WALLA WALLA -- First came the Cayuse, the Yakamas and the Nez Perce, then Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and then the Presbyterians.
The farmers with their wheat and peas and sweet onions were next, then came three colleges and a state prison.
But you ought to see Walla Walla now. It has caught more than lightning in a bottle.
It's the wine.
Safe to say, though, that if it's Three-Buck-Chuck that lights your wick, the closest Trader Joe's is four hours west.
By Gordy Holt | June 15, 2006
BELLEVUE -- Seattleites who suffer from limnogephyrophobia (that's the fear of lakes and the bridges that cross them) could be missing something.
Bellevue, for example.
Bellevue is that place on the east side of Lake Washington that just about everyone on the west side of Lake Washington likes to poke fun at. You know who you are -- Blahvue, Blandville.
But, hold on a minute. You might be surprised.
By Gordy Holt | June 1, 2006
SNOQUALMIE -- A real engineer in overalls and a real engineer's cap ...
A conductor with a watch in his pocket ...
A brakeman who waves ...
And a whistle that goes TOOOOT-toot-toot ...
Vern Scott pulled slowly on the lever that engaged a thingamajig that, in turn, urged his diesel-powered locomotive to get going, and it did.
Once again the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad would be on schedule, this time to host a Northwest Railway Museum outing for kids.
By Gordy Holt | May 18, 2006
ROSLYN -- This place has risen from the economic ashes so many times that you might be tempted to call it Phoenix.
Don't.
Especially as a visitor to a local saloon late on a Saturday night.
But, like the phoenix bird of Greek mythology, Roslyn has risen from its ashes repeatedly since its incorporation 120 years ago.
By Gordy Holt | May 11, 2006
This town on the west coast of Vancouver Island is literally at the end of the road.
By Jeff Larsen | April 20, 2006
I've visited the Columbia River Gorge several times but never managed to tour what many tourists have touted over the years as the most scenic part of this geologic wonder. That would be the stretch on the Oregon side beginning at Cascade Locks (near the Bonneville Lock and Dam) and ending at Crown Point (Vista House) on the historic, narrow, winding Columbia River Highway.
By Jeff Larsen | April 13, 2006
PORTLAND, Ore. -- OK, when I was in elementary school I don't remember ever having a television in my classroom. I vaguely remember chalkboards, nagging teachers and very high ceilings in the aging Tacoma building -- but no TV.
Just for authenticity sake, the McMenamin brothers decided not to put televisions in their historic Kennedy School classroom lodgings in Portland. The intrusion, they figured, would ruin the experience they were after.
By Jeff Larsen | March 23, 2006
A couple of weeks ago, a small, collapsible chalkboard sign on the sidewalk in front of Abracadabra and Summer House -- two quaint gift shops on Water Street in downtown Port Townsend -- said it all, "Think Spring." Well, spring blossoms next Monday, March 20, so it's time for Northwest travelers to "Think Port Townsend."
By Jeff Larsen | March 16, 2006
Sometimes a delayed Valentine's Day gift can be even more special than getting a gift on the real day -- especially when a spa is involved.
Young Simon Carrier, who waits tables at the Bearfoot Bistro in Whistler, B.C., worked Valentine's Day this year. So, for a delayed celebration, he and his Chilean girlfriend, Fernanda Icaran, decided to spend a night at the Tigh-Na-Mara Seaside Spa Resort in Parksville on Vancouver Island for what Simon called "a little spa action." Overnight was all the young couple could afford.
By Jeff Larsen | March 9, 2006
To Maryann Spahr, the small brightly colored fishing float she found on the ocean beach just south of Grayland was the crown jewel of the small collection in her Raymond home. Twice a month she bundles up and ventures to the coast with her faithful Labrador, Abbey, to test her beachcombing skills in the driftwood piles and ocean grasses. She considers the trips important for her -- and her dog's -- mental and physical health.
By Jeff Larsen | February 23, 2006
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