TRIP PLANNER: WALLA WALLA PG. 62
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A Dream Cabin in the Methow Valley
Cooking With Hops
Escape to Snoqualmie + North Bend
Hot Springs
E:
BESTES PL ACTIRE E TO TRHE PACIFITC S IN H WE NORT
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SAY CHEESE:
LOCAL ARTISAN CHEESEMAKERS HONE THEIR CRAFT WASHINGTON’S DISAPPEARING GLACIERS
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volume 35
Writer in Residence photography by Jason Hill Buzz Bissinger of Friday Night Lights in his element. (pg. 36)
Buzz Bissinger at his home in Long Beach.
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“It smells like Colorado. There’s something infectious about that place. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is, but you hear this a lot. People go there once, and then they’re like, this is the place.” — Jordan Gevers, on Mazama
The Gevers cabin in the Methow Valley’s Mazama.
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home + design
The Great Escape A Seattle couple helps build their dream cabin in the Methow Valley—making friends in a new community in the process written by Melissa Dalton
Kirk Hostetter/URBANADD
WHEN KARLIE and Jordan Gevers started looking for a new project in 2017, they had no idea it would involve quite so much manual labor. But two years later, that’s exactly what the couple were happily doing every summer weekend at their cabin being built in the Methow Valley. They’d drive from Seattle to Mazama on Friday, pitch a tent in the foundation, and wake up on Saturday to work “until we couldn’t move our hands,” said Jordan. They wanted to reuse all of the trees that had to be removed for the cabin’s construction, so—they divvied logs into two piles, prepping some for firewood—about four or five cords, said Jordan—and saving the good stuff for the cabin’s interior. Prior to buying their land in Mazama, the couple were living in Seattle, working full time, and “wanted to break up our routine and do something interesting,” said Jordan. During their morning carpool together, they would brainstorm ideas. At the top of the list was a round-the-world trip, and they even purchased a book to help them plan for it. “We loved that idea, but then realized it was going to be one and done,” said Karlie. “Then we moved on to: what if we built something we could always go back to?” Their focus shifted to Mazama, where they had regularly spent long weekends and vacations over the last decade, and which reminded them of their home state of Colorado. “It smells like Colorado,” said Jordan. “There’s something infectious about that place. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what it is, but you hear this a lot. People go there once, and then they’re like, this is the place.” After buying their third of an acre, the couple called their friend, founding architect Jim Brown at
ABOVE Owners Karlie and Jordan Gevers helped build their Methow Valley cabin.
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Jason Hummel Photography/State of Washington Tourism
trip planner
The cool mornings and evenings in Walla Walla make for the best cycling.
Walla Walla
Your itinerary for winning wine and don’t-miss dining written by Ryn Pfeuffer
FOR THE third year, Walla Walla was named the “Best Wine Region” in America by USA Today (2022). Situated in southeastern Washington, this charming town of roughly 34,000 residents is a quick fortyminute flight from Seattle or a scenic four-hour drive from Portland or Seattle. Its location at the base of the Blue Mountains acts as a rain shadow, so its dry, fertile soil lends itself especially well to growing grapes, as well as a variety of other crops. Beyond being home to more than 120 wineries, the town supports three colleges—Whitman College, Walla Walla University, and Walla Walla Community College. The result is a vibrant, culturally diverse scene filled with bookstores, art galleries, farm-to-table food and outdoor concerts. (If you happen to visit in the summer, sit under the stars and soak up a musical at the amphitheater.) 62 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE
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