Conscious Choice Seattle: Sun, Glorious Sun!

May 2007 | Escape the Pace

Sun, Glorious Sun!

A Trip to the East of the Cascades

By Crai S. Bower

The sky spreads differently on the east side of the Cascades. Sun trumps rain and water-rich clouds are replaced with blue sky and warm rays. Back on the west side, it’s easy to forget—living sun break to sun break—that we soggy Seattleites are only ninety minutes from this high altitude desert clime. I made it a point to remember and recently headed two hours east to Quincy, Washington, for a weekend of flower blooms, wine and, have I mentioned, sun, glorious sun.

Quincy is also home to the 15,266-acre Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area, an exceptional natural theater of the eastern Washington landscape. Dusty Lake, the main pothole from the Ancient Lakes region of the Great Flood, offers an excellent refuge for migratory and resident waterfowl, sandhill cranes plus panoply of other wildlife. Hikers will also find a surprising number of waterfalls and wetlands.

Nestled in the Columbia Gorge and surrounded by growing grapes, Cave B Inn is the creation of Vince and Carol Bryan. What began as a desire to spend their retirement making wine, evolved into a paragon of relaxed hospitality. The resort, which opened in Quincy in 2005, rests on basalt cliffs 900 feet above the Columbia River and has a library, restaurant, and noteworthy spa.

I arrive at Cave B just in time to visit the Tasting Room, where the featured wines of the day include a very good 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. It is not unusual to hear chamber music and other classical music performed outside the Tasting Room during late spring and summer, as Cave B sponsors a summer music series in association with Central Washington University’s music camps.

Warmed by a sampling of several reds, I take a path to the river, where every wildflower I spy feels like a hidden gem, unearthed. The spring bloom fills the chaparral sage environment with stubborn and muted flowers that come in a pastel palette of colors.

The sagebrush mariposa lily and arrowleaf balsamroot appear so delicate, a single inflorescence mounted atop a vulnerable stem, it is difficult to comprehend how they even survive the zephyrs let alone the gusts. The hearty foliage of the mock orange and nootka rose, however, can clearly withstand the breeziest of spring days.

Scattered among the flowers, the Inn has a series of independent dwellings, called CliffeHouses that are ideal for escape, offering wide vistas that reveal the spring green of the Columbia River and draw you toward solitude.

The Bryans, who two decades ago created the Gorge Amphitheater, envisioned the Inn as an opportunity to expose more people to the desert’s aesthetic. They’ve succeeded so well that they now plan to expand Cave B and create SageCliffe, an arts community.

Watching the Western meadowlarks and recently arrived redwing blackbirds celebrate the spring sunshine in song, it is not hard to see how this environment could inspire artistic expression. The meadowlarks herald the day from the top of sagebrush, ravens course up the river, while Canada geese follow the Pacific Flyway en route to northern nesting grounds. Treasured sandhill crane nesting areas are also found within a half hour’s drive in Othello. These migrants present one of nature’s most stunning palettes—a subtle juxtaposition of deep clay-red forehead and slate gray body.

In addition to being a sublime venue for bird-watching, the area serves as a great launch for outdoor activities. As a visitor, it is easy to spend the day hiking sage-covered bluffs or bouldering and rock climbing at Frenchman Coulee.

But I found myself simply lost in the whispers of this seemingly barren terrain.
Quiet colors serve as one of the visual delicacies of the desert. Whether you were raised in the deciduous forests of the east coast or the conifers of Puget Sound, this arid landscape provides a memorable contrast in temperatures and colors. The desert ecosystem, which first appears to be devoid of life, upon closer inspection rivals the Hoh Rainforest in complexity and diversity.

Suddenly, a coyote skips away from behind (or was she in front of) some rabbit brush. A horned lizard, invisible until this moment, rests on the basalt.

Peace of mind envelopes me as I amble down through the desert to the great Columbia, reflecting a green-blue shade I have never quite observed before. It’s hard to take my eyes off the river, as the winds conjure a series of whitecaps.

Every river is magical, an entreaty to lose oneself in a movement larger than our history. But this river, that describes its path through the desert, that turns and twists to suit only its fancy, and provides the nourishment for millions of acres—this river demands our gaze and awe as often as possible.

Crai S. Bower spends plenty of time in downtown Seattle and Vancouver, reviewing restaurants and hotels. ‘Escape the Pace’ provides him with the opportunity to ‘turn off’ (the road) and ‘Tune Out’ (the world).

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