1889 Washington's Magazine + Special Inserts: Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory; PNW Golf | April/May 2024

TRIP PLANNER: MOUNT VERNON PG. 78

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WASHINGTON ’ S

WATERS

SURFING THE COAST

PROTECTING WASHINGTON ’S

ORCAS WHALE WATCHING

INSIDE:

NORTHWEST GOLF GUIDE

WHERE TO PLAY THIS SPRING + SUMMER

ON SAN JUAN ISLAND

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WASHINGTON April | May

volume 42

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LEGENDS

CASINO HOTEL THERE’S MORE TO SOAK IN THIS YEAR AT LEGENDS

Legends Casino Hotel has always been about community. In 1998, Legends Casino Hotel opened with an iconic logo featuring Mount Adams—a source of history and lore for the Yakama Nation and a powerful presence in the region. Fourteen years later, fishermen on scaffolds at Celilo Falls became central to the Yakama brand, as well as the bounty of the Columbia River. Today, Legends’ lobby features an exhibit of the fishing scaffolds that Yakamas used at Celilo Falls until the construction of The Dalles Dam flooded the falls in 1957. Twenty-six years later, Legends celebrates new traditions and a new generation of resort services.

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Live entertainment

Toppenish murals

Yakama Cares Community Impact Fund

Legendary dining

This spring, Legends puts the last touches on a new spa that boasts massage rooms, wellness wet and dry infrared pods, a sauna, a steam room and other spa treatments. Don’t stop there.

Expect a new outdoor pool later this year, as it breaks ground on it in early summer.

are grown here in the Yakima Valley, where, in 1868, Charles Carpenter planted rootstock from his father’s farm in New York.

Rich volcanic soils ensured his success.

Entertainment is never an afterthought at Legends, where you can expect to see Third Eye Blind in April, Bret Michaels in May, and Morris Day & the Time in June. See our full list of events at legendscasino.com/events.

Our resort has 200 nicely appointed rooms with eighteen suites to choose from, including the 800-square-foot Celilo suite, with two massive flat-screen TVs, a soaking tub, a catering kitchen and dining area.

Stay in your room, however, and you’ll miss some of the best cultural experiences. At the Yakama Nation Museum, you can take a guided tour to learn the history of the Yakama People, through its dwelling and artifacts. Learn about the consequential Treaty of 1855 that brought together fourteen regional tribes and bands in an agreement with the United States government, and gave the Yakama Nation federal recognition.

It’s just a couple of miles east to downtown Toppenish, where seventy-eight murals tell the rich history of the area. This collection of murals is truly a visual history worth seeing. One piece of Toppenish history has roots in hops cultivation. Craft beer aficionados won’t want to miss the American Hop Museum in Toppenish. The overwhelming majority of American hops

When the Eastern Washington sun is showing us its bright side, which is often, now is the time to get in a round at Mount Adams Golf Course, an eighteen-hole, par 72 course whose motto is, “Wait less, play more.” Stay and Play packages are available at Legends Casino Hotel.

Back at the casino for the evening, you’ll have more thrills with 1,300 slots, roulette, blackjack, poker and craps. The spirit of community is just below the surface even on the casino floor.

Legends gives back 2 percent of our Class III table games to a Community Impact Fund. These funds are distributed each year and have been used for fire trucks, ambulances and police vehicles, to name a few.

At Legends, we continue to meet higher standards of our guests while keeping our community at the heart of our organization. We invite you to come and experience it all and relax with a massage at the new spa!

TOPPENISH, WA | LEGENDSCASINO.COM

A Skagit Valley Spring photography by Stephen Matera/TandemStock.com

Every year, the Skagit Valley blooms with vast numbers of tulips. That’s only half the story. (pg. 78)

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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

APRIL | MAY 2024

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 5

FEATURES APRIL | MAY 2024 • volume 42

46 The Orca State Are we doing right by our orcas? An in-depth look into the lives of our Residents and what we can do to make them better. written by Ryn Pfeuffer

52 The Magnificent Seven Seven new (or recently renovated) masterpiece hotels across the state of Washington. written by Corinne Whiting

60 Maryhill on the Columbia Exhibits of the Maryhill Museum of Art, itself a sight of majesty on the bank of the Columbia.

Lime Kiln Point State Park on San Juan Island is an excellent area to watch for whales.

6

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

Carina Skrobecki Swain/State of Washington Tourism

written by Kerry Newberry

seaside is for The plan is no plans

Book the summer camps, plan the big vacation, get up super early to reserve the good campsites. But save some time for just having a good time in Seaside. We’ve got hiking, biking and kayaking. And we also have sleeping late, elephant ears for breakfast and beach day after beach day after we better-extend-our-stay an extra day!

@visitseasideOR

seasideOR.com

DEPARTMENTS APRIL | MAY 2024 • volume 42

LIVE

70

16 SAY WA?

The Sons of Rainier come home to play, Girl Meets Dirt still wine, Asian Arts & Heritage Festival, Yakima Taco Fest.

20 FOOD + DRINK

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard, pig candy, Watts Brewing Company.

24 FARM TO TABLE

Taking the sting out of nettles across many creative dishes.

28 HOME + DESIGN

A modern A-frame on Harstine Island.

Sora Blu

34 MIND + BODY

28

Debbie Eckhouse overcomes water to become a professional triathlete.

THINK

23

38 STARTUP

Sift Food Labels.

40 MY WORKSPACE

Spokane Bottle Project. It’s cool.

42 GAME CHANGER

Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue.

EXPLORE Poppi Photography

Nell Thorn Waterfront Bistro

70 TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT

Vintage trailers for rent at Sou’wester Lodge.

72 ADVENTURE Surf Washington.

76 LODGING

The Arctic Club, Seattle.

78 TRIP PLANNER

Mount Vernon, Skagit Valley.

12 Editor’s Letter 13 1889 Online 86 Map of Washington 88 Until Next Time

COVER

photo by Capture.Share.Repeat. (see Adventure, pg. 72)

8

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

82 NW DESTINATION Whitefish, Montana.

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CONTRIBUTORS

CATHY CARROLL Writer Cinephile

MELISSA DALTON Writer Home + Design

RONALD HOPE Photographer Game Changer

CORINNE WHITING Writer Sleepless in Seattle No More

“While searching for a movie to stream, I happened upon Dreamin’ Wild—a favorite stroke of serendipity so far this year. I was struck by the superb acting (Casey Affleck, Zooey Deschanel, Beau Bridges) and story that tugged at my teen aspirations of making it in music. Getting to talk with the real-life Emerson family of the film, whose music was discovered nearly forty years later, was another delight entirely.” (pg. 19)

“As a design writer, I’m very familiar with the popularity of A-frames, which first appeared between the 1950s and 1970s and have experienced a resurgence in recent years, thanks to Instagram and the internet. As cute as A-frames are, the sloped walls can be a design challenge, so seeing how designer Katherine McBride and architect Tessa Bradley overcame that for the Harstine Island project was inspiring!” (pg. 28)

“Over the years, I’ve come to truly appreciate Seattle staycations and quick Washington road trips as fortunate ways to view beloved destinations through a brandnew lens. While hotels certainly can be a great jumping-off point for exploring surrounding beauty and fun, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, sometimes the accommodations prove so welcoming that staying on-property is the biggest draw of all.” (pg. 52)

From Haiti to the Himalayas, Cathy Carroll has written about some of the world’s most fascinating people and places for many major news outlets. Based in Bend, Oregon, she never tires of telling the stories of creative thinkers and singular places.

Melissa Dalton is a freelance design and architecture writer who covers a wide range of stories, from A-frames to living buildings to DIY remodels, much like the one she’s just finished on her 1907 home in Portland.

“The only thing better than photographing stories about wildlife, is shooting stories about the amazing people that have dedicated their lives to saving them. Cindy Daily and Joseph Molotsky of Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue are definitely those dedicated people. Cindy has been involved in wild bird rehabilitation since her 20s, and Joseph has been volunteering here since he was 13! While walking the facility with these two, you could just tell how much they love what they do, and how excited they are to share the stories of these birds with the public.” (pg. 42)

10 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

Ronald Hope is a photojournalist based in Sequim. When not out photographing stories about the people and animals of the Olympic Peninsula, he can be found with his wife and child, living the PNW dream in the Washington wilderness.

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 country and globe whenever opportunities arise, too.

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, Rachel Gallaher, Joni Kabana, Lauren Kramer, Kerry Newberry, Daniel O’Neil, Ryn Pfeuffer, Ben Salmon, Jen Sotolongo, Corinne Whiting

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jackie Dodd, Ronald Hope, Jill and Greg Jacobs (Capture.Share.Repeat.), Eva Seelye, Whitney Whitehouse

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Jenna Lechner

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APRIL | MAY 2024

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 11

FROM THE

EDITOR

IN THIS ISSUE, we explore life on the Sound and its islands for many reasons. Anthropologists, we are not. Whale naturalists, wild bird rehabilitationists and cold-water masochists, however, we may be.

To the first profile of whale naturalist, our longtime 1889 contributor Ryn Pfeuffer channels her formal education from The Whale Museum’s Marine Naturalist Training Program to bring us up to date on the health of Washington’s orca pod known as the Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW). Having endured decades of human mismanagement and, in some cases, cruelty, orcas remain a tenuous part of our world. Due to environmental factors, the population of our resident pod is less than half what it was at its peak in the late nineteenth century. Ms. Pfeuffer takes us through a web of challenges that these amazing creatures face today. We end with three of the best land-based lookouts for orcas on San Juan Island (pg. 46).

Head south on the Sound to Port Townsend, where another wildlife rescue is underway. Fourteen years ago, Cindy Daily founded Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue, which takes in, rehabilitates, then releases hundreds of birds each year.

Shorebirds, seabirds, owls, eagles, hawks—Daily’s rescue nurses all varieties of birds before sending them back into their natural habitat.

Turn to page 42 to read more.

Next, we’re off to the coastal waters of the Olympic Peninsula for a surfari on page 72. We all know someone who knows someone who is a Washington-based surfer. They are adventurous and inured to cold water temperatures. Put surf-

12 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

ing the Washington Coast on your bucket list this summer with a thick rented wetsuit, booties and gloves, and you don’t even notice the cold.

Down in Westport and Ocean Shores and up to Port Angeles is where it’s breaking. Think of it as your TikTok cold plunge but with a wetsuit!

No spring will have sprung without the blooming of tulips in the Skagit Valley. That’s where you’ll find our Trip Planner (pg. 78). We take in the most glorious color palates down in the tulip farms in Mount Vernon. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is a feast for the eye, but let’s not neglect the stomach and the liver. This Trip Planner meanders through some of the best places to eat and drink in the bountiful valley. This is weekending at its best.

This issue’s Mind+Body hit home with me.

Bellingham’s Debbie Eckhouse was an athletic kid with an affinity for endurance sports. She had always thought about trying triathlons, but couldn’t face the swim, after a childhood that willfully rejected swim lessons. She faced her fears, and you’ll have to read about what came next for her on page 34.

I remember my triathlon phase with a wince.

Because of the swim, I never told friends and family that I “competed” in triathlons, rather “had signed up.” I would plunge into the water with adrenaline pulsing, swim like a madman, lose track of time and place, then emerge from the water in last place with the most time to gain.

A better splash with a smoother kick comes to us in the form of One Flew Over the Cookie Jar, a bourbon-based cocktail from Redmond neighborhood bar and restaurant Woodblock. Cheers!

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

EN TO TER WIN !

sun mountain lodge adventure package 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 Heather Murry Otherworldly artwork at Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle.

ER ENT IN! W TO

Enter for a chance to win a retreat to Sun Mountain Lodge!

One winner will receive a two-night stay for two in one of Sun Mountain Lodge’s fireplace rooms, a $100 dining credit for the lodge’s Dining Room or Wolf Creek Bar & Grill, and a $100 adventure credit good toward a horseback ride, cowboy dinner, ski lessons and more!

Enter at www.1889mag.com/contests/sunmountainlodge Sweepstakes runs April 1-30.

mount rainier national park getaway Enter for a chance to win a getaway to Mount Rainier National Park! One winner will receive a two-night stay for two at the historic Paradise Inn* in Mount Rainier National Park, dinner for two nights and breakfast for two mornings at the inn, and a welcome gift on arrival.

Enter at www.1889mag.com/contests/ rainiergetaway Sweepstakes runs May 1-31. *Paradise Inn is a seasonal property open May 18, 2024, to noon September 30, 2024. Prize package expires September 29, 2025, and stay is not transferable between Rainier Guest Services properties.

APRIL | MAY 2024

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE 13

SAY WA? 16 FOOD + DRINK 20 FARM TO TABLE 24 HOME + DESIGN 28

pg. 16 Walla Walla Balloon Stampede will lift your spirits every spring.

Steve Lenz/Visit Walla Walla

MIND + BODY 34

say wa?

Tidbits + To-dos

Yakima Valley Tourism

written by Lauren Kramer

Yakima Taco Fest The Yakima Valley will celebrate its rich Latino culture and agricultural heritage with the Yakima Taco Fest on May 4. The event brings people together to taste fusion and traditional tacos, each a tribute to local ingredients, traditional recipes and innovation. Sip local craft beverages and enjoy Latin music at this delicious food festival celebrating Yakima Valley’s Latino culture and culinary traditions. www.visityakima.com/events/47233-YakimaTaco-Fest-at-State-Fair-Park

ur yo AR k D ar m EN

L

Amber Fouts/Girl Meets Dirt

CA

Girl Meets Dirt’s New Still Wine Girl Meets Dirt just launched its latest libation, Nectar, a still wine that combines apple, quince and blackberry into a beverage that tastes like a wild, orchard-driven floral rose. Best known for its small-batch fruit preserves, the Orcas Island-based company has won multiple Good Food Awards since its inception in 2014. Look out for Greengage Plum and Grapefruit Preserve, and the Apricot Shrub, all award finalists for 2024. www.girlmeetsdirt.com

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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

Spiva Cooking Spices Bremerton’s Spiva Cooking offers a wide selection of rubs and seasoning blends perfect for an array of recipes, from mulling spice to spud rub, bird blend and buttery buffalo. This small chef-owned company also offers teas, salts, spice blend gift packs and inperson and virtual cooking classes. www.spivacooking.com

CA mar LE k yo ND ur AR

say wa?

Walla Walla Balloon Stampede The Walla Walla Balloon Stampede returns to Walla Walla’s Howard-Tietan Park May 9-12, and during the four-day event colorful balloons will fill the skies. On Kid’s Day, hot air balloons will be inflated in the field, and kids can experience the thrill of elevation in a hot air balloon in the park. During the Nite Glow Spectacular, the night sky will be illuminated with balloons.

Steve Lenz/Visit Walla Walla

www.wallawalla.org/walla-walla-balloon-stampede

ur R yo k DA ar m LEN

CA

Filipino-American Community of Bainbridge Island

Solgud Orange Liqueur

Bainbridge Island will launch its first Asian Arts & Heritage Festival May 3-25. The festival showcases the creative culture and history of Asian, Japanese and Filipino communities in the Pacific Northwest. Check the schedule for cultural demonstrations and displays, food, performances and outdoor experiences.

Ballard’s Wildwood Spirits Co., a partnership between Erik Liedholm and chef John Howie, follows a “grain-to-glass” philosophy for its smallbatch, handcrafted gin, bourbon, vodka, whiskey and liqueur. While most of its ingredients are locally sourced, its sweetest item—Solgud orange liqueur—is crafted from the zest of Seville oranges and fennel seed and aged three months in bourbon barrels. Drop by for a tasting at the Ballard or Bothell distilleries or shop online.

www.bainbridgeislandcreativedistrict.org

www.wildwoodspiritsco.com

Asian Arts & Heritage Festival

APRIL | MAY 2024

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE

17

Together since 2017, The Sons of Rainier recently released their sophomore album.

Musician

That Old, Familiar Sound The Sons of Rainier draw inspiration from the past on Take Me Anywhere

Listen on Spotify

THE SONS OF RAINIER formed in Seattle in 2017 and have since scattered, though they’re still a Washington band—no doubt about it.

There are a few reasons for that. First of all, singer and percussionist Sam Gelband did move to New Orleans, where he plays in other projects in addition to the Sons. But bassist Charlie Meyer runs a carpentry company on Whidbey Island.

Singer and guitarist Dean Johnson works as a beloved bartender at Al’s Tavern in Wallingford and released an excellent solo album last year. And Devin Champlin—singer, songwriter, luthier, guitarist—lives in Bellingham, where he owns and operates a guitar shop.

All those circumstances, of course, make it tough to get together, rehearse and tour, said Champlin.

“When we first started, it was easier, and now it’s trickier,” he said. “It just kind of boils down to everyone’s time commitments, and the other guys have other musical pursuits, whereas this band is just (focused on) my songs.”

Champlin’s songs, in fact, are another factor in the distinct Washington-ness of The Sons of Rainier. Effortlessly melodic and persistently overcast, they are twangy, timelessly soulful and streaked with a DIY edge that gives the band’s albums—2018’s Down in Pancake Valley and 2023’s Take Me Anywhere—those familiar Pacific Northwest vibes: easygoing but restless, melancholy but pressing forward.

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1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

Ava Honey

written by Ben Salmon

“Nothing is stable, nothing is done / Love is a fable fed to the young,” Champlin sings in “Orion,” Take Me Anywhere’s folksy, fuzzy opening track. “My head is beating, my heart is bleeding for something / I etch my name on this arrow flying at something.”

The new album was made in two separate sessions at a home studio in Bellingham and at The Unknown, a studio inside an old church in Anacortes, but as a listening experience, it feels as though you’re sitting among the four Sons and they’re singing just for you. That’s by design.

“We’ve recorded almost everything we’ve done live rather than laying down tracks and overdubbing stuff. So we’re all in the same room playing it together,” Champlin said. “I think that’s a big part of it. We go for a kind of natural feel.”

The Sons of Rainier’s music also clearly reflects the musical interests of Champlin, an avid record collector who takes inspiration from vintage sounds such as ’50s and ’60s pop, old soul music, classic blues and folk, early rock ‘n’ roll, The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and another great Washington band—The Fleetwoods, a vocal trio from Olympia that scored a handful of hits in the mid-twentieth century.

“There’s a lot of old forty-fives I love where I don’t even know anything about the band,” he said. “I love all that old stuff, and that comes through in what we do.”

River Road Entertainment

say wa?

Casey Affleck and Zooey Deschanel in a scene from Dreamin’ Wild.

The film, now streaming, has received excellent reviews.

Cinephile

Dreamin’ Wild New film depicts a real-life teen rock dream realized— more than thirty years later interview by Cathy Carroll

IN THE LATE 1970s, Donnie Emerson was working on the family farm in Fruitland, about 70 miles northwest of Spokane, and driving a new tractor—one with a radio. The music of Smokey Robinson, Hall and Oates and Marvin Gaye ignited the 17-year-old’s considerable singer-songwriter talents. It prompted Don Emerson Sr. to build a recording studio on the farm, where Donnie and his brother Joe, 19, recorded an album they dubbed Dreamin’ Wild. An unflagging supporter of his sons and the music, Don Sr. sold off large portions of the farm to finance the record and Donnie’s shot at a solo career. The album languished in obscurity until 2012, when Seattle’s Light in the Attic discovered and reissued it, spurring music critics to hail it as a lost masterpiece.

The film Dreamin’ Wild, released in September 2023 and directed by Bill Pohlad (Love & Mercy), tells the story with Casey Affleck as Donnie; Zooey Deschanel as his wife, Nancy Emerson; Walton Goggins as Joe Emerson; and Beau Bridges as Don Emerson Sr.

How have things changed for you since the film?

Donnie Emerson: It always changes—it’s the music business. I’ve been doing this for a long, long time. You think that you get a film made about yourself and the expectations are this is going to open doors for my other music—I’ve been a songwriter my whole life. And, the film didn’t get the promotion that it needed. (Released amid the SAG-AFTRA union strike, the actors couldn’t promote it.) It made me have to rethink my life again. It’s like me starting all over again … which way to go or what should I do?

All these years, had a part of you hoped this music would be discovered?

No. It’s almost like a lost child … life just moved on. I wrote about seventy-five tunes between 1977 and 1980. Those songs—they’re like little children.

With the film and album’s re-release, did you feel a sense of redemption?

When the film was being made, I didn’t have that feeling yet. I didn’t have it even when I was communicating with Casey Affleck on Zoom calls and Casey hanging out with me. When I first saw the film, (director) Bill Pohlad showed the family. Then I said, ‘It’s OK now.’ You think, monetarily, this could open up doors and could help my father. My catalog (of music) already has (since the album’s re-release). My folks have been taken care of and my brother, too, and I’m thankful for that.

So there’s been a closure. We lost a lot, you know.

Nancy, you and Donnie have been writing and performing music together for thirty-eight

APRIL | MAY 2024

years. Did you dream this could happen?

Nancy Emerson: Absolutely.

The first time was our first date.

We had only been together I’d say two hours. We went to a friend’s house for dinner. It was a double date. They had a piano and Donnie got on the piano and sang a song, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, his voice is beautiful.’ He sang a song that he wrote, and I just thought, ‘Jesus, this guy’s good.’ I had a good ear for music, living in Las Vegas as a kid. When I heard Donnie, I was like, ‘This guy’s got it—I just need to pick the right dress for the Grammys.’ I always knew he was going to do huge things.

Joe, tell us some details and your perspective.

Joe Emerson: Dad became friends with Beau Bridges and will call him up every couple of weeks. Beau will chat with them, and mom will bring the guitar out and sing some of her songs.

Maybe the movie’s going to play out like the album if it gets recognized. Maybe it can be like It’s a Wonderful Life—when it came out, people didn’t really care for it. It didn’t get any awards or anything. Now it’s a Christmas favorite.

Nancy and Donnie Emerson have been writing and playing music together for nearly forty years. (photo: courtesy of Nancy Emerson)

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE

19

Photo: Lydia Richmond

food + drink

Cocktail Card

Watt’s Brewing Company moved into Woodinville’s Sumerian Brewing with respect for its predecessor and its locals.

recipe courtesy of Jorge Martinez, Woodblock / REDMOND

Beervana

One Flew Over the Cookie Jar

written and photographed by Jackie Dodd

FOR ROSEMARY SYRUP • 1 quart sugar • 3 large rosemary sprigs FOR COCKTAIL • 2 ounces of Remus bourbon • 1/4 ounce rosemary syrup (recipe below) • 3 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters • 3 dashes of orange bitters • Applewood chips for a cocktail smoker • Rosemary sprig, for garnish FOR ROSEMARY SYRUP Simmer 1 quart of water, 1 quart of sugar and 3 large rosemary sprigs in a saucepan, and stir until sugar is dissolved.

Allow to cool before use.

Store excess syrup in an airtight container.

FOR COCKTAIL Build the cocktail in sequence.

(Do not shake or stir.)

Use a cocktail smoker to smoke with applewood chips.

Top with a rosemary sprig (and, if desired, serve with a homemade orange pistachio cookie, like Woodblock does).

Watts Takes Over Woodinville EVERYTHING YOU need to know about Evan Watts’ intentions when he moved his brewery into the old Sumerian Brewing space can be found in his unconventional query when he was in the process of taking over the space. He asked to meet the regulars. He wanted to make sure they knew him, knew he had lovingly acquired the space and knew he wanted to make sure they felt welcome after the transition. His family roots run deep in the community, going back generations, making this changing of the guard feel more like a homecoming than a business deal.

When Sumerian departed Woodinville, it left a void in the local beer community, with residents eager for a successor.

Watts not only fulfills this role but exceeds expectations with his extraordinary beer, down-to-earth demeanor and the heart and soul he pours into the business he owes and operates. The beer at Watts Brewing Company is excellent, complex without being pretentious, drinkable but memorable, and beautiful without being delicate. It’s a blend of German flavors, distinct Pacific Northwest flair and thoughtful balance.

Before Watts took over the evolving space, his small brewery primarily functioned as a production facility, supplying

20 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

WATTS BREWING COMPANY 15510 REDMOND-WOODINVILLE ROAD NE, #E110 WOODINVILLE www.wattsbrewingcompany.com What to Know: • Kid- and dog-friendly • Open daily

kegs and cans for local distribution. This strategic approach allowed the multigenerational entrepreneur to grow steadily, building a dedicated fan base and accumulating awards for his expertly crafted beer.

Watts comes from a long line of bee wranglers, doing their part to save nature’s essential pollinators generations before it was the cool thing to do. The bees that grew his lineage, as well as the ingredients for his beer, are an everpresent theme in his business. From the brewery logo to the slices of leafcutter bee boards in the pillars and tables throughout the taproom, it shows how much of himself he’s put into his business and the space it occupies. There is a humility to his presence, a tentative excitement to have taken such a huge leap from producing beer to owning a large taproom and brewing facility.

Go Behind the Scenes

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

BoeingFutureofFlight.com

@FutureofFlight 8415 Paine Field Blvd, Mukilteo, WA

CRAVINGS PIG CANDY

Photos: AJ’s Edible Arts

Pig candy, a bacon appetizer made with brown sugar and cayenne pepper, is a dish causing a stir at Lulu Craft Bar + Kitchen and 3 Eyed Fish in Kennewick. The salty, sweet, crisp dish is a top seller at both restaurants, where it’s served stacked in a mason glass.

AJ’s Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard, many decades on, is still a family-run business where everything is done by hand.

Gastronomy

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard written by Lauren Kramer IF YOU’VE never tried Walla Walla Sweet Onion Mustard, you’re missing out on the best local mustard Washington has to offer. Founder Alice Jones was a Pasco caterer in 1988, when she began crafting mustard for her catering jobs.

When guests approached her about taking some mustard home, Jones made more, and by the early 1990s she was adding Walla Walla onions to the mix. The mustard became popular so fast that Jones ditched her catering career to focus on mustard full time, bringing her daughter Juli Massingale to work alongside her at AJ’s Edible Arts.

The mother-daughter team sold their mustard at local farmers’ markets and began working on flavor variations. Today AJ’s offers mustards with whole seeds, dill, roasted garlic, horseradish, smoky bacon, chipotle and red bell peppers, as well as the original flavor. There’s a red ale mustard and a natural mustard suitable for vegans. The mustards are available statewide at grocery stores, fruit stands and Made In Washington stores. Still, the operation remains small and handcrafted, its philosophy continuing to be “family first.”

“We always prioritized our family, because that’s more important to us than business,” said Massingale, company president, who still cleans 3,000 pounds of onions by hand. “It’s why we haven’t grown, invested in automated machinery and hired dozens of employees. We buy our Walla Wallas from the farmer, clean them in-house, run them through a commercial meat grinder and freeze them, allowing us to make mustard year-round. And it’s the onions that make our mustard so special.”

The company produces 90,000 jars of mustard each year, filling them one by one with a single-head, foot-operated filler and labeling them by hand. Massingale’s daughter, Shelly Martin, 46, and her 14-year-old granddaughter McKennah are also involved in the four-generation family business. Its founder is 91 now, and Massingale still marvels at the family meals her mom used to make.

“She was an amazing cook, and AJ’s fantastic mustards are a direct result of her love of playing with her food!”

313 S. 4TH AVE. PASCO www.ajsediblearts.com

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606 COLUMBIA POINT DR. 1970 KEENE ROAD RICHLAND www.lulucraftbar.com www.3eyedfishwinebar.com

SWEET TREATS At ChocMo Cafe in Poulsbo, chef Tamas Ronyai is crafting exceptional caramels and truffles with delicious interiors in flavors of whiskey caramel, raspberry, huckleberry and champagne, among others. With twenty varieties of chocolate as well as brownie mix and powdered drinking chocolate, these Washington-made confections are small bites of heaven.

19225 8TH AVE. NE, #101 POULSBO www.chocmo.com

CRÊPES For delicious crêpes with a sublime view, try Coastal Class Crêpes, a food truck in the Long Beach Peninsula that offers sweet and savory breakfast crêpes. The I Don’t Want To Share crêpe features cream cheese, strawberries and blueberries, while Beach S’mores is made with chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers.

LOCATION VARIES (See website for details) www.coastalclasscrepes.com

GELATO For some of the state’s best gelato, head to Sirena Gelato, with locations in Bellingham and Kirkland. The small, family-owned business makes up to twenty-five flavors of gelato during peak season, with pistachio, hazelnut and amaretto scooping the most demand.

Sirena gelato uses milk instead of cream and considerably less sugar than ice cream, making gelato an easier choice on the waistline.

960 HARRIS AVE., #102, BELLINGHAM 109 PARK LANE, KIRKLAND www.sirenagelato.com

BEST PLACES FOR

BRUNCH The Birch Door Cafe in Bellingham is consistently packed with diners who don’t mind hourlong waits for a table because the meal at the end is top-notch. Its well-rounded menu includes blueberry lemon cobbler French toast and unforgettable apple pancakes, as well as omelets, Benedicts, burgers, sandwiches and salads. This is a fun, casual, family-run establishment that takes pride in its food-from-scratch approach and its warm, friendly ambience.

4192 MERIDIAN ST. BELLINGHAM www.birchdoorcafe.com

SAGEPORT GRILLE SagePort Grille in Richland is a 30-year-old, family-run eatery and an eclectic biker bar known for its warm, friendly vibe. Its brunch menu features churro French toast drizzled with cream cheese, hotcakes, and the Sageport Stax, a pile of biscuits, hashbrowns, meat, eggs and cheese loaded with gravy.

Photos: Nell Thorn Waterfront Bistro

THE BIRCH DOOR CAFE

La Conner’s Nell Thorn aims to source its ingredients from local farms.

Dining

Nell Thorn Waterfront Bistro written by Lauren Kramer

Beardslee Public House in Bothell is known for its brunch happy hour, with a menu featuring crispy fried bacon with a maple-sabal dipping sauce, homemade pretzels with honey butter, Benedicts on house-made English muffins and bottomless mimosas.

THE PHRASE “farm-to-table” is bandied about a lot in the restaurant industry, but you’d be hard-pressed to find an eatery that takes it more seriously than Nell Thorn in La Conner. This fine dining lunch and dinner restaurant sources all its grains and produce from the Skagit Valley and its proteins from Washington exclusively. “We have nothing in our freezer except the ice cream and sorbet we make ourselves,” said Albie Bjornberg, who co-owns Nell Thorn with chef James Donahue. “Most of what we utilize in-house comes from a 30-mile radius.”

We sat down for dinner on a dark Sunday evening in January, stunned to find the parking lot full and the restaurant buzzing. We devoured the house-made sourdough, made—of course—with local grains. We enjoyed the Brussels sprouts appetizer ($14), sweetened with pancetta, butter and maple syrup. For entrées, we chose hanger steak with sauce bordelaise ($44) and tenderloin with black truffle demi ($58), meats from Double R Ranch that were served with chef’s vegetables.

Both dishes were truly exceptional—melt-in-the-mouth tender, perfectly proportioned and served with sauces that made our meal unforgettable.

“Our menu is living and breathing, just like the Skagit Valley and everything we’re sourcing from it,” said Bjornberg, who prints the Nell Thorn menu daily based on ingredient availability. In the kitchen, Donahue uses French and Italian culinary techniques in dishes like boeuf bourguignon, bucatini arrabbiata (featuring housemade pasta), wild salmon niçoise and calamari marseilles. If farmers aren’t dropping off supplies, he’s often headed out to pick them up straight from the fields.

The restaurant operates daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., serving lunch and dinner weekdays and brunch and dinner on weekends. Reservations are recommended.

19116 BEARDSLEE BLVD., STE. 102 BOTHELL www.beardsleeph.com

116 S. 1ST ST. LA CONNER www.nellthorn.com

1633 COLUMBIA PARK TRAIL RICHLAND www.sageportgrille.com

TREVERI CELLARS Treveri Cellars in Wapato offers a Sunday bubble brunch with a tantalizing, all-youcan-eat buffet. The menu selection includes pork schnitzel with gravy, smoked salmon phyllo and Nutella-filled pancakes, with additional seasonal offerings. Dishes are with great wine country views. Reservations are essential.

71 GANGLE ROAD WAPATO www.trevericellars.com.

BEARDSLEE PUBLIC HOUSE

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farm to table

Spring is the ideal time to forage for nettles.

Farm to Table

An Abundance of Nettles Getting acquainted with the wild leafy greens of spring written by Corinne Whiting

GERALD GUTIERREZ, executive chef at South Lake Union’s Astra Hotel, likens nettles to “the greens of the sourdough starter world.” The wild, leafy plant acts as a good vessel to pick up whatever natural ingredients you add to them, he says, plus they hold their greenness to work well in purées, stocks and so on.

He shares that nettles don’t have a distinctive flavor, per se.

Instead, it’s more about the locality of the product and the pride involved with having foraged them for oneself. There are nutritional benefits that come along with eating them, too. They are rich in vitamin A, calcium and fiber. Indigenous people have long gathered stinging nettles to use for medicinal, ceremonial and culinary purposes.

Chef Gutierrez grew up in a close-knit family in Manila, Philippines, where they were accustomed to cooking with the freshest ingredients from backyard farmers. That mindset stuck when they moved here in 1996. He had an early connection to Pike Place Market, thanks to his uncle Sammy who worked at Pike Place Fish. From a young age, he was spoiled by his mom’s cooking that involved very few processed foods and a delicious combination of whatever happened to be in the fridge. “With Filipino culture, food is part of us,” he explained.

Knowing he wanted to get into cooking as early as middle school, Gutierrez joined the Puget Sound Skills Center. Afterward, he didn’t stray too far from home due to his family’s closeness, so he landed at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, where an uncle was the only one he knew in the area.

He eventually boomeranged back to Pike Place cooking at the Steelhead Diner and then opening Blueacre Seafood with Kevin Davis. (He first learned about cooking with nettles here.)

He speaks of feeling spoiled by the region’s bounty plus daily exposure to market vendors walking around with their fresh, seasonal, sometimes exotic ingredients.

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Throughout his career, he’s intentionally dipped into a variety of cuisines and scenes, from a nursing home setting to fine dining at Canlis. When he wanted to learn about the world of hotels (his dad had been an engineer for DoubleTree), he headed to Hyatt Regency Bellevue’s restaurant Eques, before a promotion led him to open Water’s Table at the brand-new Lake Washington’s Hyatt Regency. Next he came to the Hyatt Regency Seattle before landing at Astra Hotel, where he’s been for eight months, creating vibrant menus for its restaurant, Otium Grill & Greens, and the rooftop bar and lounge ALTITUDE. “You have to cook food that you care about,” he said.

On days off, Gutierrez enjoys hiking up Rattlesnake Ridge or around the North Cascades, where he first found nettles. Foraging for them proves best in the spring, he advises—you can start as early as February, but March or April prove ideal once the sun emerges. When it’s too cold, the plants dry up; if you wait too late in the season, insects and animals will have gotten into them. Gutierrez and his crew take to higher-elevation trails with gloves and backpacks lined with plastic bags—one for mushrooms, one for licorice ferns, one for nettles.

Once home, the nettles can be kept in the refrigerator in plastic bags, containers or bins with good airflow (so condensation won’t build up). Alternatively, they can be blanched in hot water and dunked in an ice bath, then saved in the fridge for up to a week. Or, they can be vacuum-sealed and frozen for later use.

One of Gutierrez’s favorite ways to savor nettles is in a Filipino dish called laing, which he likens to braised collard greens.

Traditionally the meal features tarot leaves, for which nettles can be substituted, that get braised with Thai coconut milk— to cut the spiciness from Thai chilis—plus cooked with garlic, onion and vinegar. This flavorful vegetarian dish then is served

farm to table

over rice. It has antioxidants and helps with high blood pressure, something, he says, Filipinos often must consider to offset other dietary proclivities like crispy pork. But nettles can also be enjoyed as dehydrated chips, as pesto on burrata or flatbread, in salads or simply sautéed with garlic, butter and salt.

Non-foraging home chefs can find nettle plants at spots like Casa Cano Farms, which has a spring plant nursery at its location just south of Spokane in Valleyford. Beginning in May, they sell stinging nettle plants in 3.5-inch pots. “Nettles are perennials and spread through rhizomes and by seed,” Madyson Versteeg of Casa Cano Farms explained. “They can be planted

Washington Recipes

Local Nettles Three Ways Stinging Nettle Malfatti with Toasted Pine Nut Brown Butter Carrello / SEATTLE Nathan Lockwood SERVES 12 FOR THE MALFATTI • 1 cup cooked stinging nettles (from about 1 pound of wild nettle tips) • 1 cup cooked green chard or spinach (from 2-3 bunches of chard) • 1½ cups fresh ricotta, well-drained • 6 egg yolks • ½ cup melted butter • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan • Kosher salt, to taste • Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste • ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg • 1 clove garlic • Chili flake, to taste • 2-4 cups of 00 pasta flour FOR THE PINE NUT BROWN BUTTER • ½ pound unsalted butter • ¼ cup pine nuts • 30 fresh sage leaves FOR GARNISH • Chili flakes, to taste • Parmesan • Reserved pine nuts • Reserved fried sage leaves

in the ground or in containers, and prefer rich soil with lots of moisture.” Their crew recommends planting them somewhere where they have room to spread. “To harvest, wear gloves or carefully just touch the tops of leaves (which don’t sting), and cut or pinch the tender ends of shoots off into a container,” Versteeg said. Ideally nettles get harvested early in the season before flowers begin to form. A nettle’s sting gets disarmed when they are heated, dried or mashed.

“Nettle starts are most popular with people who are familiar with how good they are for you, and [those] who have the space and desire to grow them at home,” Versteeg said.

FOR THE MALFATTI Pick the leaves from the stinging nettles, and discard the stems. It is best to wear two pairs of gloves while handling stinging nettles. Blanch the stinging nettles in a large pot of boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Cool thoroughly in a large bath of ice water.

Clean and wash the chard. Save the stems for another purpose. Blanch the chard in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute. Cool thoroughly in a large bath of ice water.

Drain the greens, squeezing out as much water as possible, and coarsely chop them.

Transfer the greens to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.

Place the ground greens along the long edge of a large kitchen towel and roll the towel tightly into a long cylinder. Twist the towel from both ends as tightly as you can to wring as much water as possible out of the greens.

Transfer the greens to a large bowl. (You should have approximately 2 cups.)

Add all the remaining ingredients except for the flour to the bowl, and mix well.

Season aggressively. Remember, you are seasoning as well for the flour that has not yet been added.

Transfer the mixture to a large surface, and spread into a half-inch-thick layer.

Sprinkle with 1½ cups of flour, and using a sharp knife chop the flour into the mix in a grid pattern. Gather a small handful and squeeze gently to assess the moisture. It should feel somewhere between mashed potatoes and Play-Doh. If the mix feels wet, add more flour and chop again. Be careful not to work the mixture too much during this phase or the malfatti will be tough.

Once the consistency is correct, use a bench scraper to bring the dough

together, and chop and mix just until a soft roll forms. Divide the dough into 8 pieces, clean the work surface, and dust the dough portions and the work surface with pasta flour.

Roll each dough ball into a cylinder about 1¼ inches in diameter. Dust lightly with flour.

Cut into portions about the size of a golf ball. Dust once again with flour if needed to prevent sticking. Roll each ball gently between your palms until the flour is absorbed and the surface is smooth.

Transfer to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and freeze until ready to cook.

If you are going to cook the malfatti immediately, you do not need to freeze them.

To cook, add to boiling salted water in small batches. The malfatti should take approximately 3 minutes to rise to the surface and an additional 3-4 minutes to cook through.

FOR THE PINE NUT BROWN BUTTER While the malfatti are cooking, brown the butter with the pine nuts in a large shallow pan. When the pine nuts are golden-brown and aromatic, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a tray, and season with kosher salt.

Add the sage to the butter and cook until crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sage to a tray, and season with kosher salt.

Turn off the heat to the butter.

TO FINISH AND SERVE Skim the malfatti out of the water, and carefully add to the hot butter. Season with salt, pepper and chili flake. Turn the heat back on, and gently shake the malfatti until slightly toasted all around.

Plate the malfatti and garnish with Parmesan, pine nuts and fried sage leaves.

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farm to table

Stinging Nettle Laing

Otium Grill & Greens / SEATTLE Gerald Gutierrez SERVES 6 • 1 pound stinging nettles, blanched and squeezed dry • 3 cups white jasmine rice • 8 cloves garlic, minced • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and julienned • 2 Thai chilis, sliced • 16 ounces Thai coconut milk • ½ cup cane vinegar • ½ cup palm sugar • ½ cup Bragg coconut aminos • ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half • La-Yu chili oil, for garnish • 1 tablespoon crispy garlic per plate, for garnish • 1 pinch micro radish per plate, for garnish

Butter Noodles with Nettle Pesto and Cheese 84 Yesler / SEATTLE Christina Siegl SERVES 2-4 FOR THE NETTLE PESTO • 4 cups nettle leaves, blanched and squeezed dry • 4 cloves garlic • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil • 2 tablespoons pine nuts • Zest from 1 large lemon FOR THE PASTA • 8 ounces uncooked pasta of choice • 2 tablespoons butter • ½ tablespoon flour • 2 small garlic cloves, minced • ¼ cup chicken broth or dry white wine (vegetable broth can be substituted) • 2½ teaspoons lemon juice, plus zest of ½ lemon • 1 cup heavy cream • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan • Salt and pepper, to taste • Extra Parmesan (optional), for garnish

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Chef Gerald Gutierrez’s Stinging Nettle Laing.

FOR THE NETTLE LAING In a medium pot of boiling water, blanch and shock in ice bath 1 pound of stinging nettles.

While waiting for the blanching pot to boil, cook 3 cups of white jasmine rice in rice cooker.

In a medium pot, sweat down the minced garlic, yellow onion and Thai chilis until soft without adding color.

FOR THE NETTLE PESTO Bring 1 gallon of lightly salted water to a boil, and prepare a large bowl of ice water.

Blanch the nettle leaves in boiling water for 5-10 seconds, and then immediately place them into the ice bath to preserve their bright green color.

Remove leaves from ice bath, and squeeze excess water from the nettles.

In a food processor, combine the blanched nettle leaves, garlic cloves, grated Parmesan, extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts and lemon zest.

Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

FOR THE PASTA Add pasta to a boiling pot of salted water and cook until al dente according to package directions.

When the pasta is about 10 minutes away from being done, add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it melts, sprinkle the flour in and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring fairly often. Add in the garlic, followed by the broth (or wine), lemon juice and zest. Let it bubble for 1 minute. Whisk in the cream and cook for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

Add the blanched nettles, and incorporate the garlic mixture until all nettles have been coated nicely.

Deglaze the pot with the coconut milk, and bring the pot to a simmer.

Once pot has come to a simmer, add the cane vinegar, palm sugar and Bragg coconut aminos. Give the mixture a good stir, and ensure the palm sugar has fully dissolved and that the coconut aminos have emulsified into the coconut milk. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, allowing all the ingredients to marry together. When ready, it should slightly coat the back of the spoon.

Once the desired consistency is reached, turn off the heat and throw in the sliced cherry tomatoes to finish.

TO SERVE On each plate, add a heaping cup of nettle laing to 1 cup of steamed jasmine rice.

Drizzle with La-Yu chili oil, and garnish with crispy garlic and micro radish.

up to your liking. Stir in the Parmesan, and take the skillet off the heat. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until coated.

Serve the pasta hot, garnished with additional grated Parmesan, drizzles of the nettle pesto and a sprinkle of lemon zest.

Optional: For added texture and flavor, consider toasting the pine nuts before adding them to the pesto. Freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice can also enhance the flavors.

Butter Noodles with Nettle Pesto and Cheese.

Welcome Back to Paradise Mount Rainier National Park – YOUR ADVENTURE AWAITS – Take advantage of all there is to discover with an adventure to Mount Rainier National Park.

Hiking, nature walks, enjoy the sweeping vistas and dramatic landscape, mountain climbing, fishing, photography, bird watching, or just listening to the one of the many majestic waterfalls flow. Wake up to the euphoric sounds of nature right outside your window.

Relish in our full dining experience at the grand dining hall. Wander through the different shops we have available at Longmire, Paradise, and Sunrise.

Spend a casual afternoon on our patio soaking in the alpine glow sipping on your favorite libations.

There is something for everyone at Mount Rainier National Park, your adventure awaits!

DiscoverMountRainier.com Hotel Reservations: (855) 755-2275 PARADISE INN 52807 Paradise Road E

NATIONAL PARK INN 47009 Paradise Road E

Ashford, WA 98304 Visit our website for lodging availability.

Dates and times for our holiday specials are available online.

home + design

Home + Design

Happy Place

A modern A-frame is the ideal island getaway for an Olympia interior designer and her family written by Melissa Dalton photography by Poppi Photography

IN 2010, Katherine McBride was living on the tip of Johnson Point in Olympia. She would gaze out the window across the South Puget Sound, and see vintage cabins dotting the opposite shore. McBride remembers thinking, “I wonder where that is or how I can get there?” It turns out, it was Harstine Island, just a ninetyminute drive from McBride’s house in Olympia, or a ten-minute boat ride across the water.

Harstine Island, McBride soon learned, skews rural, with more wildlife than civilization, spotty cell service and a year-round population of 1,412 people. “There are no stores, restaurants or anything. I found that really attractive,” said McBride. “I liked the proximity to Olympia—to be that close but to still be able to get that far removed.”

A mother finds solitude on Harstine Island and a modern take on an A-frame.

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# b a i n b r i d g e h o l i d ay s

Starry Nights

VISITBAINBRIDGEISLAND.ORG

FIND YOUR NATURE ON BAINBRIDGE ISLAND

Photo: Erin Fisher

Stroll groomed trails through 140 acres of forests, meadows, and sculpted gardens with spectacular views of Puget Sound.

GIVE

Timed tickets required for admission | Open Tuesday–Sunday, rain or shine | bloedelreserve.org Bloedel Reserve is a nonprofit organization devoted to nurturing the forests, gardens, and community through a broad range of engagement opportunities. The Reserve is a proud participant of Museums for All and offers pay-what-you-wish admission the first Wednesday of each month.

home + design

Working with architects, Katherine McBride found new ways to bring in light, such as a clerestory window in the loft bedroom.

In early 2020, McBride was working as an interior designer, and navigating the early days of the pandemic with a new baby, a 4-year-old and a recent divorce. “I was really looking for something positive to focus my energy on as I navigated so many uncertainties,” said McBride. Thanks to a habit of scrolling Zillow for fun, an empty lot for sale on Harstine Island popped up, in an established vacation community on the northern tip of the island. McBride snapped it up, paying $40,000 for a 1/4 acre.

As a former RV site, the lot already had water and utilities, so McBride assumed she’d just bring up her Airstream and camp with the kids. But it wasn’t long until her imagination kicked in.

McBride started playing around with ideas for a structure on the site, consulting vintage floor plans in issues of Better Homes & Gardens for inspiration. “The idea of an A-frame seemed really cool because it fit in with the other ’70s-era cabins that were already there,” said McBride. “But I couldn’t figure out how to get past the problem of the windows. I tried putting windows in the A-frame walls, which is actually the roof, and it became clear pretty quickly that they’d get filled with debris and moss.”

McBride brought her ideas to her co-workers at Artisans Group, a woman-owned architecture, interiors and planning firm that specializes in passive houses, prefabs and custom builds. Principal and architect Tessa Bradley loved how the 30 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

A-frame would gel with the community’s existing vibe. “The lots are round,” said Bradley. “So it feels like an old-school campsite when you drive through it.”

But both designer and architect knew the A-frame’s angled interior walls and lack of windows can make it a challenge to live in. “They can often feel like a dungeon and kind of cavernous,” said McBride.

Bradley agreed. “I really like A-frames, but I’ve always disliked how dark they are,” said Bradley, who suggested they add a streamlined dormer off to one side to fix the problem.

Wrapped on the top and sides in the same standing seam metal used for the A-frame roof, that dormer placement accomplishes a lot. It provides another vertical plane for windows to suffuse the interior with natural light. The dormer’s full-height walls also allowed Bradley to add in a second bedroom under the lofted primary, and carve out a generous staircase joined by a dedicated dining area. “The full-height walls bring the effect of volume over like the dining table and stairs,” said Bradley. “It’s a game changer for the traditional A-frame.”

The kitchen layout still proved tricky, as it was compact—just 75 square feet of the home’s entire 1,000-square-foot plan— and with an angled wall behind the hood vent and stove. “The most challenging part of the entire design was the kitchen,” said

McBride. Here, and throughout the home, McBride collaborated on a suite of custom casework from the Olympia-based studio Beech Tree Woodworks. “I did not want clutter,” said McBride. “I wanted to be creative and intentional with built-ins.”

To that end, cabinetry by the entry conceals utilitarian items, while the benchtops for the built-in banquette at the dining table lift up to stow toys and art supplies. The kitchen’s open shelves provide quick access to frequently used dishes. “It’s really easy to be there,” said McBride. “We have everything we need and nothing we don’t.”

McBride also kept to a tight material palette, putting joining compatible woods—cedar tongue-and-groove for the angled ceiling and rift-sawn oak for the casework and wall panels—accented by black-stained beams; slate tile for the entry, fireplace pad and shower walls; and Richlite, a recycled paper composite, for counters, cabinet fronts and the dining table top. Additional custom touches are courtesy of the contractor, Bicycle Homebuilding, which worked with Studio 23 Metalworks on the triangular metal A-frame plate that joins the stair railing to the wall, while McBride sewed the banquette cushions from Pendleton wool upholstery fabric.

Now with the A-frame as their new base, most weekends find McBride and her children exploring the island, whether agate hunting on the beaches or enjoying wildlife sightings, such as watching deer walk up to the front door. The new Aframe is a testament to not only rest and relaxation, but also reinvention. “We leave all the to-do lists and daily chores behind, and go out there and unwind,” said McBride. “It’s a blank slate, but we’re already creating such good memories there. It’s our happy place.”

ABOVE McBride chose a slate tile for the shower. AT RIGHT, FROM TOP The kitchen showcases simplicity and efficiency. A small nook serves as the family’s dining area with built-in benches that also serve as storage.

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home + design

DIY

pre-attached screws, attach as instructed. For the modern dowel, daub wood glue on one end and insert into the hole with a twist.

Tap with a rubber mallet to make sure the end of the peg is flush with the back of the backer board, and wipe off excess glue before it dries.

Shaker-Style Peg Rail Shelf illustration by Jenna Lechner

THE SHAKER-STYLE peg rail is often called a workhorse—with this added top shelf, it’s got even more to do. Follow our directions below to fashion one for the hallway, hang coats in a mudroom or keep wet towels off the floor in the bathroom.

1 MEASURE AND CUT Cut two 1x6 boards to the desired length of the rail, keeping in mind that if it will be longer than 48 inches, it’s better to create two separate sections. Find the center line of one board, and mark it in pencil. This will be the backer board for the pegs.

Measure and mark where the pegs will be placed, making sure they are equidistant from each other and either end of the backer board. A distance of 8 or 6 inches between each peg looks ideal. (And 8 inches tends to coincide with the spacing between studs in many houses.)

2

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CHOOSE THE PEG STYLE The final look for this project can be modern or traditional, de-

4

ADD THE SHELF Line up the shelf with the backer board so the ends are flush. Predrill pilot holes along the shelf top in 6-inch increments—this will be where the shelf attaches to the backer board. Attach with a wood screw, making sure the top of the screw is flush with the shelf surface. Add corner braces on either end of the shelf, if you’re concerned about weight distribution and support.

5

FINISH AND HANG Prime, paint or stain the peg rail shelf to your desired look. Mount with hardware suited to your wall finish, using a stud finder to locate studs for added support. Hang all manner of items on the pegs, and relish those new cleared floors!

pending on the peg style chosen.

Purchase traditional-style wooden pegs from a variety of stores or Amazon. These are usually unfinished and have a screw inserted for easy attachment to the backer board. For a more modern look, opt for a wood dowel with a diameter of about an inch. Cut this dowel into 5-inch pieces, and sand any rough spots.

PRE-DRILL THE PEG HOLES AND INSTALL PEGS Using your previous marks as the guide, pre-drill the peg holes into the backer board. Note that these holes will vary in size, depending on the peg style chosen in the above step. For the pegs with

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Get the Look of the Modern A-frame

Photo, bottom left: Poppi Photography

home + design

Schoolhouse’s Honey Lambswool Throw is everything you want for curling up in a cabin in front of the fireplace. Made of 100 percent Merino lambswool, it’s cozy, soft and a splash of unexpected color—an heirloom in the making. www.schoolhouse.com

Richlite, a material made of FSC-certified paper infused with resin and pressed into a panel, is a lot of things: durable, sustainable and local, as it’s made in Tacoma. Katherine McBride shows how versatile it can be, too, since she applied it to counters, tabletops and cabinet fronts in her modern A-frame.

The Brunson Pendant Light from Barn Light Electric Company has a classic black metal shade joined with an elongated wooden top and cloth cord, making it feel both classic and modern at once, much like the Harstine Island A-frame.

www.richlite.com

www.barnlight.com

Sure, outdoor furniture should be durable to stand up to the elements, which is why the powder-coated steel of Blu Dot’s Hot Mesh Lounge Chair is a good idea. Also, we like how it doesn’t take itself too seriously, thanks to an array of bright colors and the punched metal pattern. www.bludot.com APRIL | MAY 2024

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mind + body

Debbie Eckhouse crosses the finish line at Ironman Nice in France last year.

Overcoming Water The story of a budding triathlete who conquered her fear of swimming to go pro written by Lauren Kramer AS A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE with USA Triathlon, Bellingham resident Debbie Eckhouse will compete on a whole new level in 2024. A world champion ironwoman athlete, she is accustomed to pushing herself to her limits in races demanding 112-mile bike rides, 2.4-mile swims and 26.2-mile runs. But just six years ago she couldn’t swim freestyle, and was coaching herself in a local pool using YouTube videos for guidance.

“As a kid, I was afraid to get my face wet in the water, so my parents couldn’t put me in lessons,” she said. In high school, Eckhouse loved athletics and competed in cross-country and track. She earned her passion for bike riding from her father, John Eckhouse, with whom she would bike 200 miles from Seattle to Portland once a year. She set herself a goal of competing in an ironman one day. But the years rolled by, and it was 2018 before she was ready to commit.

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Debbie Eckhouse Professional Triathlete

Born: San Diego Lives: Bellingham Age: 37

WORKOUT “My weekly workout includes bike rides, trail runs, swimming and yoga.

When I’m in training mode, my weekly regimen includes five hours of running, ten hours of biking and four hours of swimming.”

NUTRITION “Usually I just consume a lot of calories. I have a bottomless appetite and I love high proteins post workouts, but I don’t watch what I eat.”

INSPIRATION “I’m inspired by my dad, John Eckhouse. Together we would do 100-mile bike rides for fun, to prepare for the 206-mile race from Seattle to Portland. With anything we ever did, he’d never let me win unless I earned it legitimately. It made me want to be just as tough as my dad!”

Photos: courtesy of Debbie Eckhouse

mind + body

FROM LEFT Debbie Eckhouse on the run at the Finland 70.3 Worlds. Eckhouse (center) at Ironman Nice in France last year, where she finished as the second overall female.

That year she bought a membership at Mount Vernon’s Riverside Health Club and taught herself to swim freestyle. Not one to waste time, she competed in her first triathlon eight weeks later.

“I liked it, but I still wasn’t very good at swimming—I looked like I was drowning in the pool!” she recalled. “I knew I needed a lot more practice.”

She spent the next year training and working hard on her swimming skills, and by 2019, her efforts were paying off, with good placements at local triathlons and races. Then Covid hit, and races were canceled. Eckhouse used the time to improve her form so she could come back stronger and healthier.

When the races resumed in 2021, she was so thrilled to compete again, she enrolled in a race every weekend. She placed fourth in a half-ironman in Eagleman, Maryland, and set her sights on competing in a full ironman. But minor injuries as a result of over-competing were taking a toll.

Realizing she needed expert guidance, Eckhouse signed on with her best friend, Brent Detta of Detta Endurance, a professional coach. “He encouraged me to dial it back and stop doing everything at full threshold,” she said.

His advice made an immediate difference. At her next halfironman in Puerto Rico a few weeks later, Eckhouse emerged as the overall winner, breaking the tape at the finish line. “Before that, I hadn’t even won my age group, so winning overall was an incredible feeling,” she said. “While I was on the course, bystanders were yelling that I was gaining third and

then second place. I’d never before been in a race where I could see the front females, so I was in shock!”

She realized her goal of competing in a full ironman race in August 2022, when she competed in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, winning the race in the amateur female category with a nineteen-minute lead time. The win qualified her to compete on a professional level, as well as gave her a chance to compete in the Ironman World Championships in Kona just six weeks later. She placed ninth in her age group and twenty-third overall amateur in the world.

More races followed, in St. George and Finland, where Eckhouse’s wins earned her two world championship titles. Though she qualified to compete as a professional ironman athlete, she opted to race at amateur level for one more year in 2023. She gained an overall win at the Texas half-ironman and second overall female win at Ironman Nice in France. As of January 2024, she began competing at a professional level.

“It’s the next step of challenge, which is why I accepted it,” she said. “My philosophy with racing is to see how far I can go, how far I can push myself. I enter every race excited to see how I will do, and if I’ll do better than I did the last time.”

With a day job at Skagit 911 in Mount Vernon, Eckhouse’s work life is full of stress. “We’re the voices behind the scenes, dealing with high-intensity calls and incidents,” she said. “Getting into triathlon training gives me the consistency I need to get through each day, with goals and focus that help keep me away from the darkness I encounter at work. When I’m training, I can let my mind wander and let go of all the stress.”

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STARTUP 38 MY WORKSPACE 40

pg. 42 Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue rehabilitates owls and more on the Olympic Peninsula.

Ronald Hope

GAME CHANGER 42

Enjoy Olympic Peninsula • Explore • Relax

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Summer at its

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Endless acres of adventure and miles of memories await on the Olympic Peninsula.

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startup

Startup

Food Sleuth Sift Food Labels demystifies the process of finding out what’s in your food written by Rachel Gallaher TEN YEARS AGO, while pregnant with her first child, Carrie Roberts was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Looking to control the condition without taking medication, Roberts asked her doctor if she could work with a nutritionist to tweak her diet to get to the root of the issue.

“I essentially turned myself into a guinea pig to try and find out what was spiking my glucose,” said Roberts, who is originally from the East Coast but relocated to the other side of the country to work in marketing strategy at companies that include Microsoft, Netflix and T-Mobile. “After much trial and error, it turned out that refined sugar made my glucose levels go through the roof, so I decided to eliminate it from my diet.”

What seemed like an easy fix at first, the elimination ended up being a time-consuming and often confusing task. “I expected it to be hard from a willpower standpoint,” Roberts recalled, admitting to a sweet tooth, “but I did not expect it to be hard in the grocery aisle. I would look at labels and have to Google everything. Then, I’d get to my house, eat something I thought was okay, and it would spike my glucose.”

Once a simple task, grocery shopping became an hours-long venture full of frustrating land mines. Roberts made lists of the unfamiliar ingredients in the foods she encountered and started researching what each name meant. The results were disturbing—there were a lot of chemicals and more than 3,000 additives, many of them banned in Europe, approved for use in food in the United States. Additionally, there are nearly 100 different words used for sugar on our nutrition labels.

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“Eighty percent of the food in the average American pantry contains ingredients that are either banned or heavily regulated outside of the United States,” Roberts said, “but it’s difficult to read, let alone understand, the typical nutrition label. I don’t think you should have to have a Ph.D. to be empowered to make better decisions about your health.”

The more Roberts looked into the issue, the more she felt that the general public needed to be able to access information that would allow them to make informed choices at the grocery store. “I’m very justice-minded,” she said. “I believed that this tool should exist in the world.”

In 2019, Roberts launched Sift Food Labels, an app allowing consumers to scan a barcode on, say, a box of crackers and immediately receive ingredient and nutritional information broken out in easy-to-read categories, including “Additives,” “Oils and Fats,” “Sugar,” “Gluten-Free Grains,” and more. The results are colorcoded (ingredients banned in certain countries or those linked to health risks are red) and come with simple, descriptive explanations. The free version of the app allows five scans a month, and the paid tier ($6.99 a month or $40 annually) includes unlimited scans and shopping support that helps sort foods for ten different diets, from gluten-free to vegan.

Since the launch, Roberts has heard testimonials from Sift users with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, or who have a child with attention deficit disorder, who have used Sift to change their diets (for instance, eliminating red dye) and seen an improvement in their health. “These stories are why I’m doing this,” she said. In the future, Roberts hopes to integrate a shopping decisionmaking tool into the app. “I would like to help customers one-up their decisions. For example, if they scan a box of macaroni and cheese, how could we offer a healthier alternative? That’s the most important thing for me, is giving people the tools to make better decisions, and awareness is always a step in the right direction.”

Photos: Sift Food Labels

ABOVE The Sift Food Labels app aims to help users make better-informed nutritional choices. AT RIGHT Company founder Carrie Roberts.

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my workspace

Photos: courtesy of Valerie Wahl

The Stories These Bottles Hold Spokane Bottle Project is the artistic manifestation of one man’s odyssey written by Joni Kabana

Imagine finding yourself the recipient of 15,000 very old bottles. What would you do with them? How would you handle storing them? Why accept them in the first place? In 2013, while working at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture where she focused on the display, interpretation and care of rare objects, Valerie Wahl was contacted by a man who offered her his entire collection of early 1900s vintage bottles he had been excavating near the Spokane River since 1986. Faced with health concerns, Brian Martin wanted to ensure his bottles would not be returned to the city dump where he had toiled soil for several decades to uncover them.

Wahl, soliciting help from her friend Cindy Short who was enthusiastic about a project using the bottles, set out to do what readily comes to mind to most museum curators when faced with art objects: find a way to display them for the viewing pleasure of others.

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Wahl and Short sorted and cleaned the bottles and offered them free of charge, requesting recipients to write stories and poems, create drawings or respond in any creative manner regarding where the bottles landed.

“Our concept was to create a non-monetary transaction that called for a response from bottle recipients,” said Wahl. “We wanted to deal in creativity and fun. We wanted to fashion a decidedly anti-capitalist transaction, and we wanted to celebrate the eccentric collector and his beautiful, ghostly collection. … It was a total experiment and investment in an unknown and hard to quantify result, which qualifies the effort as art to me. We knew we could put together a gorgeous and captivating display for the event, but the internet and human psychology as an aspect of the work? I’d say we were totally out of our depth, in totally experimental territory.”

Spokane Bottle Project founders Valerie Wahl (left) and Cindy Short.

Visit www.bit.ly/ spokanebottleproject to hear firsthand why a man loved digging for treasures over a twenty-year span, carried each of them by hand to his home and dug a basement under his house where he could safely store them all, with nary a notion that they would end up loved in his honor all over the world.

MORE ONLINE

APRIL | MAY 2024

Learn more or participate in the Spokane Bottle Project at www.spokanebottleproject.com

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game changer

Joseph Molotsky and Cindy Daily show a barn owl, one of Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue’s ambassadors.

Molotsky has been volunteering at the facility since he was 13 years old.

A Safe Perch

Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue rehabilitates and advocates for our winged neighbors written by Daniel O’Neil | photography by Ronald Hope

SKIES OVER Washington cover a wide range of wild bird habitat. Seabirds, songbirds, raptors, waterfowl and plenty of other birds call Washington home. Yet as the state’s human population grows, so do the pressures on wild bird populations. Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue, in Port Townsend, offers injured and ill birds a safe harbor, and it educates the local community about the rising danger for wild birds across the state.

Wildlife rehabilitator Cindy Daily has spent more than thirty years with wild birds. A resident of Port Townsend since 1994, she founded Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue in 2010. State and federal permits allow the center to raise, rehabilitate and release native wild birds, and this capacity has expanded as a result of Daily’s heartful determination.

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game changer

Joseph Molotsky holds the feet of this redtail hawk while Cindy Daily inspects its wings. The wing in her right hand was injured when the hawk came in, and is healing up nicely. BELOW Molotsky hand feeds one of the injured raptors. This bird is being hand fed to get the raptor’s weight, which is one way to help measure birds’ health.

Over the past decade and a half, Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue has grown to become a large rehabilitation center with diagnostic and surgical capabilities and more than forty-five outdoor enclosures. Today, its facility can house 100 birds and has the ability to make room for more as the need arises, especially as baby birds emerge during summer.

From carefully designed hummingbird enclosures to a 100foot eagle flight and in-ground pools for seabirds, Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue cares for all types of wild birds. Orphaned raptors from around the state are sent here to live temporarily with surrogate raptors so they get familiar with their own kind. Mended and nursed back to health, often by volunteer veterinarians, all sorts of birds from the Olympic Peninsula and elsewhere in Washington have a chance to return home.

Daily and her team take in and release hundreds of wild birds each year. Their facility, between the Salish Sea and Olympic National Park, welcomes myriad species. Tanagers, flycatchers and many special passerines, all types of seabirds including endangered marbled murrelets, bald and golden eagles, hawks and osprey, owls, shore birds, herons and other long-legged wading birds, hummingbirds, ravens—the list goes on.

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game changer

“Thanks to our location, birds still have open spaces and room to live,” Daily said. “But birds need our help now more than ever.”

Daily cites multiple hazards to wild birds in Washington and beyond, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, traditional toxins like rat poison and lead, habitat loss and collisions with vehicles and windows.

“Even the oceans are no longer safe, with fewer fish, more boats and more pollution,” Daily said. “And as human populations increase, more cats and dogs are a threat to birds every— Cindy Daily, Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue where. Rehabilitation centers are becoming more essential and director and wildlife rehabilitator yet fewer exist due to the difficulty in funding and providing space for these activities.”

As a nonprofit, Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue relies on do- Unlimited, a retail shop in nearby Gardiner that collaborates nations and grant money to remain open. Raising public aware- with Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue.

“In nature, everything is connected, so having a healthy bird ness about the plight of Washington’s wild birds, often with population helps create a balanced environment,” glove-trained raptors at schools and events, forms MORE ONLINE Lassen said. “Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue has part of the center’s mission. Accordingly, it recently To adopt a bird had a positive impact on our environment by helpsecured grant money to build a visitors’ area that will or make a donation, allow the general public to come see and learn about visit www.discoverybay ing our native bird species thrive in challenging and wildbirdrescue.com changing environments. There’s a lot of development the center’s educational ambassador birds.

Through it all, Daily gains enthusiasm. “She’s all-in for saving here, both residential and commercial, that impacts our native every bird that she can, from the smallest pine siskin to the big- wildlife. But Cindy is committed to helping the birds that need gest bald eagle, every day, wherever they are on this peninsula her and to educating the public on the importance of birds to and even farther,” said Christie Lassen, co-owner of Wild Birds our environment.”

“Thanks to our location, birds still have open spaces and room to live. But birds need our help now more than ever.”

Cindy Daily checks the feet of a pelican while Joseph Molotsky holds it. This pelican will be released to the Washington Coast this year when pelicans begin to return north.

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Preserving Prized Residents Orcas of the Salish Sea written by Ryn Pfeuffer

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T

his summer marks the tenth anniversary since I completed The Whale Museum’s Marine Naturalist Training Program. This transformative experience ignited my passion for the marine wonders of the Salish Sea. The program, a multi-day immersion into the region’s natural history, provided an invaluable education on the ecology and conservation of our local marine species. Led by dedicated naturalists, educators and scientists, it equipped us with the skills to work as advocates for the ocean and its inhabitants.

Among the stars of these azure waters are the majestic blackand-white orcas, whose presence in the Salish Sea is both awe-inspiring and humbling. Here, amid the rugged beauty of the San Juan Islands, we have the privilege of encountering two distinct ecotypes: the endangered Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) and the transient Bigg’s orcas.

The San Juan Islands are home to two ecotypes of orcas: the Southern Resident killer whales and Bigg’s orcas. (photo: April Ryan/San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau) APRIL | MAY 2024

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Southern Resident orcas primarily eat Chinook salmon, while marine mammals make up the diet of Bigg’s killer whales. (photo: Maya’s Legacy Whale Watching/ San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau)

he SRKWs are celebrated for their

tight-knit family units known as J, K and L pods, each with its own distinct social structure and vocal dialect. At their peak, the SRKW population consisted of approximately 200 individuals. Those numbers, however, have declined significantly in recent years, and the population currently stands at seventy-five whales.

For me, the term “blackfish,” the term Northwest Coast Native peoples in this region call orcas,

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took on a deeper meaning during my training. A year prior, Gabriela Cowperthwaite released her poignant documentary Blackfish.

The eye-opening film shed light on the dark reality of orcas in captivity and prompted a seismic shift in public awareness about animal welfare and conservation. It was an exciting time to be part of that social impact.

During my time in the San Juans, I had the honor of learning from esteemed marine biologist Ken Balcomb, whose tireless efforts to protect the Southern Resident population left an indelible mark on me. (Balcomb passed away in 2022.) Through his work, I delved into the tragic history of the 1970 Penn Cove captures, during which more than eighty Southern Resident killer whales were cruelly rounded up and herded into nets in Penn Cove. Seven of these orcas, believed to be part of the Southern

Resident community, were forcibly taken into captivity, including Tokitae, affectionately known as Lolita. Five whales lost their lives during this harrowing process. Recently, Tokitae died after enduring more than five decades of captivity at the Miami Seaquarium.

Yet, amid the challenges, there is hope. Each year, as whale watching season unfolds, I find myself drawn back to these pristine shores, eager to witness these majestic mammals. (SRKWs typically spend time in the San Juan Islands from May to September, but salmon availability significantly determines their movement and behavior.) From the tranquil beauty of Orcas Island to the rugged splendor of Cattle Point on San Juan Island, every new calf and sighting reminds us of the urgent need to protect our marine treasures.

As the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKWs) traverse these

waters in pursuit of diminishing salmon populations, their struggle underscores the interconnectedness of all marine life.

SRKWs are renowned as salmon specialists, with Chinook, or king salmon—prized for their size and fat content among Pacific salmon species—constituting approximately 80 percent of their diet.

These whales also supplement their diet with other salmon varieties, with coho making up about 15 percent. Amy Nesler, a volunteer at Lime Kiln Point State Park, highlights a stark comparison with Bigg’s killer whales, which primarily prey on marine mammals like seals, sea lions and dolphins, with occasional hunts on other whales.

Over the past decade, Bigg’s killer whales have welcomed 130 calves, surpassing the entire population of Southern Residents, and continue to grow at a rate of approximately 4 percent annually. “They live in the same waters as the Residents and deal with the same noise levels and the same level of pollutants, yet they’re thriving,” Nesler said.

“Because they have enough to eat.

That’s what it ultimately comes down to: prey.”

As we explore these waters, protecting its marine wildlife in the Salish Sea is critical. “Watching whales, whether from shore or a boat, inspires more than excitement and adrenaline,” said Nesler.

“It’s about joy, wonder and being in the moment—not thinking about the to-do list, the latest headlines, or anything but what’s happening in front of you (except maybe tripping on the rocks).”

Nonetheless, there are ways that all people can ensure the longevity of this fragile whale population in the wild:

SPEAK UP FOR A BETTER WORLD Contact your elected representatives (www.usa.gov/elected-officials) and urge them to reject harmful amendments to the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, both of which offer vital protections for this endangered population.

MAKE SMART SEAFOOD CHOICES The Southern Resident orca whales predominantly rely on Chinook salmon as their primary food source.

When selecting your next meal, consider alternatives to Chinook salmon or sustainably sourced options such as pink or chum salmon, which are more abundant. Explore sustainable seafood choices through resources like www.seafoodwatch.org and look for products labeled as Salmon-Safe to support responsible fishing practices.

SUPPORT LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS Numerous organizations are dedicated to protecting the Southern Residents and supporting the Salish Sea. Check out The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor and consider adopting an orca. Additionally, you can contribute to whale and dolphin conservation efforts at www.whales.org. Explore the Center for Whale Research’s Orca Survey Outreach & Education Center. Or, you could volunteer with Whale Scout or Orca Network. Don’t forget to follow Orca Network on Facebook for updates on recent whale sightings, photos, videos and educational resources.

CLEAN UP TRASH When you take walks on the beach, bring a bag to collect trash. You’ll often find plastic bottles, cans, food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic bags and fishing gear littering the shore. Additionally, items like straws, plastic utensils, Styrofoam containers and balloons are commonly found

debris. Unfortunately, these items pose significant threats to marine life and ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of proper waste disposal and beach clean-up efforts.

If you’re seeking structured volunteer opportunities, consider participating in the Great Islands Clean-up, an annual day of service organized on each of the major islands (www. plasticfreesalishsea.org/events). Typically held around Earth Day on April 22, this event brings together locals and visitors to clean up trash along beaches and roadways. Additionally, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance regularly hosts clean-ups and offers guidance on organizing your own events. Whale Scout coordinates twelve “Helpin’ Out” events annually, some of which include beach clean-ups.

VISIT THE WHALE MUSEUM Before embarking on a whalewatching adventure, visit The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, just three blocks from the ferry landing, to learn from experts about the marine life you might encounter. Explore exhibits showcasing various whale species in the Salish Sea, including the skeleton of young orca Sooke (L-112), and browse the gift shop for sea-life-related items, books, DVDs and more.

BE WHALE WISE Adhere to the federally regulated Be Whale Wise guidelines (www. bewhalewise.org) to ensure the wellbeing of these majestic creatures.

The guidelines entail keeping a safe distance from whales, reducing vessel speed to under 7 knots within a halfmile of the nearest marine mammal and consistently approaching and departing from the side, aligning with the animal’s direction of travel.

For more information on how you can help orcas, visit www.visitsanjuans.com/ how-you-can-help-southern-resident-orcas

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Spot whales and other sea life in the San Juan Islands. (photo: Carina Skrobecki Swain/ State of Washington Tourism)

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How to See Whales San Juan Island stands out as one of the best places in

the world for land-based whale watching, offering spectacular vantage points such as Lime Kiln Point State Park to observe orcas and other marine life navigating through the nutrient-rich waters of the Salish Sea. Lime Kiln Point State Park volunteer Amy Nesler thinks the most fantastic thing is that in the Salish Sea alone, a relatively small inland sea, she notes, there are

five different species of whales. “We have two ecotypes of orcas, humpbacks, minkes and grays. Plus, there are occasional outliers like fin and sperm whales. Then you get into the smaller cetaceans like harbor porpoise, Dall’s porpoise and Pacific white-sided dolphins with outliers like the Risso’s. I think sometimes people get so focused on one desired experience (usually the orcas), they miss the bigger picture,” said Nesler.

Here are a few places for land-based whale watching:

SAN JUAN COUNTY PARK Located on the island’s west side, San Juan County Park offers 12 acres of coastal camping along Haro Strait, boasting panoramic views of the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island. Ideal for kayaking, spot harbor seals, bald eagles and Dall’s porpoises. Explore rocky bluffs, tide pools and beaches, picnic in meadows or join guided kayaking tours from the park.

Photo: Dana Halferty/San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau

LIME KILN POINT STATE PARK Explore Lime Kiln Point State Park, known as “Whale Watch Park,” on San Juan Island’s west side. Managed by the Friends of Lime Kiln Society (FOLKS), it offers free services, including an interpretive center, lighthouse tours and summer events. A short walk unveils diverse landscapes—rocky shores, woodlands—teeming with wildlife like seals, sea lions, otters, eagles and seabirds. The 1919 lighthouse, a beacon in Haro Strait, hosts summer tours. A seasonal gift shop and interpretive center enrich the whale-watching experience.

AMERICAN CAMP AND CATTLE POINT Off South Beach at American Camp, San Juan Island, lies Salmon Bank—a prey-rich spot for orcas and humpbacks entering and exiting the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Wildlife thrives here as bald eagles and foxes roam grassy headlands.

Watch seabirds on pebbled beaches while seals, sea lions and river otters hunt nearby. Not far away, Cattle Point Lighthouse features deer, eagles, seals and the distant grumbles of Whale Rocks’ Steller sea lions.

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Seattle’s citizenM South Lake Union hotel opened in 2020. (photo: citizenM Seattle South Lake Union)

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Sleepless in Seattle No More Experiencing new and recently refreshed accommodations in the Emerald City—and beyond written by Corinne Whiting

W

hether you’re seeking a comfortable place to rest your head in the midst of urban action—or tucked into Washington’s more serene, natural fold—hotel options here abound.

While some venues prioritize families and furry friends with amenities ranging from spacious pools to plush pet-loaner beds, others offer sleek and elevated experiences for those in search of a truly pampered escape.

Although this list only scratches the surface, we’ve started with the newest to grace our hotel landscape, followed by those who have in some way gotten a recent boost.

The large-scale graphic mural Schema, created by artist RYAN! Feddersen, adorns the citizenM Seattle Pioneer Square hotel. (photo: citizenM Seattle Pioneer Square)

A rendering of the Hotel Westland, whose opening is slated for this fall. (rendering: Urban Villages)

Hotel Westland Eco-conscious travelers can feel good about their accommodation choices with this soon-to-arrive Seattle find. In the fall of 2024, the city’s first carbon-positive hotel—and the country’s second—is set to open in historic Pioneer Square thanks to Urban Villages, a real estate developer who’s also a steward for the environment. Located in RailSpur, a sustainable micro-district that consists of three historic warehouse buildings and the alleyways that connect them, the boutique lifestyle hotel will have 120 guest rooms and suites. Modern decor and amenities will mingle amid the 1907 building’s storied character. On property, guests can enjoy the venue’s rooftop bar and an indoor-outdoor restaurant situated in happening RailSpur alley. | www.railspurseattle.com/hotel

Fairmont Olympic Hotel A downtown staple in the heart of it all since December 6, 1924, this year Fairmont Olympic Hotel Seattle celebrates its 100th anniversary. The grand, 450-room property recently underwent $25 million worth of renovations just in time to celebrate its big milestone in style. The revamp touched the hotel’s social spaces, including a redesign of the lobby, bar, restaurant and meeting rooms under the vision of Spanish design studio Lázaro Rosa-Violán (LRV).

Beneath soaring ceilings, American brasserie The George has become beloved for its lavish design and locally sourced dishes. (Tip: Order a decadent seafood tower for a true PNW treat.) Afterward, head to the dimly lit and seductive Founders Club, a nod to Seattle’s prohibition speakeasy 1920s culture that focuses on rare spirits appearing in well-crafted cocktails. Some standout hotel amenities remain as alluring as ever, like the heated indoor pool, hot tub and sauna. | www.fairmont.com/seattle

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citizenM Seattle Pioneer Square This property’s opening in May 2022 marked an important milestone for a historic lot that had sat empty for years—at the previous location of Seattle’s first sawmill. Today, this newer hotel aims to embody the quirky atmosphere of its neighborhood surroundings. The brand, which focuses on giving modern travelers “affordable luxury” and minimalist design, remains committed to art and local talents at all of its outposts. Because of this, after an open call, the Pioneer Square team commissioned Washington-based artist RYAN! Feddersen, to create the large mosaic installation on the exterior of the hotel (titled Schema).

Not far away, citizenM Seattle South Lake Union had opened in 2020. Here, guests will find a large-scale, techthemed mural on the interior of the ground floor. This unique work was created by Seattle resident and Native American artist Jeffrey Veregge in his distinctive comic book-inspired style. | www.citizenm.com/hotels

Artist Jeffrey Veregge, from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, created the vibrant mural inside the lobby of citizenM’s Seattle South Lake Union hotel. (photo: citizenM Seattle South Lake Union)

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Hotel 1000 Last fall, as part of its multimilliondollar renovation project, this luxury downtown Seattle venue unveiled Rosebay—a sleek bar with curated cocktails designed by Seattle mixologist Lindsay Matteson. It also debuted The Nineteenth, powered by Topgolf Swing—a suite that can accommodate up to fourteen guests.

The team intends to curate a welcoming yet sophisticated ambience for Rosebay guests with its Northwest-inspired decor that draws upon a warm palette, maritime-influenced elements and iconic Seattle experiences like ferry rides to nearby islands. Guests can grab seats at a spacious bar or near a central fireplace to enjoy top-tier, small-batch craft cocktails, or locally sourced beer and wine.

The food menu offers versatile options, suitable for both groups of friends and solo travelers, that

showcase hyper-local ingredients.

Highlights include a Washingtondesigned cheese board, caviar service, halibut crudo and the global trend of conservas, featuring freshly tinned gourmet fish and shellfish alongside fennel salad, crackers, Romesco and black sea salt.

The Nineteenth stands out by having the latest Full Swing Simulator technology for those wanting to work on their game. Its relaxing lounge area proves a prime spot to enjoy snacks and beverages, play interactive games or watch sports (or movies during privately rented family evenings) on large projection TVs. The decor showcases custom art, like the recreation of the famous fifteenth hole at Chambers Bay using thousands of tees by local artist Matthew Olds.

Other transformations include enhancements to the hotel spa, a revamped lobby with NFT displays and modern amenities throughout the property, such as on-demand electric vehicles. | www.hotel1000seattle.com

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Sip craft cocktails in Rosebay, the beautifully renovated bar in Hotel 1000. (photo: Hotel 1000)

Kimpton Palladian Hotel

The Nineteenth, a Topgolf-inspired lounge in downtown Seattle’s Hotel 1000. (photo: Hotel 1000)

This 97-room venue, located on the edge of Belltown and downtown’s retail core, continues to keep things hip and stylish within its revamped 1910 landmark building spaces.

New artists take the spotlight every season in the Sub Pop Suite—an immersive space adorned with band posters, concert photos and a selection of vinyl curated by the Sub Pop Records team. Other perks include: a record player, wine from Walla Walla-based Sleight of Hand Cellars and a “First Listen” menu showcasing a themed cocktail and series of limited-edition items inspired by the tracks at the downstairs cocktail bar, Pennyroyal. Upcoming artists include Iron & Wine in April and La Luz in May. In another innovative twist, a partnership with Anthropologie now means guests have the ability to “check out” items from a complimentary accessories collection from the front desk—think trendy bags, belts, jewelry and sunglasses ideal for springtime. Once done with the items, guests simply return them. Or, if they fall in love with something, they can make a purchase directly from Anthropologie’s virtual storefront.

Guests will also enjoy the ever-evolving, locally sourced menu by Shaker + Spear executive chef Bella Fiattarone.

Recent winter highlights included pozole “chowder” with clams, shrimp, hominy, scallion, jalapeño oil and breakfast radish; parsnip roll cake with its blend of savory and sweet; and the No Way, Yes Way cocktail, sticking to the “new way of umami” trend with its duck fat-washed bourbon. | www.palladianhotel.com

The Kimpton Palladian Sub Pop Suite has a curated set of musical curio for the music and nostalgia lovers. (photo: Kimpton Palladian Hotel)

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BEYOND SEATTLE

Salish Lodge & Spa

The venerable Marcus Whitman lobby is even more handsome after its renovation. (photo: The Marcus Whitman)

BEYOND SEATTLE

The Marcus Whitman Foodies and wine lovers flocking to Eastern Washington’s Walla Walla will want to check out this historic property as it’s nearing the end of a significant renovation, projected to wrap up by early spring. The refresh spans from the guest rooms and lobby (which includes the addition of new dining concept The Marc Café) to The Marc, the venue’s more formal eatery. While inside will boast an entirely new feel, the hotel’s exterior will remain untouched—after all, its historic tower is the tallest building in town. The lobby’s historic woodworking, flooring and chandeliers have been maintained, too.

Guests will experience a new look at The Vineyard Lounge (renamed The Marc Bar), Chef ’s Table and The Marc Restaurant, with an “Inland Northwest” theme that means it’s sustainable, relevant to the region and helps celebrate local farmers, artisans, ranchers, fishermen and tribal purveyors. Executive chef Chris Capps, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, is also a historian with a strong food science background. | www. marcuswhitmanhotel.com 58 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE

A scenic, thirty-minute drive from Seattle brings you to this charming spot, currently undergoing an exciting renovation, too. Whether you’ve come to cozy up indoors in a prime placement next to Snoqualmie Falls, hike around the mesmerizing cascades or try out activities like fly-fishing and snowshoeing (depending on the season), guests can feel fully immersed in Northwest splendor not far from the city limits.

The Lounge at Salish Lodge opened in November, welcoming guests into its elegant yet approachable space for morning espressos, evening cocktails and locally sourced culinary creations in between. In the morning, diners can dive into cold-pressed juices (think beet-parsnip-blood orange and orange-papayapineapple) plus dishes like overnight oats and jazzed-up avocado toast, both featuring honey from the property’s on-site apiary. Evening brings local delights from oysters on the half shell and duck confit poutine to cedar plank steelhead and a Pacific seafood cobb salad stocked with Dungeness crab and prawns. For dessert? Damn Fine Cherry Pie, inspired by the lodge’s role in Twin Peaks, seems an appropriate choice.

The Dining Room, under renovation until October 2024, will feature a large outdoor area when it reopens, further connecting guests to the magic of the falls as they savor delicious Northwest fare. | www.salishlodge.com

The lavish interior of The Lounge at Salish Lodge & Spa in its newly renovated space. (photo: Salish Lodge & Spa)

Just outside of the Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie Falls plunges 270 feet into the Snoqualmie River. (photo: Salish Lodge & Spa)

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MAJESTY ON THE COLUMBIA written by Kerry Newberry PERCHED ON a 5,300-acre site overlooking the magnificent Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most remarkable cultural destinations. Located in a remote pocket of southern Washington, the museum is well-known for its full-scale replica of Stonehenge, where you can capture some of the most sublime views of the Columbia River.

You’ll find a spirited homage to this prominent waterway with its recently opened exhibit The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea. The exhibition features nearly seventy historic and contemporary paintings and photographs illuminating the beauty and bounty of the Columbia River through landscapes, communities and ideas. A concurrent exhibition, King Salmon: Contemporary Relief Prints, brings the revered Chinook salmon species to life. Both exhibits run through November 15. For more information, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org.

Erik Sandgren (American, b. 1952), Waterfall Visitors, 2000, acrylic on canvas | Exhibit: The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea

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William G. Hook (American, b. 1947), Crossing the Columbia, 2023, watercolor on gessoed panel | Exhibit: The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Thomas Jefferson Kitts (American, b. 1961), Sacred Rights, 2016, oil on canvas | Exhibit: The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea Erik Sandgren (American, b. 1952), Hat Rock, 2022, acrylic on panel | Exhibit: The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea John Mix Stanley (American, 1814–1872) and Sarony, Major & Knapp (American, active 1856–1867), Old Fort Walla Walla, Plate XLV, Narrative and Final Report of Explorations for a Route for a Pacific Railroad, Near the Forty-Seventh and Forty-Ninth Parallels, Vol. 12, Book 1, 1853/1857, lithograph | Exhibit: The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea

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Erik Sandgren (American, b. 1952), Wallula to the Sea (polyptych), 2023, acrylic on panel | Exhibit: The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Dennis Cunningham (American, 1949–2021), Seattle Salmon, 2001, linocut | Exhibit: King Salmon: Contemporary Relief Prints Bill Reiswig (American, b. 1966), Seven Spawning Salmon Species Swimming Salish Seas, 2017, woodblock print | Exhibit: King Salmon: Contemporary Relief Prints Peter Nevins (American, b. 1968), Cross the River on the Backs of the Salmon, 2017, three-color woodblock | Exhibit: King Salmon: Contemporary Relief Prints

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ADVENTURE 72 LODGING 76 TRIP PLANNER 78 NORTHWEST DESTINATION 82

pg. 72 Surfing Washington’s cool Pacific waters.

Capture.Share.Repeat.

TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 70

ROAM

Cruise along the 135+ mile Olympic Discovery Trail.

Framed by one of the largest National Parks, find bold nature connected with small town vibes.

Get a free travel guide!

travel spotlight

Peek inside The Champion, a 1968 RV that has been converted to an analog recording studio.

A Vintage Night’s Sleep

Stay at the imaginative and eclectic Sou’wester Lodge & Vintage Travel Trailer Resort HOW ABOUT that song you wrote two years ago and secretly wish you could record it in a rad studio setting? We’ve found a perfect solution. In the small coastal town of Seaview, amid a cluster of thirty (and counting) funky and eclectic accommodations that could be rented for an overnight or two or longer stay, one 1968 retro Champion RV stands out from the crowd. Don’t let the lime green paint deter you from what’s inside: a full analog studio that will take you straight back to the R&B days of Muscle Shoals.

The Sou’wester Lodge & Vintage Travel Trailer Resort consists of a mixture of rentable travel trailers, simple cabins, lodge suites and camping/rv sites. If you are an artist of any genre, you can apply for their artist residency program and receive a discount for a weekly stay. One benefit of the residency is access to The Champion Analog Recording Studio, which can be rented nightly or weekly as part of your stay. There is no charge to apply for this artist residency.

One never knows who will be present during your stay, which is part of the fun. During your stay you will find a shared kitchen, a spa and Finnish sauna, art and thrift trailers and many more surprises. A Red Bus Theater? Of course. A geodesic dome? Why not?

This little gem of a location hosts musical performances, art shows, wellness workshops and many other events. You can even get hitched here or serenade your favorite birthday buddy while settling in around an open fire. Located only minutes from the beach and a hop, skip and a jump across the river to Astoria, Oregon, there is something for everyone in your posse to enjoy while taking a break from back-in-time nostalgia.

See www.souwesterlodge.com for more information.

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Photos: Sora Blu

written by Joni Kabana

travel spotlight

Sou’wester Lodge includes a collection of vintage trailers, all for rent in Seaview, where there are almost sea views.

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adventure

Not known for its warm waters, the Washington surfing scene is pure adventure. (photo: Capture.Share.Repeat.)

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adventure

Surf’s Up! The best places to ride waves on the Washington Coast written by Jen Sotolongo

WASHINGTON’S coastline, often overshadowed by its California counterpart, offers a unique and uncrowded surfing experience.

While it may not boast the warm waters of southern destinations, its rugged beauty and diverse breaks make it a haven for surfers seeking adventure off the beaten path.

Venturing into Washington’s surf scene rewards surfers with uncrowded lineups, stunning coastal vistas and the thrill of discovering hidden gems along the Pacific Coast. From secluded breaks to expansive beaches, Washington offers a surfing experience that is as exhilarating as it is authentic, making it a destination worth exploring for any avid wave rider, from beginner to expert.

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adventure

SAFE SURFING Surfing in Washington requires proper preparation, especially due to the colder water temperatures.

Surfers should wear thick wetsuits, gloves and booties to stay warm and know the conditions before heading out into the water.

Just outside of Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula, Crescent Beach is a good spot for beginner surfers.

Westport With its consistent waves and vibrant surf culture, Westport welcomes surfers of all levels. The town offers three main surf breaks and is known to be one of the most popular surfing destinations in the Pacific Northwest.

The Jetty at Westhaven State Park has the most consistent surfable waves in Washington State, suitable for all levels, ranging from beginner to world-class riders. The sandy bottom makes the spot an ideal place for newbies to try the sport for the first time.

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For intermediate and advanced riders, the Groins is the spot to go. In optimal conditions, the Groins offers a left-hand point break, suitable for experienced surfers who know how to read tide conditions. The area is known for 20-foot tidal changes in a matter of minutes during certain times of year, so it’s essential to be aware of the currents and know your strengths.

Rentals and lessons are available at one of several surf shops in town, including BigFoot Surf School, Steepwater Surf Shop and The Surf Shop. LOGE Westport offers accommodations for all budgets and provides all the necessary surfing essentials.

Capture.Share.Repeat.

adventure

John Gussman/Visit Port Angeles

The Groins in Westport is a left-hand point break and suitable for intermediate to advanced surfers.

Ocean Shores This popular West Coast vacation spot offers two sweet surf spots: North Jetty and Damon Point. The North Jetty is a favorite spot among the surf crowd. Known as “seal heaven” due to the number of seals that hang out in the water, the North Jetty has a relatively consistent break and sandy bottom that appeals to surfers. Want to get out to the break fast?

Hitch a ride on the current that flows back to the ocean along the jetty. The rideable waves’ length ranges between 50 to

150 meters, sometimes going as long as 300 meters in the right conditions.

Beginners will love Damon Point, thanks to the steady, reliable waves with breaks relatively close to the shore. Situated on a peninsula at the tip of Protection Island, the fifteen-minute walk keeps the spot a bit less busy than the North Jetty.

For those in need of rentals or lessons, North Coast Surf Shop has everything you need, including up-to-date conditions reports. Consider Surfcrest Resort as your home base, a vacation complex located fifteen minutes from Ocean Shores with 26 acres of accessible oceanfront property.

Port Angeles The Olympic Peninsula features several surf spots all along the shoreline. Crescent Beach, a privately owned and operated surf camp located thirty minutes from Port Angeles, is perfect for beginners, thanks to the sandy bottom and minimal paddling to hit the breaks. Camping and cabin rentals are available in Crescent Beach, and nearby Northwest Board Room offers rentals.

Also near Port Angeles, Twin Rivers is an ideal spot for beginners, thanks to the forgivable waves. The best time of year to visit is during the winter months. The west side of the river offers longer waves, while the east side may appeal to more experienced riders looking for faster breaks. Evergreen Surf Shop in town can outfit you with all of your needs.

Port Angeles offers plenty of lodging options, including the Red Lion Port Angeles Harbor and the elegant Olympic Lodge

by Ayres.

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Photos: Arctic Club Hotel

lodging

ACCOMMODATIONS With 102 rooms on its ten floors, the Arctic Club Hotel still manages to feel intimate, personal and boutique. Rooms feature 12-foot ceilings and are thoughtfully outfitted with bathrobes, plush linens, quality teas and coffees and aromatic rosemary geranium bathing products in the bathrooms. From the lighting to the artwork and the crown moldings, everything in the rooms reflects the character, dignity and age of the building.

DINING

Lodging

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP A tasteful guest room at Arctic Club Hotel.

The Beaux-Arts architecture of the Seattle hotel. Feel the generations that came to Arctic Club Hotel to tell stories and drink cocktails.

Arctic Club Hotel written by Lauren Kramer IT’S A SPECIAL TREAT to stay in a building that’s on the National Register of Historic Places, and at the Arctic Club Hotel in the heart of downtown Seattle, history surrounds you with pomp, circumstance and privilege. This was the social venue for successful men who’d returned to Seattle after the Klondike Gold Rush, and they met here to share their stories of adventure, to network and to dream up projects that turned Seattle into a West Coast metropolis. When the building became a hotel in 2006, its ten floors were transformed into boutique hotel rooms outfitted with careful attention to detail. Spend a night and you take a graceful step back in time, exploring the beauty of 1917 architecture, where intricate ornamental cornices, artistic frescos, Alaskan marble flooring and sculptured terracotta walrus heads deliver a sense of grandeur, importance and arrival.

700 3RD AVE. SEATTLE www.arcticclubhotel.com

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The hotel offers a complimentary hot breakfast in Juno, the breakfast room, but the star of the dining show is the Polar Bar on the main floor, an old-world, classy establishment where drinks and food are served daily 3-11 p.m. We loved the cocktail list, which is full of delicious, original cocktails made by bartender Mike Robertson, who has been a popular fixture at the hotel for years.

Try the Ginger Rogers, a heavenly cocktail made with vodka, lavender and ginger liqueur. The menu offers a good selection of burgers, salads and shared plates, and portions are generous and well-priced.

HISTORY A stay at the Arctic Club Hotel is about stepping back in time. The lobby walls are lined with portraits of the club’s founding members, and the success they venerated is evidenced in the building’s many intricate, artistic features. There are ornamental niches, elaborately carved ceilings and an impressive wedding and event space with Rococo gilding and an exquisite, stained-glass domed ceiling. The photographic portraits are by Edward Curtis, a photographer who also took special interest in the Indigenous people he met on his travels to the Yukon. The juxtaposition of the solemn faces of successful Seattleites with the mixture of pride and vulnerability on the faces of the Indigenous people is pause for thought.

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SAN JUAN ISLANDS • PORTLAND • WALLA WALLA • AND MORE

trip planner

Tulip Town/Visit Skagit Valley

Brilliant blooms are the draw during Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

Mount Vernon

Come for the tulips, stay for the town’s treasures written by Ryn Pfeuffer

WELCOME TO Skagit Valley, where Mount Vernon takes center stage in April for the annual horticultural extravaganza—the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. As spring unfolds, millions of tulips burst forth in a kaleidoscope of colors across the fields, attracting visitors from near and far to witness this floral spectacle. But beyond the festival, there’s a wealth of activities to enjoy here, especially for those passionate about local agriculture and wildlife. With abundant farms, a charming downtown area boasting a children’s museum, breweries, a vibrant farmers market, multiple parks and a historic theater, Mount Vernon offers something for everyone to explore and enjoy.

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trip planner

Day Start your day with a mouthwatering brunch experience at Martini Brunch, just a stone’s throw from downtown. Indulge in the signature honeycomb toast, topped with a generous scoop of honey butter and sprinkled with flaky salt. Or opt for The Big Sexy, a crispy chicken delight slathered in honey and garlic chili oil. Don’t miss out on Martini Brunch’s creative cocktails, like the sparkling mimosa with edible glitter. Check out their Instagram for weekly specials (www.instagram.com/martinibrunch).

After brunch, head over to Schuh Farms for a delightful afternoon. Explore their offerings, from veggie and herb starts to freshly cut daffodils. During Tulip Fest, the Pickle Barn transforms into an art hub for local artists and handcrafters to showcase their latest creations. Say hello to the friendly goats and chickens as you indulge in freshly baked pies, bread, cookies, and berry milkshakes, or treat yourself to artisanal cheeses, jams and syrups. And mark your calendar for summer—the U-pick berry fields open up, offering strawberries, raspberries and tayberries.

As the evening sets in, unwind at The Town Pump, a funky dive bar known for its welcoming atmosphere and friendly locals. Sip a cold beer, savor a slice of artisan-quality pizza and soak in the laid-back vibes. Whether tapping your feet to live music or enjoying the company of good friends, it’s no surprise why this spot quickly becomes a regular haunt for many.

Finally, rest and recharge at the Tulip Inn or La Conner Channel Lodge, both offering comfortable accommodations for a peaceful night’s sleep. The La Conner Channel Lodge sits on the Swinomish Channel, just a short drive from Mount Vernon. For a more rustic experience, consider staying in the yurts and cabins at Thousand Trails in nearby Bow, resembling tiny homes straight out of HGTV, complete with all the essentials for a cozy stay.

The Town Pump

BRUNCH • FARM FARE • CHOOSE YOUR STAY

Day Soak up the small-town charm of downtown Mount Vernon by starting your day at the Mount Vernon Farmers Market in River Walk Park Plaza. The 2.3-mile paved pathway leads behind downtown Mount Vernon and trails alongside the riverside. Here, you’ll discover a vibrant tapestry of local delights, from farm-fresh produce and fragrant herbs to colorful cut flowers and artisanal crafts. Engage with friendly vendors, sample local cheese and treat yourself to handmade soaps and jewelry. With something for everyone, including coffee and ready-to-eat foods, this bustling market is a must-visit from May to October, every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Convenient parking along

Martini Brunch

FARMERS MARKET • PADILLA BAY

FROM TOP The Town Pump in Mount Vernon is a dive with great pizza and a welcoming atmosphere. Find creative breakfast fare like the honeycomb toast at Martini Brunch.

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EAT Calico Cupboard Café & Bakery www.calicocupboardcafe.com Martini Brunch www.instagram.com/martinibrunch Schuh Farms www.schuhfarmswa.com

Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce

MOUNT VERNON, WASHINGTON

trip planner

Skagit Valley Co-op www.skagitfoodcoop.com The Town Pump www.townpumpbar.net

STAY La Conner Channel Lodge www.laconnerchannellodge.com Thousand Trails Mount Vernon www.thousandtrails.com/ washington/mount-vernonrv-campground Tulip Inn www.tulipinn.net

PLAY Bay View State Park www.parks.wa.gov Mount Vernon Farmers Market www.mountvernonfarmersmarket.org Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve www.mvpf.org/padilla-bayinterpretive-center Skagit Valley Tulip Festival www.tulipfestival.org

Bay View State Park with views of Padilla Bay.

Beautiful sunsets at Mount Vernon.

Main Street also ensures easy access to this community event.

After the market, indulge in the signature all-day breakfast dish at Calico Cupboard Café & Bakery: the Skagit Hash, featuring a flavorful medley of red baby potatoes, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, garlic, onion, crushed red pepper flakes, feta and mozzarella cheese.

Then, make your way to the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. This informative center offers free admission and provides a glimpse into the diverse wildlife of the coastal area where the Salish Sea meets Skagit Valley. Dive into interactive aquarium displays and educational exhibits, which examine local ecology and the crucial role of intertidal mudflats in the area’s environment and economy.

Afterward, venture to the Upland Interpretive Trail, winding through the surrounding forest and fields, or explore the nearby beaches and shore trails for more natural beauty.

End your day with a leisurely picnic at Bay View State Park, where you can enjoy panoramic views of the bay. (Be sure to pick up provisions earlier at Skagit Valley Co-op in Mount Vernon.) Take a leisurely walk along the beach and soak in the sunset while reflecting on the day’s adventures. Keep an eye out for ducks, eagles, shorebirds, peregrine falcons, harbor seals and river otters, if you’re lucky.

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Day TULIP FESTIVAL Start your day amid nature’s vibrant hues at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. Thanks to the unique microclimate of the Skagit Valley, characterized by mild winters and abundant rainfall, you’ll encounter some of the most breathtaking displays of tulips in the United States. While the official festival dates span from April 1 to 30, some fields open as early as March 30 and extend their blooming season until May 6, contingent upon weather conditions and bloom progress. Like the cherry blossom festivals in Japan and Washington, D.C., the timing of the blooms is dictated by nature’s whims.

Wander through fields of tulips at four prominent locations: RoozenGaarde, Tulip Town, Garden Rosalyn and Tulip Valley Farms, with sunrise and sunset offering optimal lighting for photography enthusiasts.

Remember to dress in layers and don waterproof boots to navigate muddy areas, as spring weather can be unpredictable. Additionally, consider buying tickets in advance, especially on weekends when crowds tend to be larger. For a more intimate experience, plan your visit on a weekday when the fields are less crowded. Whether you’re an avid photographer or simply revel in the beauty of nature, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival promises an unforgettable experience.

Award Winning Deli & Bakery

Hungry? The Co-op Deli is the perfect pit stop to fuel up for fun!

Fresh salads, famous sandwiches, pastries, coffee, and breakfast, too.

You’ll find scoops of fun and local flavor for the whole crew, all made from scratch right here in Skagit Valley, just for you!

Salads • Sandwiches • Espresso Bar • Breakfast & Pastries • Organic Smoothies

Open Daily to Everyone | Just off I-5 • Exit 226 | skagitfoodcoop.com

UNWIND IN SMALL TOWN SPLENDOR

UnwindGigHarbor.com

northwest destination

Cruising along Riverside Park in downtown Whitefish.

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northwest destination

Downtown Whitefish at dusk.

Boutiques, restaurants, galleries and outdoor gear shops cover all the main food groups.

Spring in Whitefish Find a world-class experience in a small mountain town written by Kevin Max photography by Whitney Whitehouse

WHITEFISH, MONTANA, may be known as the host for skiers at Whitefish Resort in the winter or as the gateway to Glacier National Park in the summer, but it’s the Whitefish culture of creativity itself that pervades all seasons. No more than 10,000 people live in this small town surrounded by the Salish Mountains to the west and Flathead National Forest to the east, but it nonetheless ticks many boxes for worldclass cuisine, hospitality and recreation.

In its earliest civilizations, Salish, Kootenai and Pend d’Oreilles tribes inhabited the area, fishing the banks of the Whitefish Lake and Whitefish River as it winds through what is now downtown Whitefish.

The outdoors and recreation are still the draw for many Whitefish residents and visitors. For hikers and runners, there are scores of trails in the surrounding forests and mountains. Lion Mountain Trailhead is a favorite easy 2.6-mile loop that winds beneath towering pines and overlooks Skyles Lake. West of town, Nordic skiing is still viable in spring when there is good snowpack. The Glacier Nordic Center is the starting point for skinny skis. Seven miles north of town, Whitefish Mountain Resort is an independently owned alternative to monstrous and commercial alpine ski resorts, with 3,000 acres and more than 2,500 feet vertical.

For lodging, consider the amazing little bed-and-breakfast on the northern edge of town, Good Medicine Lodge, once named one of the best ski lodges in the country by USA Today. This eco-friendly, nine-bedroom lodge is made from cedar, with a communal cozy den heated by a wood-burning stove. Perhaps the best features are its exquisite breakfasts featuring homemade sourdough bread, lemon-blueberry Dutch babies, pecan-cinnamon muffins, perfectly made croque madames and artisanally roasted Good Medicine Coffee.

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WHITEFISH, MONTANA

northwest destination

EAT Amazing Crêpes www.amazingcrepes.com Bonsai Brewing Project www.bonsaibrew.com Ciao Mambo www.ciaomambo.com Fleur Bake Shop www.fleurbakeshop.com Markus Community Market www.markuscommunitymarket.com Montana Coffee Traders www.coffeetraders.com Spotted Bear Spirits www.spottedbearspirits.com

STAY Firebrand Hotel www.firebrandhotel.com Garden Wall Inn www.gardenwallinn.com Good Medicine Lodge www.goodmedicinelodge.com

PLAY Cawdrey Gallery www.cawdreygallery.com FoR Fine Art www.forfineart.com Glacier National Park www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm Glacier Nordic Center www.glaciernordicclub.org Harlow www.facebook.com/myharlow Montana E-Bikes www.mtebikes.com Pedego www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/ dealers/whitefish The Toggery www.toggerymontana.com Whitefish Mountain Resort www.skiwhitefish.com

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Good Medicine Coffee roaster Ryan Grenier.

FoR Fine Art, where local artists are well represented. Good Medicine Lodge is a lovely retreat on the edge of town.

Spotted Bear Spirits is a hip little cocktail bar serving its own distilled spirits.

Amazing Crêpes will satisfy the sweet or savory breakfast palate.

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northwest destination

No more than 10,000 people live in this small town surrounded by the Salish Mountains to the west and Flathead National Forest to the east, but it nonetheless ticks many boxes for world-class cuisine, hospitality and recreation.

Ditch your car by renting e-bikes at Pedego or Montana EBikes. Make downtown your destination and take a relaxing ride along the Whitefish River at Riverside Park.

If you didn’t take your breakfast at Good Medicine, Amazing Crêpes downtown on Central Avenue lives up to its billing.

Montana Coffee Traders, across the street, is a hopping place to grab good coffee and a danish to go. Things to die for include the chocolate raspberry brioche or the ham and gruyère croissant at Fleur Bake Shop.

If you’re planning a long day at Glacier or the surrounding trails, stop in at Markus Community Market’s deli for gourmet grab-and-go sandwiches and wraps.

After a day riding or hiking at Glacier National Park, take in more creative local culture at FoR Fine Art gallery, where you’ll find many talented Montana artists exhibiting. Cruise down East Second Street to Lupfer Avenue and Cawdrey Gallery, where Glacier National Park is the canvas for artists.

If dinner is on your mind, head to Ciao Mambo, billed as “mountain Italian,” where you’ll find all of the classic Italian dishes you would expect in a sophisticated Italian eatery with a bustling kitchen. The lasagna and cioppino are excellent. The wine list is extensive and dominated by Italian reds with a good selection from California, Oregon and Washington.

Just around the corner on Railway Street, you’ll find the small and chic Spotted Bear Spirits, where cocktails are made with their own gin, vodka, agave and bourbon. What’s Your Sign, a vodka-based cocktail with hibiscus tea, ginger syrup, lime and angostura bitters is as good as it sounds. Sit back and listen for the whistle of the Empire Builder as it departs the historic Tudor-style Whitefish depot, just one block over, for Seattle. Raise a glass to those who were lucky enough to disembark in Whitefish.

Grab your e-bike and head back to Good Medicine Lodge’s neighbor, Bonsai Brewing Project, a tasty small-batch brewhouse with indoor seating and an outdoor beer garden. The single-hop pale ale Initiation and Zenith, a rye IIPA, are good examples of Bonsai’s brewing artistry and the culture of creativity in this small Montana mountain town.

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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 Kelso

Cathlamet

Longview

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Richland

Mount Adams

Prosser

Pasco

Dayton

Walla Kennewick Walla

Goldendale Vancouver

86

Stevenson

Live

Think

Explore

16 Yakima Taco Fest

38 Sift Food Labels

70

Sou’wester Lodge

22 AJ’s Edible Arts

40 Spokane Bottle Project

72

Westport

23 Nell Thorn Waterfront Bistro

42 Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue

76

Arctic Club Hotel

24 Otium Grill & Greens

78

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

28 Harstine Island

82

Whitefish, Montana

1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE APRIL | MAY 2024

Asotin

Remember the last time your family visited the forest? It’s a place of wonder and imagination for the whole family—where stories come to life. And it’s closer than you think. Sounds like it’s time to plan your next visit. Make the forest part of your story today at a local park near you or find one at DiscoverTheForest.org.

Until Next Time Golden light paints Cape Flattery on the Olympic Peninsula. photo by Eva Seelye

NOW: twelve daily trains between Seattle and Portland

Daily trains: 12 Seattle – Portland 4 Seattle – Vancouver BC

Lowest one-way fares: $27 Seattle – Portland $34 Seattle – Vancouver BC

Travel direct between Portland and Canada – including all stations in between Vancouver, B.C.

One

ten best

Seattle

North America National Geographic Portland

AmtrakCascades.com

Continue for Special Inserts

D E S T I N AT I O N

OREGON’S MT. HOOD

TERRITORY

Guided paddle with Clackamas River Outfitters on Estacada Lake.

SUNSHINE, SCENTS AND SNUGGLES UNWIND ON A FARM LOOP

Nestled in Oregon’s north Willamette Valley are the perfect escapes from city life — the South Clackamas Farm Loop and the Farmlandia Farm Loop.

Journey through rolling countryside, stopping at over 20 farms and local businesses on these self-guided routes.

Savor the land’s bounty with freshpicked seasonal fruits and vegetables, walk among acres of colorful flowers, sample perfectly handcrafted local wines and cheeses or even make friends with adorable farm animals.

Oregon farm loops are more than just scenic drives; they offer a chance to connect with the land, support local farmers and create incredible memories. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable adventure through Oregon’s agricultural heartland.

Frog Pond Farm

Fiala Farms

SCAN TO VIEW MUST-VISIT FARMS

omht.us/farmloops

Tollen Farm

Experience downtown Estacada’s numerous murals on a self-led walking tour.

DESTINATION OREGON’S

MT. HOOD TERRITORY A publication of Statehood Media with Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory www.mthoodterritory.com

Join our social media community: @mthoodterritory on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube

Stunning outdoors, engaging arts, huckleberries and one Bigfoot

N

o matter what time of year, Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory offers lifetime experiences throughout four seasons.

Maybe it’s because of the awe-inspiring Cascades in her midst. Maybe the small cultural communities here combine arts on a personal level. The region’s vast outdoor playground certainly plays a role. The Clackamas River holds its own recreational allure. For legend-trackers, however, this area, cloaked by the Mt. Hood National Forest, boasts the most sightings of the lumbering 10-foot-tall ape-man, Bigfoot.

Three days will only skim the surface, but away we go!

Photography courtesy of Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory

{2024} DESTINATION MT. HOOD TERRITORY

3

DAY 1

W

ake up with Mt. Hood above you, Government Camp at your feet and a big day folding out in front of you. Get an alpine start with huckleberry pancakes at the Huckleberry Inn, a classic camp diner that had been family owned and operated since 1966. It’s never too early for a huckleberry shake!

From there, it’s a two-hour guided hike over the Crosstown Trail with Mt. Hood Outfitters. This 5.2-mile hike mercifully doesn’t gain a lot of elevation, instead skirting the scenic lowers of Mt. Hood. Expect to find more feral huckleberries mixed in with rhododendron along your hike. Glimpses of the big

mountain are rare, but you do get to see a piece of history by crossing the Barlow Trail. Mt. Hood Outfitters offers other levels of hikes as well as kayak and SUP rentals. In winter, you can sign up for snowshoe or snowmobile rentals and tours.

Government Camp came to be due to an act of frugality.

Oregon Trail pioneer Sam Barlow reached Oregon in 1845 and didn’t want to pay usury fees to porters of the Columbia River to make the last haul west. Instead he and his crew blazed a daring trail over the south side of Mt. Hood and through what would, four years later, become known as Government Camp. A massive snow storm forced an Army

regiment to halt their wagons and supplies and shelter at this spot on Barlow’s trail, earning its name, Government Camp.

Learn more about local history and the history of skiing here at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum. This museum is truly a gem. Another legend lurking in the woods of Mt. Hood National Forest are the Steiner cabins. Named for the German craftsman who built perfect little log homes, Henry Steiner, these cabins are also a standing exhibit at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum.

Lunch is just down the way out on Highway 26. Get started with Frickles—“painstakingly individually dipped” south-

ern-fried dill pickle chips with aioli—at Skyway Bar and Grill in Zigzag. Stay for its specialty bbq meals, such as brisket, smoked pork ribs or organic smoked chicken.

After lunch, get in a short and scenic walk along the Wetlands Trail at Wildwood Recreation Site, a few miles north on Highway 26. The Wetlands Trail is an easy half-mile amble along boardwalk and gravel and through a cattail marsh flitting with birds. You’ll appreciate this slower pace as you wind down in anticipation of a massage at the Spa at Mt. Hood Oregon Resort in the thick of the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness.

In the evening, it’s off to Sandy where you have options of throwing sharp objects and drinking good beer. At Drop Shot, you can book ahead of time online and show up ready to reveal your inner lumberjack. Down the road a mile is Boring Brewing Co., where you can grab a Big Yawn IPA and a quiver of darts to make the night a little more competitive. Though you may have left the Oregon Trail behind, you’re now on the Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail, as Boring Brewing Co. is one of fifteen breweries, cideries and distilleries on the regional tap trail.

Finish the night at Smoky Hearth in Sandy with fish ’n’ chips, a Thai chicken lettuce wrap or wood-fired pizza.

After a hale day on the trails, know that Smoky Hearth also has a full bar to help soothe the aching parts.

ABOVE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum in Government Camp delves into the area’s local history and ski heritage. Choose your outdoor adventure with Mt. Hood Outfitters. Skyway Bar and Grill in Zigzag is the perfect place for drinks and barbecue after a day outside.

4

DESTINATION MT. HOOD TERRITORY {2024}

BEYOND THE BEER

DISCOVER UNIQUE STOPS ON THE MT. HOOD TERRITORY TAP TRAIL Introducing the Mt. Hood Territory Tap Trail, where breweries are paired with distilleries, cideries and unexpected delights. Sample vodka made using leftover whey from the cheese-making process at TMK Creamery & Distillery, savor citrusy sunshine at Ruzzo, where an entirely new beverage category was born and sip fresh cider in the orchard that grew the fruit at Stone Circle Cider. But don’t worry, beer lovers! The Tap Trail still overflows with your favorite local brews.

Discover something new or rediscover your love for craft beverages in Oregon!

SCAN TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE PASSPORT

omht.us/taptrail

WHERE TO… EAT + DRINK » Boring Brewing Co., Boring {www.boringbrewing.com}

» Country Coffee Sit & Sip, Boring {www.countrycoffeecompany.com}

» Hitchin Post Pizza, Estacada {www.hitchinpostpizza.com}

» Huckleberry Inn, Government Camp

{www.huckleberry-inn.com}

» The Lumber Yard, Estacada

{@TheLumberYardEstacada on Facebook}

» Skyway Bar and Grill, Zigzag {www.skywaybarandgrill.com}

» Smoky Hearth, Sandy

{www.smokyhearthsandy.com}

» Tollgate Inn, Sandy

{www.visittollgate.com/bakery}

» Wednesdays Wine Bar, Estacada {www.wednesdayswine.com}

STAY » Best Western, Sandy {www.bestwestern.com}

» Vacation rentals

{www.mthoodterritory.com/ vacation-rentals}

PLAY » Blue Sky Rafting

{www.blueskyrafting.com}

» Clackamas River Outfitters, Estacada

{www.clackamasriveroutfitters.com}

» Drop Shot axe throwing, Sandy {www.dropshotinc.com}

» Mt. Hood Cultural Center & Museum, Government Camp {www.mthoodmuseum.org}

» Mt. Hood Oregon Resort spa, Welches {www.mthood-resort.com/spa}

» Mt. Hood Outfitters guided hikes, Government Camp {www.mthoodoutfitters.com}

» North American Bigfoot Center, Boring

{www.northamericanbigfootcenter.com}

6 DESTINATION MT. HOOD TERRITORY {2024}

DAY 2

M

ornings should last all day when you’re at the Tollgate Inn Bakery in Sandy. There are far too many homemade temptations in the baker’s case to ever care about calories again—crème brûlée danish, caramel apple bars, muffins, croissants, cakes, pies.

Eat there or take it with you on the way to your first adventure of the day.

Join your guide at Blue Sky Rafting for your half-day plunge through whitewater and under towering Douglas fir stands.

Keep an eye out for bald eagles, the endangered northern spotted owl and other creatures that may be ambling through the adjacent woods.

Lunch today is in Estacada, just a short drive southwest from Sandy. Head to The Lumber Yard food cart pod with a central covered dining area.

Pepe’s Tacos is a food cart that serves some of the best asada and adobada tacos around.

There is covered seating in the adjacent pavilion. Another food truck to note is Sabor Yucateco, a bastion of Mayan cuisine, where carne asada panuchos are highly sought and voraciously consumed.

After lunch, take in more local culture with a downtown tour of Estacada’s mural scene.

In the early ’90s, a group of nine artists came together and began creating civic art under their organization called Artback. These paintings tell the story of Estacada over time.

Find the map of these murals at www.artbackmurals.com.

Check out other galleries and boutiques downtown at places such as local artist

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Start your day with a pastry from Tollgate Inn Bakery in Sandy. Book a whitewater rafting trip on the Clackamas River. Find diverse artwork by local artists at Spiral Gallery in Estacada. Boring’s North American Bigfoot Center is fun for the whole family.

MORE TO EXPLORE collective Spiral Gallery, jeweler and boutique clothing shop Julie Cooper Designs, handmade goods at Mossy Rock and interesting curio and antiques at Wade Creek Vintage Marketplace.

By now, you’ve earned a rest with a good glass of wine. Wednesdays Wine Bar downtown on Broadway offers glasses and bottles of regional wines along with charcuterie boards, a perfect complement to an artful day. If your crew is interested in wine, consider a side trip along the Mt. Hood Territory Wine Trail, with more than a dozen local wineries to explore. Go to www. mthoodterritory.com/winetrail to learn more.

Finish your evening with the best pizza in town at Hitchin Post Pizza and Watering Hole Saloon. Keep on theme with the Pioneer Pepperoni pizza, three cheeses and pepperoni.

DAY 3

O

n your final day, take breakfast at the hidden gem Country Coffee Sit & Sip, a tasteful remodel of a two-story barn. Find all of your favorite morning drinks, plus bagels, scones, donuts and breakfast sandwiches.

Of course, you can’t complete this visit without leaving a footprint. Actually you can buy a cast of a Bigfoot footprint from various discoveries throughout the years at the North American Bigfoot Center in Boring. If the cast footprint is too large, grab a cool T-shirt as a memento of your incredible three-day journey in Mt. Hood Territory.

IN MT. HOOD TERRITORY Willamette Valley Region EAT + DRINK » Humble Pig Cafe, Molalla {@TheHumblePigCafe on Facebook} » Lux Sucre Desserts, Wilsonville {www.luxsucre.com} » Molalla River Brewing Co., Molalla {www.molallariverbrewing company.com} » Siren Song, Canby {www.sirensongbar.com} » Wayward Sandwiches, Canby {www.wayward sandwiches.com}

STAY » Hilton Garden Inn, Wilsonville {www.hilton.com}

Urban Region EAT + DRINK » Beso Bar & Bottle, Lake Oswego {www.beso.wine} » Canard, Oregon City {www.canard restaurant.com} » Cloud Pine Tea + Culture, Milwaukie {www.cloudpinetea.com} » Corner 14, Oregon City {www.corner14oc.com} » Decibel Sound & Drink, Milwaukie {www.decibel-pdx.com} » The Hive Social, Oregon City {www.thehivecatering.com} » Lola’s Cafe Bar, Lake Oswego {www.lolascafebar.com} » Nineteen 33, West Linn {www.nineteen33 taproom.com}

» Vacation rentals {www.mthoodterritory.com/ vacation-rentals}

PLAY » Art-O-Maddic, Canby {www.artomaddic.com} » Farmlandia Farm Loop {www.farmlandiafarm loop.com} » Graham Oaks Nature Park, Wilsonville {www.wilsonvilleparks andrec.com} » Molalla River Corridor Recreation Area {www.blm.gov/visit/molalla} » South Clackamas Farm Loop {www.southclackamas farmloop.com}

» Oregon City Brewing Co., Oregon City {www.ocbeerco.com} » Ovation Bistro, Milwaukie {www.ovationbistrobar.com} » Willamette Garage, West Linn {www.willamettegarage.com}

STAY » Best Western Plus Rivershore Hotel {www.bestwestern.com}

PLAY » Creators and Curators Market, Milwaukie {www.milwaukiefloral.com/ events} » Guided Willamette Falls paddle {www.enrgkayaking.com} » White Rabbit Books & Gifts, Oregon City {www.whiterabbit.gifts} » Willamette Shore Trolley, Lake Oswego {www.wst.oregontrolley.com}

{2024} DESTINATION MT. HOOD TERRITORY 7

UNCORK ADVENTURE SIP AND SAVOR ALONG THE MT. HOOD TERRITORY WINE TRAIL

Discover charming family-owned boutique wineries, each offering an authentic taste of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Immerse yourself in the region’s rich winemaking heritage and breathtaking scenery. With the free mobile passport, you’ll enjoy exclusive discounts at participating wineries and earn points toward exciting prizes. Raise a glass to new experiences and support local winemakers on the Mt. Hood Territory Wine Trail!

SCAN TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR FREE PASSPORT

omht.us/winetrail

FROM THE GREEN

The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course (photo: Visit Idaho)

PACIFIC NORTHWEST

GOLF GETAWAYS WRITTEN BY BERTIE MCKIBBIN

P

ERHAPS ONE of the best things about golf is not the time and expertise it takes to master, not hours in the outdoors, nor the camaraderie of playing with family and friends, but all of these rolled together for a walk in some of the most beautiful settings in the Pacific Northwest. As spring warms into summer, take the time, find your people and make your plans for a golf outing that includes many of the other amazing sights and adventures nearby. Golf is at its best when it’s outward-looking and part of a larger plan around food, people and nature. Here are some of our top picks to make those plans and expand your horizons using golf as your muse.

A publication of Statehood Media www.1859oregonmagazine.com www.1889mag.com

Cover: Prospector Golf Course at Suncadia photo: Greg Sweney/Suncadia 2024 DESTINATION GOLF NORTHWEST 3

FROM THE GREEN

Black Butte Ranch (photo: Visit Central Oregon)

Wildhorse Resort Golf Course (photo: Wildhorse Resort & Casino)

WILDHORSE RESORT & CASINO

BLACK BUTTE RANCH

Eagle Crest Resort lies placidly in Central Oregon’s banana belt in the high desert of Redmond. Its three courses include two eighteen-hole championship par 72 courses and an eighteen-hole executive course, all surrounded by the beautiful Cascade Range.

Niblick & Greene’s in the Clocktower Building has a full-service bar and Oregon craft beers galore. Aerie Café in The Lodge is great for breakfast and grab-and-go items. The casual Silverleaf Café serves pizza, tacos and salads alongside a full bar and live music.

Check in at The Lodge for a weekend of luxurious linens in the high desert. There are miles of trails to walk to unwind or as a golf substitute and a full-service spa for all of the things that need attention.

The course at Wildhorse Resort & Casino opens your mind and eyes to the Blue Mountains. This 7,000-yard course has five lakes, dozens of sand bunkers and is rated as one of America’s top casino resort courses.

The Wildhorse Clubhouse Bar & Grill is that reward for a long day on a long course.

Unwind with an Oregon huckleberry jalapeño margarita or the Mother of Pearl, the official cocktail of the Masters. Start with a Wildhorse Cobb, adorned in slow-roasted pork, crispy fried avocado, egg, shredded cheddar, more veggies and ranch dressing. Because this is Pendleton, someone in the group should cowboy up with the Cowboy Burger, a stack of beef, bacon, an onion ring, cheese and a smothering barbeque sauce.

Of course, there’s always the casino itself for trying your next shots down the roulette fairway!

Black Butte has long been a generational retreat for Pacific Northwesterners and never needed to do too much to maintain its allure.

Recently, 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.

The dark beauty that is Black Butte overlooks the iconic Black Butte Ranch Glaze Meadow course, in a placid setting in the Deschutes National Forest. Designed by architect John Fought, Glaze Meadow has elevated greens and views of Mount Washington and North Sister in the Cascade Range. This resort is perfect for a family adventure, with horse stables, hiking, tennis courts, restaurants and a full spa for pampering. In between golf days, hike the steep trail to the top of Black Butte and celebrate your fitness and the gorgeous national forest all around.

Learn more: www.eagle-crest.com/golf-course

Learn more: www.wildhorseresort.com/resort/golf

Learn more: www.blackbutteranch.com/golf

PENDLETON, OREGON

EAGLE CREST RESORT REDMOND, OREGON

4

DESTINATION GOLF NORTHWEST 2024

SISTERS, OREGON

TEE UP WHERE THE PROS PLAY “One of America’s top casino golf courses.” - Golf Digest

SUMMER 2024

Three year host of the Epson Tour, Road to the LPGA Tournament, where top players are annually awarded membership into the LPGA.

With over 1,100 Vegas-style slots, table games, delicious restaurants, a full entertainment lineup and two championship golf courses, you’ll find endless ways to play!

STAY & PLAY PACKAGES AVAILABLE CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • DINING • FUNPLEX 05898.TT.02.24

FROM THE GREEN

SUNRIVER RESORT

QUAIL RIDGE GOLF COURSE

CEDAR BEND GOLF COURSE

Long the gold standard of golf in Oregon, Sunriver Resort’s four courses include Caldera Links, Woodlands, Meadows and the famed Crosswater, one of Golf Digest’s top American courses. Though golf may be at its heart, Sunriver is a year-round resort with dozens of restaurants, hiking and biking trails into the Deschutes National Forest and a village center with shops and sports gear rentals.

Recreation abounds with pools, hot tubs and private cabanas in the summer. Take the kids to the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory to teach them the wonders of the natural and celestial worlds.

When your golf day is done, head to the Village Bar & Grill or Marcello’s Cucina Italiana for dinner and a cocktail.

When you roll into Baker City, two things are evident: This city has a historic past worth learning about, and it sits between two mountain ranges, the Elkhorns to the east and the Wallowas to the west. The third thing then manifests—this place is special. So, too, with Baker City’s eighteen-hole public golf course, Quail Ridge. For just $31 per round for adults, you can experience some of the cleanest Eastern Oregon air and in the view of Oregon’s iconic mountain ranges while you unwittingly walk in the footsteps of FDR’s New Deal. The front nine were part of FDR’s 1936 put Americans back to work program that created many lasting iconic landmarks.

Retire to one of the state’s most iconic breweries afterward—Barley Brown’s. Keeping with the historical theme, set thee down at the Historic Geiser Grand Hotel for cocktails served in an 1889-era bar. It’s here that history teaches us that we should definitely learn its lesson, then repeat.

If you’re planning an excursion to the Southern Oregon Coast, bring your clubs for the ninehole gem that is Gold Beach’s Cedar Bend Golf Course. While others are spending a fortune for prestige, take on nine or eighteen holes on this coastal course designed by John Zoller, the designer of Fiddler’s Green in Eugene and RedTail in Beaverton.

The second nine is playing the front nine backward. The entire course is a par-72 measuring 5,231 yards to 6,288 yards.

Laid-back golf at its purest, you will encounter Roosevelt elk, red-tailed hawks and blacktailed deer. Just 14 miles north of Gold Beach, golfing at Cedar Bend is often part of a Rogue River float trip or mountain biking outing.

Nonetheless, Cedar Bend offers a stress-free version of an otherwise nervy game. Drink in the coastal air and then hit Barnacle Bistro for locally sourced seafood goodness.

SUNRIVER, OREGON

Learn more: www.sunriverresort.com/golf

BAKER CITY, OREGON

Learn more: www.quailridgebakercity.com

Crosswater Golf Course at Sunriver Resort (photo: Visit Central Oregon)

6

DESTINATION GOLF NORTHWEST 2024

GOLD BEACH, OREGON

Learn more: www.cedarbendgolf.com

WHERE TO PLAY

WHERE TO PLAY

Running Y Resort (photo: Running Y Resort)

OREGON ALPINE MEADOWS www.golfalpinemeadows.com Enterprise, Oregon Length from back tees: 6,072 $20-$47

CHEHALEM GLENN www.chehalemglenn.com Newberg, Oregon Length from back tees: 7,062 $29-$40

EAGLE CREST RESORT www.eagle-crest.com Redmond, Oregon Length from back tees: varies by course

8

GLAZE MEADOW AT BLACK BUTTE RANCH www.blackbutteranch.com/golf Sisters, Oregon Length from back tees: 7,007 $47-$82

INDIAN CREEK GOLF COURSE www.indiancreekgolf.com Hood River, Oregon Length from back tees: 6,261 $35-$59

OAK KNOLL GOLF COURSE www.oakknollgolf.org Ashland, Oregon Length from back tees: 6,047 $20-$24

DESTINATION GOLF NORTHWEST 2024

OLD MACDONALD www.bandondunesgolf.com Bandon, Oregon Length from back tees: 6,944 $50-$335

RUNNING Y RESORT www.runningy.com Klamath Falls, Oregon Length from back tees: 7,138 $55-$95

SALISHAN GOLF LINKS www.salishan.com Gleneden Beach, Oregon Length from back tees: 6,470 $39-$99

SILVIES VALLEY RANCH www.silvies.us Seneca, Oregon Length from back tees: 7,170 $75-$175

SUNRIVER RESORT www.sunriverresort.com Sunriver, Oregon Length from back tees: varies by course

TETHEROW www.tetherow.com Bend, Oregon Length from back tees: 7,293 $50-$190

*Note: Course lengths are given in yards

WHERE TO PLAY

Kalispel Golf and Country Club (photo: Kalispel Golf and Country Club)

WASHINGTON APPLE TREE RESORT

The Golf Club at Newcastle (photo: The Golf Club at Newcastle)

www.appletreeresort.com Yakima, Washington Length from back tees: 6,961 $52-$79

BEAR MOUNTAIN RANCH

STAY & PLAY CASINOS KALISPEL GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB NORTHERN QUEST RESORT & CASINO www.kalispelgolf.com Spokane, Washington Length from back tees: 6,663 Packages start at $149 (overnight plus one round of golf for two)

SALISH CLIFFS GOLF CLUB LITTLE CREEK CASINO RESORT www.little-creek.com Shelton, Washington Length from back tees: 7,269 Stay & Play prices vary; golf only $75-$139

SWINOMISH GOLF LINKS SWINOMISH CASINO & LODGE www.swinomishcasinoandlodge.com Anacortes, Washington Length from back tees: 6,177 Stay & Play prices vary; golf only $21-$38

www.bearmtgolf.com Chelan, Washington Length from back tees: 7,231 $50-$100

GAMBLE SANDS www.gamblesands.com Brewster, Washington Length from back tees: 7,169 $60-$95

THE GOLF CLUB AT NEWCASTLE www.newcastlegolf.com Newcastle, Washington (Bellevue) Length from back tees: 7,024 $80-$165

THE HOME COURSE www.thehomecourse.com DuPont, Washington Length from back tees: 7,424 $24-$49

INDIAN CANYON GOLF COURSE www.my.spokanecity.org/ golf/indian-canyon Spokane, Washington Length from back tees: 6,255 $20-$49

PALOUSE RIDGE GOLF CLUB

THE RESORT AT PORT LUDLOW

www.palouseridge.com Pullman, Washington Length from back tees: 7,308 $61-$109

www.portludlowresort.com Port Ludlow, Washington Length from back tees: 6,861 $30-$55

PROSPECTOR GOLF COURSE AT SUNCADIA

WINE VALLEY GOLF CLUB

www.destinationhotels.com/ suncadia-resort Cle Elum, Washington Length from back tees: 7,100 $64-$139

www.winevalleygolfclub.com Walla Walla, Washington Length from back tees: 7,600 $80-$155

WILDHORSE RESORT GOLF COURSE WILDHORSE RESORT & CASINO www.wildhorseresort.com/ resort/golf Pendleton, Oregon Length from back tees: 7,112 Stay & Play prices vary; golf only $45-$55

10

DESTINATION GOLF NORTHWEST 2024

IDAHO THE COEUR D’ALENE RESORT GOLF COURSE www.cdaresort.com/play/golf Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Length from back tees: 7,189 $79-$99

PRIEST LAKE GOLF COURSE www.plgolfcourse.com Priest Lake, Idaho Length from back tees: 6,200 $22-$56

TRAIL CREEK GOLF COURSE www.sunvalley.com Sun Valley, Idaho Length from back tees: 6,968 $85-$179 *Note: Course lengths are given in yards

Your

GOLF adventure awaits.

TravelBakerCounty.com

2801 Indiana Avenue Baker City, Oregon

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Come for the Golf, Stay for the Adventure Located in the foothills of the Cascade mountains amidst carefully preserved wetlands and breathtaking meadows, Sunriver Resort offers 63 holes of the best golf in the West. Tee off on one of our four-award-winning courses, then kayak down the Deschutes River, bike along 40 miles of paved nature paths, explore evergreen forests on horseback, and more. Stay in one of our resort rooms or vacation homes. Sunriver Resort is the Pacific Northwest’s treasured outpost for golf and adventure.

Plan your next great golf adventure at SunriverResort.com/Golf