Escapees November-December 2022

people from the ferry, and were delighted to discover that the Stehekin Valley Ranch bus ride is as much a guided tour of Stehekin as it is transportation to the ranch. We stopped at the Stehekin Pastry Shop, a “do not miss” treasure where my husband, Mark, got some yummy chocolate chip cookies and I bought a key lime bar that was a little slice of heaven. Stehekin Valley Ranch We soon arrived at the ranch where we were greeted by laid-back guests lounging in lawn chairs and hammocks outside their cabins. They’d left their cares so far behind they no longer remembered where they’d left them! We were utterly charmed by our cabin’s rustic simplicity. Even though Stehekin Valley Ranch provides their guests with truly divine complimentary dinners and break fasts at their large cookhouse lodge, we had a cute kitchenette in our cabin, too. As we explored the expansive grounds during the afternoon, we found guests enjoying a variety of cabins of various shapes and sizes. The newest Wagon Cabins, introduced this year, are log cabins mounted on wagon frames. These have proven so popular that one is now mounted on an antique truck, and it’s called the Truck Wagon. We’ll be sure to reserve the Truck Wagon on our next visit! Suddenly, the dinner bell rang. A dinner bell! It’s actually a music triangle hanging on the outside of the cookhouse. We joined the other guests making their way to the dining area and were fl oored by the dinner menu which featured a steelhead trout special, grilled NY strip steaks and grilled chicken as entrees (with burgers for the kids). Even though by the end of our meals we were both happily stuffed, we couldn’t resist a slice of homemade bread too. It melts in your mouth! What we loved most about this communal dining, though, was that everyone was seated at long tables with benches, so we all could eat and chat together. The folks sitting next to us had been to Stehekin Top: Delicious homemade pies at Stehekin Valley Ranch. Center: The Truck Wagon is the newest accommodation and looks very familiar to RVers! End: Ferry Captain Jim Courtney (left) and brother Cli ff (right) are descendants of Stehekin’s earliest settlers.

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November/December 2022 ESCAPEES Magazine