks through your curtains, and it’s time to fuel up.

Frank’s Diner, an iconic spot in a train car, serves well-executed breakfast dishes. Omelets, waffles, Benedicts—it has your classics covered.

Riverfront Park, a sprawling urban playground on the Spokane River, is your next adventure. Wander through well-tended gardens, let Spokane Falls enchant you and give in to the nostalgia of the historic 1909 Looff Carrousel. With its colorful 88 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Libby Kamrowski/Visit Spokane

trip planner

animals and calliope music, it’s pure joy. Or take it up a notch at the iconic Clock Tower, relocated from the historic Great Northern Railroad Depot. From the SkyRide gondola, Spokane reveals its beauty from new heights.

Lunch is all about local flavor. Durkin’s Liquor Bar serves inventive cocktails and seafood delights, while Ruins offers creative, globally inspired cuisine—you might just fall in love with the squash wurst, a brat and squash mashup drizzled in brown butter vinaigrette.

After lunch, it’s time to dive into art, history and culture at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC). Unearth the Inland Northwest’s rich heritage through engaging exhibits. Explore the elegant mansions and charming streets of the historic Browne’s Addition neighborhood.

Visit Spokane

Spokane Symphony

Visit Spokane

trip planner

If time permits, raise a glass at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars. It’s perched on a hilltop with panoramic views, and you’re in for a serene wine-tasting experience. It’s known for a variety of wines, including reds, whites and sparkling gems.

As the sun sets, upscale dining awaits at Churchill’s Steakhouse. Known for its prime cuts and intimate ambiance, it’s perfect for a hearty appetite. The 24-ounce cowboy rib-eye steak is a total crowd-pleaser.

Depending on the evening’s schedule, catch a performance by the Spokane Symphony at the historic Fox Theater. Legends like Katharine Hepburn, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra have graced this stage. Check for tickets and showtimes in advance at www.foxtheater spokane.org.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Spokane Falls on the Spokane River. Looff Carousel in Riverfront Park was built more than 100 years ago. Spokane Symphony has a home at the stunning Fox Theater. Arbor Crest Wine Cellars overlooks the Spokane River.

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trip planner

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Aaron Theisen

ABOVE Ruins restaurant saved itself from the ruins to the gratitude of comfort-food lovers. AT LEFT A footbridge crosses the Spokane River in Riverside State Park.

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

Tony Brown/Ruins

trip planner

EAT Arbor Crest Wine Cellars www.arborcrest.com Churchill’s Steakhouse www.churchillssteakhouse.com Durkin’s Liquor Bar www.durkinsliquorbar.com Elk Public House www.wedonthaveone.com/ the-elk Frank’s Diner www.franksdiners.com Madeleine’s Café & Patisserie www.cafemadeleines.com The Red Pickle www.theredpickleeburg.com

Day

Steam Plant Restaurant & Brew Pub www.steamplantspokane.com

HIDDEN GEMS • GET OUTSIDE

STAY

Rise and shine to the promise of another exciting day. Madeleine’s Café & Patisserie, the go-to spot for French-inspired pastries and breakfast dishes, covers your morning cravings. Don’t miss its croissants and quiches—they’re worth the visit alone.

Next, make your way to the Garland District, a haven for unique shops, art galleries and local boutiques. It’s the perfect place for souvenirs or a leisurely stroll, and the neighborhood’s charm is infectious.

Lunchtime is all about comfort at the Elk Public House. With its pub-style dishes, including burgers, sandwiches and a selection of beers on tap, it’s a local favorite for a reason.

As the afternoon unfolds, Riverside State Park beckons. Located just northwest of Spokane, it’s a nature lover’s paradise with beautiful hiking trails. The Bowl and Pitcher trail is a must, guiding you along the Spokane River amid unique rock formations.

Or, if you’re a fan of Bing Crosby, embark on a journey to his childhood home. Now a museum, it’s a chance to delve into the life and career of one of the Twentieth Century’s most iconic entertainers. His legacy lives on, and you’ll get a front-row seat to his story.

As your adventure in Spokane comes to a close, take a moment to reflect on the culture, history and natural beauty you’ve gathered.

Until next time, Spokane!

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

The Centennial Hotel Spokane www.davenporthotelcollection. com/the-centennial The Davenport Grand Hotel www.davenporthotelcollection. com/davenport-grand

PLAY The Crosby House Museum www.gonzaga.edu/studentlife/arts-culture/crosbymuseum Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park www.parks.wa.gov Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture www.northwestmuseum.org Riverfront Park www.visitspokane.com Riverside State Park www.parks.wa.gov Snoqualmie Falls www.snoqualmiefalls.com

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northwest destination

Rossland, B.C. The Kootenay Rockies hold the secret to many getaways just north of the border written by Ryn Pfeuffer WHEN WINTER blankets Rossland, British Columbia, in a shimmering coat of snow, it transforms into an enchanting wonderland that beckons snow enthusiasts from across the globe. While the Canadian village of Whistler has earned a renowned status as a world-class ski destination, you’ll discover unrivaled snow conditions and shorter lines in this unassuming ski town tucked in the heart of the Kootenay Rockies.

Rossland epitomizes a winter paradise and small-town charm, offering diverse activities for outdoor thrill-seekers and those seeking cozy relaxation.

Rossland’s winter season heralds the arrival of RED Mountain Resort, a premier destination for skiing and snowboarding in North America. Offering diverse terrain for all skill levels, 92

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pristine powder and an absence of crowds, it’s an absolute must for winter sports enthusiasts. Situated at the southern tip of B.C.’s famed Powder Highway, RED Mountain sprawls across five magnificent Monashee peaks, encompassing more than 3,850 acres. This gem ranks among North America’s top ten largest ski areas, and excitement has grown since the debut of a buzz-worthy slopeside hotel in 2018, coupled with its recent inclusion in the multi-resort Ikon Pass program.

Make The Josie Hotel, Autograph Collection your haven for the quintessential winter escape. Here, you’ll wake up just steps away from the expansive winter playground. This award-winning ski-in, ski-out property seamlessly merges boutique accommodations with the authentic RED Mountain experience and the unique spirit of Rossland. Offering 106 upscale guest rooms and suites, as well as the stylish Velvet Restaurant and Lounge and the convenience of an in-house ski valet service, The Josie ensures you have everything you desire right at your doorstep.

If solitude and a profound connection with nature beckon, Rossland beckons you with its pristine backcountry terrain.

Equip yourself with backcountry gear, enlist the guidance of

Photo: Kari Medig/Destination BC

Powder skiers flock to RED Mountain Resort for its light and fluffy flakes.

EAT Donnie’s Bistro www.donniesbistro.ca The Flying Steamshovel Gastropub & Inn www.theflyingsteamshovel.com Velvet Restaurant and Lounge www.thejosie.com/rosslandvelvet-restaurant-lounge

STAY The Josie Hotel, Autograph Collection www.thejosie.com

PLAY Friends of Rossland Range www.rosslandrange.org/FORR RED Mountain Resort www.redmountainresort.com Summit Mountain Guides www.summitmountainguides.com

Mitch Winton/Kootenay Rockies Tourism

FROM TOP Rossland, B.C., is an excellent spot for a winter getaway. The ski-in, ski-out Josie Hotel, Autograph Collection is steps away from RED Mountain Resort.

ROSSLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Steve Ogle/Destination BC

northwest destination

an expert and embark on an exploration of the untouched wilderness surrounding the town. Based in Nelson, Summit Mountain Guides excels in leading individuals and small groups on extraordinary adventures in the Rossland Range and other untouched Kootenay backcountry landscapes.

Whether you’re an ardent backcountry skier or you favor the tranquility of snowshoeing, Rossland’s backcountry offers a diverse range of options to feed your soul.

Winter doesn’t spell the end of the hiking season in Rossland. The town’s winter trails wind through enchanting forests, unveiling hidden vistas. To explore these routes on foot, team up with the Friends of Rossland Range for memorable snowshoeing excursions. This dedicated group has partnered with the province to create and maintain accessible trails suited to all activity levels. Don’t forget to pause and warm up in one of the welcoming winter cabins along the Seven Summits trail.

As the sun sets and the stars emerge, Rossland’s après ski scene comes to life. Head to The Flying Steamshovel Gastropub & Inn, named after an ill-fated flying machine that met its demise nearby. The Flying Steamshovel offers an array of doubledigit craft beer taps, a B.C.-focused wine list, handcrafted cocktails and a menu filled with locally sourced gastropub delights, including mouthwatering burgers, tacos and flatbreads. Don’t miss the daily happy hour from 3-5 p.m. Alternatively, cozy up at Donnie’s Bistro, where you can indulge in hearty bites like crispy chicken karaage, chorizo tacos and a cajun veggie po-boy.

Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie on the hunt for fresh powder, a nature lover longing for backcountry solitude or someone searching for cozy relaxation, Rossland offers something for everyone. Its natural beauty, friendly community and diverse winter activities make it the ultimate winter destination.

So, bundle up, gear up and start your unforgettable winter adventure in this underrated B.C. town.

DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 93

1889 MAPPED

The points of interest below are culled from stories and events in this edition of 1889.

Oroville

Bellingham

San Juan Islands

Friday Harbor

North Cascades National Park

Mount Vernon

Port Port Angeles Townsend Sequim

Forks

Shelton Aberdeen

Newport

Marysville Everett Chelan

Seattle Bellevue

Port Orchard

Tacoma

Colville Okanogan

Whidbey Island

Olympic National Park

Republic

Winthrop

Leavenworth

Renton Kent Federal Way

Wilbur

Waterville

Spokane Davenport

Wenatchee Ephrata Ritzville

Montesano Olympia

Mount Rainier N.P.

Ellensburg Colfax

Chehalis

South Bend

Pullman Yakima Pomeroy

Long Beach Cathlamet

Kelso Longview

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Richland

Mount Adams

Prosser

Pasco

Dayton

Asotin

Walla Kennewick Walla

Goldendale Vancouver

94

Stevenson

Live

Think

Explore

14 White Pass Ski Area

46 Down to Earth Cuisine

78

Three Fingered Jack’s Saloon

22 LU LU Craft Bar + Kitchen

50 Spokane Riverkeeper

80

Methow Trails

23 Slough Food

84

McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge

38 ParaSport Spokane

86

Riverfront Park Spokane

42 Gallery 110

92

Rossland, British Columbia

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE DECEMBER | JANUARY 2023

Gift Washington Discover the best of the Evergreen State with a subscription to 1889 Washington’s Magazine. PNW getaways, destination dining, outdoor adventures and more!

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Until Next Time Larch change with the seasons in Washington’s North Cascades. photo by Skye Stoury

WINTER GETAWAY AWAITS

Call 888.431.3080, Scan the QR Code, or visit OkanoganCountry.com to start planning your adventure today!

Project is funded totally or in part, as applicable, by the Okanogan County Hotel/Motel Lodging Tax Fund

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Continue for Special Insert

HOT SPRINGS • SPAS • FINE DINING • WORLD-CLASS GOLF • WELLNESS RETREATS • CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING • COASTAL LODGES

Your Getaway to The Secret Season Discover the season just beyond summer at Sunriver Resort, where 3,300 forested acres and 45 miles of bike trails are yours to explore, without the rush. Savor local food and wine, or relish quiet moments set against scenic views of Mt. Bachelor. Adventure down the Deschutes River on kayak or paddleboard, or tee off on one of our four-award winning golf courses. Uncover the magic of the secret season at Sunriver Resort.

Book Your Fall Getaway at SunriverResort.com/Offers

Oregon JUNIPER PRESERVE

WHAT’S NEW? WHAT’S OLD & COOL? During the Covid pandemic, many resorts turned downtime into construction and renovation projects whose completion we are only now benefiting from. Some chose to completely remodel guest rooms; others built new facilities to add allure when vacationers returned. Then there are other resorts in the Pacific Northwest that really need no upgrade to maintain their popularity.

In this broad survey of our resorts, we look at what’s new and what’s old and cool and needs no new bells and whistles. Among these, you will be sure to find a resort that fits your style of retreat.

Sun Mountain Lodge in the Methow Valley sits in the North Cascades and at the junction of dozens of miles of trails for mountain biking and cross-country skiing. (photo: Sun Mountain Lodge)

Long known as Pronghorn and as a golf mecca in Central Oregon, the resort was rebranded as Juniper Preserve in 2022, a nod to its new ethos as a wellness retreat. The world-class courses designed by Nicklaus and Fazio still play well, but it’s the new spa and wellness retreats that are quickly becoming the jewel of this high desert resort. Add to that the trails and 2,900 acres, and Juniper Preserve is a world apart from the bustle of nearby downtown Bend.

This fall and winter, try upcoming retreats, while taking time to hit local breweries during fresh-hop season. Return to Juniper Preserve’s heated pools and Ghost Tree Lounge for dinner and cocktails.

BREITENBUSH Until 2020, Breitenbush was a quiet holistic hot springs retreat with clothing optional and hidden among the pines in the Santiam State Forest, 60 miles east of Salem. All of that came to a fiery end in 2020, when the Lionshead wildfire raced through Breitenbush and destroyed half of its facilities and all of its guest cabins. Brietenbush has since been rebuilt and brings a new meditative spirit to the banks of the Breitenbush River. Its natural hot springs, lodge and cabins are what most of us crave in shedding pretense, stress and clothing.

A publication of Statehood Media www.1859oregonmagazine.com www.1889mag.com Cover: Skamania Lodge, Washington (photo: Jason Hummel Photography/ State of Washington Tourism)

2023 DESTINATION RESORTS

3

Oregon

The Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach is a destination for those serious about relaxation and waves of meditation. (photo: Columbia Hospitality)

4

THE STEPHANIE INN

TETHEROW

The Pacific Ocean sweeps up to the Stephanie Inn at Cannon Beach, where every room has a gas fireplace, a soaking tub, a lantern for night walks on the beach and many have beautiful ocean views. Because of its depth of luxury, some guests may not even realize it sits on the Oregon Coast from where they lay in the spa. Experiences at The Stephanie include yoga, visits to the farmers market with its chef, and mixology classes with local herbs and liquors. Unsurprisingly, it was recently named as one of the top fifteen resorts in the United States by Trips to Discover.

The only destination in Bend proper, Tetherow has its advantages. Golf has been the premier attraction since Scotsman David McLay Kidd turned a sea of sagebrush into one of the country’s top courses. On this hard and fast links course, your ball may roll forever, but don’t fret as you’ll have the option to chase it down on a golfboard, or motorized surfboard designed for golf courses.

Tetherow jumps to number 57 on GolfDigest’s top courses list this year.

Tetherow also has a full spa, pool, restaurants and a bar that

DESTINATION RESORTS 2023

Zen has returned to Breitenbush Hot Springs after the Lionshead Fire destroyed much of it. (photo: Breitenbush Hot Springs)

serves scotch eggs. Not to mention, Bend and Mt. Bachelor are at your doorstep.

BLACK BUTTE RANCH Black Butte has long been a generational retreat for Pacific Northwesterners and never needed to do too much to maintain its allure. This May, however, the 53-year-old resort unveiled a new elegant modern lodge with blonde wood finishes, three fireplaces, a restaurant, bar and gasping views of the Three Sisters peaks. In fall, hike the steep trail to the top of Black Butte. Come winter, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing are nearby at Hoodoo Ski Area, just 15 miles up the road.

FROM TOP The handsome new lodge at Black Butte brings new style to the outdoors.

Juniper Preserve in Bend is a separate peace with its wellness programs. (photos, from top: Jeremy Bittermann/ JBSA/Hacker Architects, Martin Sundberg/Juniper Preserve)

RUNNING Y RESORT Golfers will certainly take to Running Y Resort’s Arnold Palmer signature course, but its Klamath Falls location puts it right in the heart of the Pacific Flyway, and the largest concentration of birds in the lower 48.

If birding isn’t your thing, no worries—there are countless adventures with Running Y’s ice rink, the spa, heated pool and nearby Crater Lake for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

SALISHAN COASTAL LODGE Once the jewel of the Oregon Coast, the venerable Salishan Coastal Lodge got lost in time.

Through the 2000s, the property changed hands a few times, each time with facelifts here and there, but nothing that was transformational. New owners in 2019 brought an infusion of cash and more renovations including a luxury glamping ex-

Black Butte Ranch has long been a generational retreat for Pacific Northwesterners.

perience, a treetop canopy tour and ropes challenge course with fifteen platforms complemented the eighteen-hole championship links golf course and spa. In Gleneden Beach on the Oregon Coast, Salishan has always been as much about the ocean as it has been about land. Good surfing spots abound.

SUNRIVER RESORT Sunriver’s multigenerational reputation precedes it but never invokes it. You can see why

Mom and Dad brought the family here in the ’70s, but you can also see why it will be a retreat for generations to come. Always classic but always fresh, Sunriver is the mother of all resorts, with 3,300 acres of tree-lined trails, four golf courses, a central lodge, vacation properties to rent, a shopping village, restaurants, bars, a spa and fitness center, an observatory and a new $40 million aquatic center.

Come winter, use the Sunriver shuttle to get to Mt. Bachelor, just 20 minutes away.

2023 DESTINATION RESORTS

5

where memories are made.

Bill Origer

Family-Friendly, High-Quality, Affordable and Fun! Come discover why the Ranch is Your Favorite Place to Create Memories.

888-368-8598 BlackButteRanch.com

Washington ALDERBROOK RESORT The quiet and tranquil Alderbrook Resort & Spa on Hood Canal is again quiet and tranquil after a three-year update that included common areas, the restaurant and spa. Another perk was the addition of The Drinkery, a spot for coffee, drinks and snacks. Alderbrook retains the same charm it has had for more than 100 years.

Don’t worry, the reading nooks in guest rooms are still there for curling up with a good book.

Whether it’s fall or winter, the miles of wooded trails are a good place to wander before coming back in from the cold for a massage at the spa and a cocktail at the restaurant.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP A sleigh ride at Sun Mountain Lodge in the North Cascades. Skamania Lodge added new treehouse guest rooms to sleep in the forest. Alderbrook Resort’s updated look brings the perfect touch. (photos, clockwise from top: Jason Hummel Photography/ State of Washington Tourism, Skamania Lodge, Hannah Rankin/Alderbrook Resort)

SUNCADIA RESORT With too many national awards to list, Suncadia and its beautiful 6,000 acres in Roslyn are a wonderland spot for many styles of vacations. It has three pools for different activities, a spa and fitness center, 40 miles of hiking and biking trails, two championship golf courses, restaurants and bars. With The Summit at Snoqualmie just 30 miles west, Suncadia is a good choice for winter fun as well. At the resort, try the ice rink, snowshoeing or cross-country skiing either with a guide or on your own.

Suncadia remains classic and cool throughout all seasons.

SKAMANIA LODGE Perched above the Columbia River and overlooking its tranquilizing gorge, Skamania Lodge and its sustainable ethic fit well with the surrounding nature. Though it offers many of the same amenities as other

8

DESTINATION RESORTS 2023

resorts, Skamania comes at it in a different way. Its golf courses are watered with recycled and filtered laundry water; it reached zero plastic use recently; motion detectors mean lights are on only when they have to be; and its restaurants use local and sustainably resourced foods. Though not true treehouses, Skamania’s new elevated cabins in the surrounding forest are a luxurious way to get closer to nature. They also have a communal fire pit and gas fireplaces, making them ideal for winter getaways.

SLEEPING LADY RESORT Once barracks and buildings for the famed Civilian Conservation Corps, the modern Sleeping Lady launched in 1991 as a

vision of philanthropist Harriet Bullitt. It was named for one of the mountain peaks in view of the Leavenworth property and retained and renovated all of the historic buildings on site. Set in the Cascades, Sleeping Lady awakens the senses with its spa, pool, resort yoga, art walks and bird watching. Winter brings snowshoeing, skiing, sledding and tubing, and the Bavarian-themed downtown Leavenworth is just a few miles away.

SUN MOUNTAIN LODGE The challenging part about remote resorts is that they are remote. The best part about remote resorts is that they are remote. Such is the case with Sun Mountain Lodge, set in

Winthrop in the North Cascades. Connected to endless miles of groomed cross-country ski trails, Sun Mountain’s best season is indeed winter. Two outdoor heated pools (open year-round), a spa and two restaurants in the middle of 3,000 acres of wilderness (and many more beyond) makes Sun Mountain a favorite of Nordic skiers and winter outdoor enthusiasts. Come for the trails, stay for the food. The Lodge recently named James Beard Award-winning chef Jason Wilson as its new culinary director and executive chef. The town of Winthrop is 18 miles below and has its own small-town charm and restaurants for any fancy and an outdoor ice rink that is festive in winter.

Washington

British Columbia

ERITAGE

RAINIER

Eritage, on 300 acres on rolling hills planted with grapes and wheat just outside of Walla Walla, is a luxury window to the Walla Walla wine scene.

Each suite opens to a private deck with a view of the nearby Blue Mountains. The restaurant at Eritage is, itself, an experience, with Wine Country Culinary Institute-trained chef Arturo Tello Jr. fusing flavors of Walla Walla farms with a Latin flair. For perspective, the small town of Walla Walla has 120 vineyards and more than thirty tasting rooms, the latter in its lovely downtown core. Early December marks the highly sought-after barrel tasting annual event here, when we get the first taste of some of Washington’s best wines.

Everyone’s dream escape is best in the fall and winter, as the crowds dissipate and the beauty of Mt. Rainier comes to the fore. Fall hikes and huckleberry and mushroom picking are top choices for visits to the park that hosts Washington’s tallest peak at 14,410 feet and more than 100 hikes for all abilities. Book your rooms at the historic Paradise Lodge, one of the Great Lodges of the West, which was built in 1917 and retains all of the charm from that era. Likewise, National Park Inn was built in the early 1900s, but on a smaller scale—twenty-five cozy guest rooms. One of its greatest charms is having tea next to its roaring fire in the guest library after snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.

AINSWORTH HOT SPRINGS RESORT Four hours north of Spokane and adjacent to Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park, Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort in British Columbia, owned by the Ktunaxa First Nations people, was recently ranked as one of Condé Nast Traveler’s best wellness retreats in the world. The air is clean and the water rejuvenating. The natural springs come up from deep in the earth and surface to cooled temperatures of 108 degrees into the 150-foot-long horseshoe-shaped natural cave and to 96 degrees for the main pool. Given the nearby Selkirk range, opportunities for winter fun abounds. Both Whitewater Ski Resort and

Take a dip at Ainsworth Hot Springs. (photo: Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort)

Red Mountain Resort are within one- and two-hours drive, respectively. If you’re an advanced skier, Snowwater heli-skiing operates out of Nelson, just 30 miles south.

In winter, nothing feels more healing than Ainsworth’s mineral-rich soaking waters after a long day skiing.

EXPLORE

PNW

10 E Alderbrook Drive, Union, WA 98592 10 DESTINATION RESORTS 2023

360.898.2200

reservations@alderbrookresort.com

YE A R - R O U N D E NJ O Y MEN T

Experience our hot springs pools, cave and Spirit Water Spa. Savour culinary specialties created by Executive Chef Cory Chapman at the Ktunaxa Grill.

ainsworthhotsprings.com

Your Wine Country

Destination A World Away in Walla Walla Beautifully nestled on 300 acres in the rolling wheat elds and vineyards of Washington wine country, Eritage Resort is a tribute to the history, beauty and warmth of Washington’s farms and vineyards. Only minutes from downtown Walla Walla and its regional airport, Eritage

Book Your Stay Today

features luxury suites opening to patios with expansive views of the Blue Mountains, rolling

1319 Bergevin Springs Rd.

the region’s seasonal bounty and strong connections with local family farmers and suppliers.

Walla Walla eritageresort.com 509.394.9200 | 1.833.ERITAGE

farmland and a pristine, man-made lake. Dine at Eritage Restaurant, with a menu inspired by Sip Washington wine, beer and spirits, as well as special selections from around the world. Or head outside and explore the vineyards via cruiser bike, or paddle out onto Lake Sienna.

Eritage Resort is an unparalleled wine country experience.