Northwest Magazines

EDITORS NOTES

Ahh … summertime, where long days just beg for a round of golf in the cool morning air—or perhaps a quick nine holes as the day fades to dusk. Here in the Northwest, we’re blessed with courses ringed by mountains, perched on bluffs above the ocean, nestled against creeks and rivers, and even snuggled up to casinos, affording action both day and night.

In this issue, we’ve taken you on a tour of Northwest resorts where you can both golf and game—where you can tee it up in the morning and play roulette at night—all the while dining in style on Northwest cuisine and ending your day by dozing off in a comfortable, well-appointed room with a view. Also included is a roundup of other great golf resorts around the Northwest, from Oregon’s Black Butte and Salishan to Washington’s Semiahmoo and The Resort At Port Ludlow. Of course, you won’t want to miss Idaho’s famous Coeur d’Alene Resort, home of the famous floating tee, or any of Jeld-Wen’s three great golf resorts in Oregon. So many courses, so little time . . .

Also in this issue, Scott Staats takes us on a tour of Boyd Cave, a nearly 2000-foot-long lava tube southeast of Bend, Oregon. Visiting these underground formations in the summertime is a sure way to cool off while experiencing a dark and different world.

Quite the opposite effect is achieved with outdoor summer theater, the subject of Sue Hansen’s story, where patrons gather under the stars (or the midnight sun, if they’re in Fairbanks) to enjoy drama, musicals, comedy, and camaraderie.

Vickie Higgins shares stories of her trip to the Chelan Valley, where she fell in love with the valley’s beautiful vineyards and the delicious wines they produce, Emily Kolkemo reports on the culinary scene in Vancouver, and Sharon McDonnell, a self-described “Type A baby boomer” from New York City, discovers that she really likes camping when it includes gourmet food and wine, cognac, a fluffy down duvet, and coffee delivered to the tent’s door in the morning.

As for me, I’ve been sticking pretty close to home, enjoying the chance to walk on the beach after work. I did take one hike that I highly recommend, to Tamolitch Falls in the foothills of the Cascades. The trail follows a section of the McKenzie River Trail, passes through a lava field, and ends up at the “Blue Pool,” where the McKenzie bubbles up out of the rocks after being underground for a couple of miles. The deep, crystal clear water in the natural pool at the base of the falls, which is dry much of the year, is an amazing blue. It’s a great spot for a picnic.

Wherever your travels take you, have a great summer. We’ll check in again come September.

—Rosemary Camozzi