Fall Closedown Oct. 24 - Dec. 16, 2010

The Lodge will be closing on Sunday, October 24th for our annual fall closedown for maintenance and remodelling. We will re-open on Thursday, December 16 for the annual Methow Valley Nordic Club's Ski Camp. Summer is over, it's time to THINK SNOW. See you in December.

Spanish Wine Dinner

This Saturday, October 2, we will be having a Spanish themed wine dinner in the Dining Room. The first course is a salad of Serrano ham, Manchego pasamontes cheese and arugula with a roasted onion vinaigrette. The entree is roasted Cornish hen with Valencia rice, mushrooms, foie gras and cinnamon jus. Finish the dinner off with a plum tart Frangipane and Serena cheese. Each course is accompanied by specially paired Spanish wine. Cost is $65 per person plus gratuity and tax. Please call the Dining Room at 509 996 4707 to make reservations.

Fall Colors and Bike Fun

The fall colors are in full swing right now. Larches in the high mountains, aspens in the foothills and cottonwoods down by the river. Also, this weekend is the MVSTA Fall Bike Festival. Lots of great events for the whole family. Check out their program at http://www.mvsta.com/summer/bikefest.html Come on over, enjoy the fall colors, and have a great time!

Big Fish at Moccasin Lake

The fall fishing season has opened at Moccasin Lake. Bret Alumbaugh, our Activities Director and Fly Fishing Guide, says the first few days of fishing have been great. The lake is stocked with a Kamloops trout/Steelhead hybrid and a small population of German Brown trout. Fish average 3.5 to 7 pounds, with some even larger. Cost is $195 per person per day and guided trips can be booked through our Activites Center at 509 996 4735.

Cutthroat Classic

This weekend is also the annual running of MVSTA's Cutthroat Classic. This is one of the great mountain running events anywhere. Along the Pacific Crest Trail from Rainy Pass to Cutthroat Lake. 11.1 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain on the way up to Cutthroat Pass. Stunning views at every turn. If you are a runner, it is an event you have to make. Unfortunately, this year's race (as it is every year) is sold out. So get ready for next year's race and start training today. For more information visit mvsta.com.

Fiddle Dee Dee

This weekend the town of Winthrop is hosting the 12th Annual North Cascades Oldtime Fiddlers Contest. The contest will take place on Saturday, August 28th in the Winthrop Park by the Big Red Barn. Over the years the contest has hosted top notch fiddlers from all over the Northwest and as far away as Texas, North Carolina, Georgia and Colorado. Brad Pinkerton, contest chair, says "we have changed some of the standard fiddle contest rules to loosen our contest up and make it more fun for both the fiddlers and the audience." Fiddling starts at 9am. Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for seniors and kids 12 and under are free. And once again, the Giant Insect Contest will take place at the noon lunch break. For more information click here.

August Food Freshies

This just in from Chef Bradshaw: "As we approach mid-August we are still reminded of the late spring. Tomatoes are still trying to ripen. Because of the rains, we have an abundance of braising greens as well as baby beets which we are serving roasted; beans; baby cipollini onions and baby leeks served grilled. Sweet peas are out, so we have changed our seared sea scallop dish to include mascarpone mashed potatoes with a sweet pea sauce, a melange of local organic roasted bell peppers and foraged mushrooms. We are also featuring local Crown S Ranch natural chicken prepared as seen on KING5 TV's NW Backroads show with Sunny Pine Farms goat cheese, spinach, Bluebird Grain Farms emmer "risotto", apple cider sauce and local organic vegetables. Peaches are perfect right now so be on the look out for some nice fresh peach dessert specials."