Washington Cascades - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 323

( 509-996-2000; www.mtgardenerinn.com ; 611 Hwy 20; r $109-139; ) A half-mile walk
from downtown Winthrop, this friendly place has a big garden area with communal
BBQs and a selection of spacious and exceptionally clean cabin-style rooms decorated in
soothing light woods and muted earth tones. Excellent value.

Sun Mountain Lodge LODGE$$$ $$$

( 509-996-2211; www.sunmountainlodge.com ; Box 1000, Winthrop; r $175-375, cabins $150-750;
closed 21 Oct-7 Dec; ) Without a doubt one of the best places to stay in Wash-
ington, Sun Mountain Lodge has an incomparable natural setting, perched like an eagle's
nest high above the Methow Valley. The 360-degree views from its highly lauded res-
taurant are awe-inspiring, and people travel from miles around just to enjoy breakfast
here.
Inside, the lodge (check out the taxidermy collection bought from an elderly local) and
its assorted cabins manage to provide luxury without pretension, while the outdoor at-
tractions that are based around its extensive network of lakes and trails could keep a hy-
peractive hiker, cyclist or skier occupied for weeks. Not surprisingly, the Sun Mountain
is pricey, but if you have just one splurge in the Washington wilderness east of Seattle,
this should be the place.

KEROUAC IN THE CASCADES

'Hozomeen, Hozomeen; most beautiful mountain I've ever seen'
Traveling in Washington without a car might seem a bit onerous; but a little over 50
years ago Jack Kerouac, beatnik writer and author of the seminal travel novelOn
the Road,traversed the lower 48's most northwesterly state with no more than an
overnight bag and an upturned thumb. Unbeknownst to many, Kerouac never
owned a car and only learned to drive - somewhat reluctantly - at the age of 34.
His first adventurous foray into the Pacific Northwest, documented in the later
chapters of the topic The Dharma Bums,came about when he hitched from Cali-
fornia up to the North Cascade Mountains to work as a fire lookout on isolated
Desolation Peak in the summer of 1956.
Kerouac spent 63 solitary days atop Desolation Peak, passing his hours in a
small hut with panoramic views of the surrounding wilderness. With so much time
on his hands, he had plenty of opportunity to contemplate life, the universe and his
ever-evolving Buddhist philosophy, as he gazed out over Ross Lake and the twin-
peaked majesty of looming Hozomeen (8066ft), a mountain he referred to rather
chillingly as 'the Void.'