The first night on our mini-roadtrip from Seattle was spent in downtown Centralia, Washington, at one of the unique McMenamins hotels, the Olympic Club. Barely changed since its opulent re-model in 1913, think old style music hall and vintage furnishings. Think chunky metal door keys, creaky floorboards, shared bathrooms, and character. Meanwhile, the signage in the shop next door boasted of ‘guns, knives and other cool stuff’.
McMenimans brew their own beer (how else do you think Darren found this place!), and they also have a movie theatre on site. No fixed seating here, instead a mish mash of comfy settees, loveseats and armchairs, with the odd rickety coffee table thrown in on which to perch your drinks. As our bedroom was right above said movie theatre, we were encouraged to frequent the 9pm show. Unfortunately for us, ‘Rough Night’ was a poor man’s ‘Hangover’. Still, a very cool place to stay, we may even be back.
It’s not all fun and breweries on these trips, sometimes we have to go to the store to pick up supplies. Like meat, cheese and crusty french bread for a picnic. As always, the impish devil on my right shoulder lured me to the crisp aisle. Luckily, I came to my senses when I saw these.
Wrong, just so wrong
As we ventured further east, this didn’t feel like Washington at all. Stepping out of the moderately AC cooled car to appreciate the scenic viewpoint, we were thrust into an open blast furnace, hot and windy. A vast expanse of scrubland peppered with distant windmills, the omnipresent Columbia River, and barely a tree in sight.
And into this wilderness, someone plonked a vineyard. Not just a vineyard but a luxury retreat, complete with winery tasting room, clifftop cabins, a lake, a swimming pool and a yurt village. A yurt was our residence of choice, but these have come a long long way since they left Mongolia, transforming the yurt concept beyond recognition by your average native Mongolian.
Darren’s idea of glamping is having running water. I set my sights a little higher, but this was for sure, glamping not camping in all senses of the word. The bathroom in the yurt was bigger than the entire inside of the campervan that we spent three weeks driving to Alaska in. Not only that but the yurt’s amenities included: AC, an ice bucket, a fridge, a king size bed, a chaise longue, dining table and chairs and an outside deck. Oh sorry, nearly forgot. And an ironing board.
The rest is history. Wine tasting, chilling out by the lakeside, picnic on the deck, followed by wine-induced dancing. Makes a change from beer!
