Salmon! They "Just Keep Swimming."

The Columbia River and its meandering path through the Pacific Northwest makes it the largest river west of the Rocky Mountains releasing 2.2 billion cubic feet of water into the Pacific Ocean every day. At 1200 miles long it produces more hydroelectric power than any other river in all of North America and in the 18th century the river was home to over 15 million spawning salmon. 

After facing near extinction in the 20th century from over fishing, water contamination, dam construction and overall human neglect this August reported record levels of Salmon returning to the mouth of the Columbia River with close to 3 million fish arriving, things are looking up for Salmon in the 21st century.  

Salmon are anadromous species this means they are born in freshwater and then migrate to saltwater only to return to their freshwater birthplace to spawn. This is the ultimate survival of the fittest story where you hope to find the toughest, strongest and luckiest 1% of Salmon to complete the journey and pass their genes on to the next generation. 

For Salmon born in the Methow Valley this is a 600 mile transformational process that involves maneuvering through 9 hydro-electric dams and avoiding countless animal and human predators all along the way.  Much like the people who call the Methow Valley home survival of the fittest is now a team effort. 

For the Salmon this team now includes humans whom are both responsible for making it dam (did we say that) hard for the salmon to swim back home to spawn and are responsible for the hatcheries that help nature along by making lots of baby salmon. Other conservationists help the salmon along by making it easier for them to “climb” back up the river using a series of stair-like objects to get them around the dams so they can arrive at their sacred spawning grounds. 

So if you are interested in viewing and experiencing who the strongest, toughest, smartest top 1% of the Salmon species are you will want to visit the Methow Valley in September, where the habitat restoration efforts include river art, log jams and two pedestrian bridges for easy Salmon sightings.  

To clarify I do not eat Salmon anymore. Call me a Salmon cheerleader. In our family we are split evenly: two for eating salmon and two against.  

The half of my family that eats salmon supports a multi-billion dollar industry in the Pacific Rim (including Japan, Korea, the Pacific Northwest, and Alaska) that supports the livelihood of fishermen, hatchery owners, canning companies, and tourism to the tune of tens of thousands of jobs, these individuals need to be celebrated and congratulated as they are now aiding in what is looking to become another endangered species success story. 

Methow Style

Personal style as defined by one of my dear close friends goes way beyond what we wear. They explain that style is how you respond to life’s events and how you act. It is the color of your personality -- springy pink, fire-engine red, dandelion yellow, growing green, bristled brown, impassioned purple, sunny orange -- and all of these colors are found throughout the Methow Valley.

There is more than one gem hiding in the Methow Valley. 

“This is a little gem of a place and we are not telling anyone about it, so we have a better chance of booking again, wink, wink.” says a impassioned patron after a visit to this Winthrop lodging, which is located downtown at the Purple Sage Suite along the riverfront.  If you are looking to escape the urban environment and explore a piece of the North Cascade Mountains, then look to the Methow Valley, tucked inside the rugged folds of resting volcanic mountains.  

Purple Sage Suite

I love the Methow Style, and have come again not only to define it, but more importantly to see if I can understand it well enough to absorb it — maybe by osmosis— if I’m lucky!

The sun has just come up. I open the window to inhale the mountain air. Each time I have come, it’s been in a different season, and I have a distinct experience.

I happened to be in the Methow during a fundraiser for Room One, a local health and human resource center. Teams of women were competing wearing colorful, fun costumes.

Photo courtesy of Kurt Snover.

The cute ladies in this photo from my last trip remind me that winter does not prevent the denizens of the Methow Valley from having fun outside. Timid and orange, neither red nor yellow, I look at the photo of this happy, pink-tutu troop and smile — and then I frown because I did not join in. They had an extra tutu. “Would you like to dance?” they asked. “No thanks,” I said. And now I wish I had.

Grizzly Mountain Homestead

Back home, I pull a take-life-seriously color over my head, and don worried brows, and a down turned mouth when I dress in the morning. The Methow Style invites me to change wardrobes, psychic and physical. Is that why I return again and again?

The Methow Valley - A Norman Rockwell Community

The Methow Valley is found deep in the heart of the North Cascades Mountain range of Washington state.  Nestled within the natural cathedrals of these silent mountain peaks rests a burgeoning community reminiscent of the strength, character and vitality that the great american artist, Norman Rockwell represented throughout his portraits of the American people.

It is here in the townships of Mazama, Winthrop & Twisp that an American dream thrives and awaits you. Where dreams are forged in the hearts of small businesses, family values and outdoor recreation.  A place where fences are made of rivers or ridges and survival depends on trusting thy neighbors.

In the summer months the Methow Valley is part of the North Cascades Scenic Highway, a loop that individuals en masse drive their automobiles and motorcycles through the scenic mountains, fast enough to make one dizzy as they crane their necks for the gasping views of what becomes rugged impassable winter terrain.  This highway that completes this scenic loop is closed for four to five months out of the year and the Methow Valley becomes the end of the road, a destination and winter sanctuary.

The Methow Valley is a wildlife refuge that attracts the wisest, strongest and healthiest of all whom reside in the animal kingdom and is truly the embodiment of survival of the fittest.  Whether you are fish, fowl or mammalian the valley is a place of serenity, purity and spiritual rebirth.  Much like the salmon whom spawn there everyone you encounter has an incredible story of what brought them to the Methow Valley and to unlock these stories all one must do is ask, “What brought you here?”.   

The follow up question need not to be asked, “What keeps you here?”.  As it only takes three deep breaths of snow filtered mountain air to bring your mind and body back to a time you may have forgotten.  Whether returning from ice fishing, hockey, snowshoeing, cross country or back country skiing, stories are shared, friends are made and families grow around hot, crackling wood fires throughout the Methow Valley.

“I saw a mother moose and two offspring fjord the river this afternoon.”  . . .  “Did you see John learning how to ski for the first time? Let’s take him to see the salmon, deer and eagles tomorrow.”  . . .  “Maybe we will see black bear or cougar tracks like last year.”  . . .  “Who wants to help me make a snowman in the morning?”

The gatekeepers to this sublime experience are the Central Reservations gang providing guests with a home away from home and memories for a lifetime.  Owned and run by Kathleen and Kyrie Jardin, they were married along the river and share their intimate knowledge of the community from a publicly available hospitality office in the Purple Sage building located in downtown Winthrop (across from the gas station).

As the hub of the Methow Valley, Winthrop is preserved as an old western town equipped with wooden boardwalks that connect the local brewery, bakery, bookstore and more.  Today two contemporary pedestrian bridges on either side of town cross the Methow River providing scenic panoramas for photos throughout the seasons and KTRT the Root is the local radio station found at 97.5 fm radio and transmits the pulse and beat for local happenings up and down the Valley.

Twisp is located 9 miles south of Winthrop on highway 20 and plays host to the creative class including a gallery, theatre, health food store, community center and the stunning and hospitable Methow Valley Inn.

Mazama is located 15 miles northwest of Winthrop on highway 20 where the Mazama Country store and bakery operates as the last public outpost before individuals settle into their private cabins and homesteads.  

These three townships form the nucleus for the largest set of groomed cross country ski trails in North America, with upwards of 200 miles of trails depending on your skill level.  To learn more about the trails go to the Methow Valley Ski Trail Association at mvsta.com

The winter months are full of snow filled sunny days on the trails, gorgeous sunsets and moonrises presenting star filled nights with chance sightings of the Aurora Borealis. So, bring that unfinished book, those unwritten memoirs and immerse your spirit into the mountain murmurings, filled with the hoots and howls of owls and wolves cascading across the Methow Valley. 

Central Reservations - Your home away from home.

www.centralreservations.net